ARTIST BIO

I am a Post-punk Pop Artist working in a variety of mediums including conte on card or paper, digital art printed on archival paper or canvas and acrylic paint on canvas. My artist name is Mabbatt. Having an art persona helps me separate my art world from real life, which is a necessary division for my sanity and the mental health of my family! Mabbatt was my father\'s birth name. Mabbatt\'s produced generations of blacksmiths and were limited to the Cirencester area of England until the 1930\'s, at which point my grandmother, a single, pregnant 21 year old, escaped to London. The name with this spelling has almost died now, so my use of it pays tribute to my ancestors, while providing a great talking point

Through the use of slightly damaged objects, anthropomorphic art and comic book characters, I enjoy taking a colourful, irreverant, decorative approach to life in the 21st century. However, in most of my work you will find a subversive under current of social commentary. I am also having a great time working on my original images in a drawing program on my ipad which allows me to do digital graffiti on my own work. Street art without the OH and S issues associated with spray cans - and its legal!

Currently I am working on a series of large scale drawings which I have titled \'Artists Go Ape\'. The drawings pay homage to the artists who have influenced me most including Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali, Brett Whiteley and Tracey Emin, to name a few. Using Anthropomorphic art, I am merging ape features with human faces to say something about the artist as Noble Savage or Misunderstood Genius, labels all these artists have attracted. Oddly, the merger makes these gods of fine art more human and accessible for me.

I completed a Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours at Ballarat University, with majors in Painting and Ceramics, some years ago but feel I am only now hitting my peak through the medium of drawing, which has always been the backbone of my artwork.

In late 2016, I am giving up my day job to work in my studio full time. I am returning to ceramics, while venturing into textile design, woodcuts, screen printing, papier mache and resin casts to add depth and variety to my portfolio. I have a joint exhibition coming up at Ryazanoff Gallery in Albert Park in mid December 2016 and hope to have a solo exhibition in mid 2017.

For more images, check out my webpage: www.mabbatt.com. Instagram: @mabbatt. Facebook art page: Mabbatt-art. Google RedBubble and search for Mabbatt-art, for associated products (eg) clothing, home decor.