Jake Walker: Could you always draw or did you learn?
Rob McHaffie: I think I always enjoyed drawing from a
young age, my sister and I would draw creepy characters with huge noses and
hairy legs to entertain each other. I spent a large portion of my youth
visiting these two brothers Mark and Scott Wilcox who lived around the corner,
they were very inventive kids who would build crossbows and read Todd McFarlane
Spiderman comics. I remember the older brother Mark sitting me down and
teaching me to draw a realistic face and from then I'd go around there after
school, eat muesli, play basketball and draw comics. At high school I quit art
after year nine, there was a bit of a push to study Science subjects in my
family but drawing became quite a personal thing I would do to escape.
JW: Cool, I had a friend with an older
brother who painted the most amazing sci-fi and fantasy images, he taught me
how to draw flames, not quite as handy as a human face but I was grateful for
the lesson none the less.
Its interesting that you gave up on art at a scholastic level early on,
because your work has always seemed like a diary to me, a visual record your
little secrets rather than an attempt to make art as such.
JW: Was it hard to to start showing your work to others?
RM: Going through the drawing department at VCA
was fantastic for gaining confidence in showing work. There was only 15 people
in my year level and tutorials were like group therapy, everyone was quite
neurotic in their own way, so I had no qualms opening up there. Then I was
exited to show in artist run
spaces after school. I didn't think about it. At the time I had a cumpulsion to
make work and show it. I felt like I had to achieve personal things with art
otherwise I couldn't convince my parents that it was worth quitting my engineering
degree. I went a bit nuts and I became too busy showing a few years ago and
felt like a tree that was exposing all of its roots. Trees fall over if they
show all their roots so I needed to dig a big hole and bury the roots again.
JW: I have notice that recently your
paintings have become less parochial, that is there are less images from your
immediate environment. It seems like the works are dealing with broader themes,
history, trust, love, spirituality, was this approach for a particular show or
deliberate shift in focus (root burying perhaps)?
RM: I think I finally got over my anxiety.
It was such a pressing force for a long time and the things that helped are
those things, trust, love spirituality. I thought I could paint the world how
it is or how it could be, with the hope that if I paint it how it could be then
maybe it will head in that direction. Or at least I would head in that
direction. That took me to Malaysia where the life there at Rimbun Dahan was
quite utopia like. Intense flora and fauna, surrounding lovely architecture, I
also found my Tao group there which was really lovely to share and learn I
wasn't alone with my ideas. If we open our heart and move and create in harmony
with nature life will be more beautiful for sure. But I'm still dabbling in the
parochial. Pierre Bonnard's body of work for me is sublime and he only painted
was was going on in and around his house.
JW: You've recently moved to Thailand and
become a father, huge changes! And a welcome distraction from the painters mind
I'm sure. Are you back with the brushes yet and if so what are you making, and
when are you next showing your work?
RM: Yes its been a delightful change
waking each morning with a smiling little cherub. Friends have warned me
not to paint baby pictures but I can't help myself I've been drawing these
little scenarios inspired by our life here. They feature a guy in a cowboy hat
adjusting to family life and culture in Bangkok. George and Ron from MOP in
Sydney have asked me to take part in their ten year anniversary show in March
this year so I'll show these new drawings there along with some other drawings
of people on the train in Bangers. I'd stare a lot at people on the train on
the way to my Thai class and when I got home I could remember all these faces
but no Thai words.
JW: Sounds awesome, I'd love to see a couple
of drawings. If you could send me a couple at a larger size than 1100px wide
I'll put them up on the blog too.
Thanks for the chat its been a great insight. I'm looking forward to seeing the new works!
Thanks for the chat its been a great insight. I'm looking forward to seeing the new works!
Rob McHaffie is represented by Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney