What is it about the pop art movement that specifically appealed to you and made you both adopt that style?
Nathan: I think when learning how to draw as a kid, I’d always practice by copying my father’s album covers. I vividly recall a Whitesnake and Iron Maiden drawing… then things like my favourite TV shows at the time, Power Rangers and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I think pop culture has just always been a safe haven to me. In school I had a tricky time with some bullies, and I’d lose myself in my art, and the escapism of music and TV. Studying Andy Warhol then came along and I realised that it all just clicked into place.
Antony: For me it wasn’t a case of adopting pop art as a style, it was a natural progression from my early years as a graffiti artist who then started experimenting with stencils and then painting portraits with bright coloured 2D outcomes. I was always intrigued by bold and simplistic product advertising and flat striking imagery in art. My artist name is Consumersmith and if Consumerism is the toast, then pop art has always been the butter in my eyes. I’ve always been fascinated by taking images I’ve created or already existing images and painting them in new ways which convey both art, decoration and something that feels like a visual product.
Nathan, your work is famous for using unusual, often household objects to create portraits, what first inspired you to design art using this method?
I’d been uploading sketches of my work onto YouTube for a few months when it was first about to BOOM… I was getting a little complacent with the style and I read a newspaper headline about Simon Cowell that said “you either love him or hate him” and I instantly thought of Marmite. Could I paint Simon with Marmite? That’s weird surely… BUT I did! And that video gained a lot of attention. I naturally progressed into using popular everyday items to release to the subject matters… often silly and fun, sometimes poetic and even pack a punch with a powerful message. Art does that, it speaks when words can’t. Before I knew it I couldn’t walk down the aisle in a supermarket or pass a skip on the street without thinking “I could make art with that”, it’s limitless. It makes art accessible to people who may not have the finances to afford expensive oil paints and a huge canvas. Just grab a handful of soil from the garden, mix it with water and paint! Rip up old clothes and collage them, finish that half empty, lumpy bottle of sauce that’s been in the back of the cupboard for years… just CREATE!
Nathan, you’ve created art all over the world, from appearing on Britain’s Got Talent and The Kelly Clarkson Show, you have spoken about how Andy Warhol has been a long-term inspiration for you, how has your own work and experiences developed over the years and become a source of inspiration for future works?
Yeah, the TV things came as surprise to me, getting to meet some people I’ve always admired such as Kelly Clarkson in New York, because of my art… that’s wild to a small-town Welsh valleys boy! But it happened. Warhol had an obsession with pop culture, fame, parties and glamour. I share something similar, except I’m navigating it in a very different world now. A social media world. Instagram and TikTok have surpassed YouTube for me, and I’m sure in time something else will come along too and take over those. It’s about changing with but also commenting on the times as they change. There’s a lot of underlying messages in my work about consumerism and even politics at times. I don’t mind if people don’t see the messages and just see a cool artwork… but if people choose to look deeper, sometimes there’s so much more. Inspiration comes from everywhere; a new pop star’s song, a worldwide political story, a celebrity scandal, a movie role…
Antony, Andy Warhol was a key figure of the 60s pop art and culture scene, what do you think pop art will look like in the next century?
I think from the moment the pop art movement began, its original ideas have been regurgitated time and time again in popular culture and they always will be. Pop art never seems to lose its freshness – visually in an existing form it has become intertwined with graffiti and street art a hell of a lot and will continue to be so. Digitally, with AI and advertising it’s very accessible and visually appealing for people that wouldn’t normally recognise or appreciate art. It’s a very popular style of art for that reason, it feels like a very inclusive art form that I don’t believe will ever disappear.
Antony, the art scene is obviously huge, with a significant number of renowned art institutions being based across America and in London. So coming from Newport, a small city in Wales, did you ever think that being an artist predominantly based in Wales would be too challenging a career, and if so, what inspired you to keep going and is there any advice you’d give to local artists who are at the start of their careers?
In this day and age (if you’ve got wifi) I think you could have a studio tucked away on a remote island just off the coast of f*ck knows where and still have reach if you are producing a product that appeals visually. The same as if you are creating music. If you are creating something you believe in and looks or sounds cool as f*ck then people are going to believe in it too. For me, I started creating art to satisfy my own creative needs, never with thoughts of making it career. I started off as a teenager making graffiti pieces and it developed into something else as my knowledge and hunger for art increased. I went to art school 21 years ago, but I can honestly say, apart from networking, you don’t need to study art at an institution to be an artist. You need to make art with passion and conviction and push it out to the world. Then the work will follow. I was working a day job and taking sick days and annual leave to do art jobs (commissions and mural jobs) to the point I quit my job and went full time as an artist and that’s now how I make my living. Advice I have for artists starting out is – be persistent and prolific! Don’t hold anything back, don’t be too precious, put everything you create out there for the world to see. People like to see progression and follow someone’s journey. Remember hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Also – get out there and tell everyone what you do all the time. Self-belief is everything. The next time you pour milk on your cereal just think – I’M A GREAT ARTIST I HAVE SOMETHING THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE! And then one day you might be pouring Champagne on your cereal instead. I’m joking (Champagne and Weetabix tastes sh*t). Make work and make lots of it from now until forever and let the world know YOU ARE HERE!
Nathan, you’ve documented some viral moments of you presenting celebrities with their portraits, most recently a portrait of Rachel Zegler who has just concluded her stint in Evita on the West End. Which celebrity portrait is next on the cards and who would you most like to create?
This is the world we live in now right? We document things and often put them on social media. To some it may seem like showing off. Ultimately all I wish to do is make people smile. For the best part, that’s what these famous encounters and their reactions to my work do. They allow fans of these famous people to see them genuinely stumped and happy. I’d like to think being their authentic selves in a moment of fun. People have been so kind to me. Some stand out presentations have been for the likes of the Royal Family… the actual King, Spider-Man’s Tom Holland, Cyndi Lauper… I was once even invited backstage at the Royal Albert Hall to meet Mariah Carey after being commissioned to make her birthday present! Of course recently Rachel Zegler was incredible! Up next… I visit Vegas a lot, I love it there. So I have some plans up my sleeve with that… all I can say is it’s all going to be rather MAGICAL!
To both: Nathan I know you’re very vocal about supporting local, community-based charities and events, and Antony I know you’re incredibly passionate about supporting creative children who do not have access to art materials. How important do you think it is to support these initiatives and ultimately ensure that pop art continues to develop in Wales?
It’s important to encourage continued creativity in children. Every child draws, colours and creates. When does this stop? When they are told they aren’t good at drawing? When they stop believing in themselves? How many times have you spoke to someone who says “I can only draw stickmen’’? I tell them – there’s an artist called Stik, he is a British street artist based in London, with no formal art school training. Stik is known for painting large stick figures and he makes a living from art, painting 100ft murals all around the world. There are no boundaries or rights or wrongs when creating art. I think it’s important for the developmental freedom of young minds to realise their potential, and if art is a tool in that then it should be encouraged. No human should believe that there is something they cannot do. Some people are born artists and stand out from others, but who decides who can have a pop at it or not? Art is fun, pop art is fun, making art is fun. Who doesn’t want to have fun? Whether or not you cut the mustard or not and make a career out of it I don’t think it matters. I do regular workshops and mural painting sessions with Blaenau Gwent youth service who are doing great things to support the youth in the Welsh valleys and we are spreading the joy of creativity and opening young minds up to the possibility that you can choose your own future and being creative is an avenue you can go down to achieve that. Art is for everyone and pop art, for me, in its evolution into street art culture feels right and it excites and engages the youth. I’m from a working class family, I once picked up can of spray paint and played about with it and made a career out of it. If I can do it anyone can. -CONSUMERSMITH
I can only echo and emphasise what Antony has said. Art is so incredibly vital to us all. Whether you consciously realise it or not. Think back to the dreaded 2020 lockdown. Aside from our incredible NHS to save our bodies… we turned to the arts to save our souls. It kept us sane. We sat on our beautifully crafted sofas at home, enjoying the talents of Netflix series. We turned to picking up a paintbrush or a knitting needle to crochet for the first time in years… because we had time. Well, I say there’s always time. Stop. Think about those moments and how being a little bit creative, and also thankful to our creatives… made a huge difference. We missed events, the theatre, live music! Arts are what nourish us deep down. I come from Ebbw Vale, dreams were just that to me growing up… dreams! But I took a punt on a few wacky ideas and I ran with them. I’m still running with them 15 years later… grateful for every day I get to create for a living. I think that’s something both Antony and both can vouch for – JUST CREATE.
Words by Molly James
Images courtesy of Nathan Wyburn and Consumersmith
