Placing, large in scale and liable to being demolished . . . Glasgow’s road artwork has develop into a celebrated a part of its city landcape and a vacationer draw. Ann Wallace talked to one in every of its pioneers, Rogue One
TAXI, held by multi-coloured balloons, lifts gently off the bottom. An elephant swims beside a Dalek and a diver in a imaginative and prescient of what lies beneath the River Clyde. A lady holds a large glass, upturned, permitting viewers to face as in the event that they had been trapped inside it…
The world of Glasgow road artwork is a surreal place, though as one in every of its most well-known creators Rogue One – aka Bobby McNamara – factors out, it’s not a brand new invention.
“Murals like these have been round because the 70s and 80s. John Byrne did so much, for instance, and in locations like Maryhill and Easterhouse you’d see them on a regular basis,” says Bobby, who says he acquired into graffiti artwork “the basic approach”.
Rogue One
“Now you get folks going to artwork college to do it, however once I was rising up, we had been simply tagging, in search of deserted areas and derelict buildings to spray paint,” he explains. “For me, there have at all times been two sorts of graffiti artists: those who’re simply into vandalism and those who wish to be creative and create one thing wonderful.
“I’d at all times drawn since I used to be at college and, ultimately, I began to do extra detailed work. I appreciated the photorealistic stuff that was showing – extra figurative and character-based, than lettering – and also you’d group up with associates who had been doing comparable issues and make a manufacturing collectively.”
Bobby began a course in graphic design at Cardonald Faculty after leaving college however he left shortly after his status for daring, huge road artwork gained him his first fee.
“Folks would come as much as me and say: ‘Oh, you’re the man that does the murals!’,” he provides, grinning. “I acquired requested to color one thing for the scholar union and I used to be fairly taken again. I bear in mind considering: ‘Okay, I can receives a commission for doing this?’.”
A number of exhibitions – inside galleries, this time – adopted, nevertheless it was Bobby’s status for large vibrant road murals that introduced him to the eye of a variety of organisations, from Glasgow Metropolis Council to clothes chain City Outfitters.
Rogue One
“Glasgow was following different European cities like Paris and Berlin, who already had road murals,” he explains. “The humorous factor was, when the council first approached me and another graffiti artists about doing works, we had been all actually cautious as a result of it appeared so unlikely that they’d need us to do ‘authorized’ graffiti.”
He laughs: “So none of us replied. Then we noticed that Smug, who had moved to Glasgow from Australia, had acquired the job and he was producing these wonderful artworks. It was all actually bizarre nevertheless it simply grew from there.”
Rogue One’s work is now well-known throughout the town, from his floating cab – ‘The World’s Most Economical Taxi’ – simply off Argyle Road, and CR Waterproof coat, above the Clutha and Victoria Bars on Stockwell Road, to the quirky riverscape A View from the Clyde, on the Broomielaw, that includes the aforementioned elephants and Daleks, which is one in every of Bobby’s favourites.
Rogue One
“I work so much with the collective Artwork Pistol, and this one got here from a narrative we heard about one of many ships that was transporting animals up the river again on the flip of the twentieth Century,” he explains.
“The animals had been on their method to a giant exhibition at Kelvingrove Park and apparently one of many elephants really fell off the boat into the Clyde – fortunately, it was rescued.”
His work attracts a number of consideration, notably from vacationers.
“There have been numerous humorous conditions over the previous 10 years, once I’ve been on the bus or strolling down the road, and I’ve overheard folks speaking about my work,” he says, smiling. “Generally I’ll watch one of many mural strolling excursions and simply stand and hear in to what they’re saying – it’s at all times fun when the information spots me and realises who I’m.”
Rogue One
Bobby is a giant fan of different artists engaged on Glasgow murals, akin to Smug, Mark Worst and duo Conzo and Glöbel. Of his personal works, his favourites embrace two that are now not there – Shadow Hand Puppets, in a Cowcaddens underpass, and the Hip Hop Marionettes on John Road.
“I beloved doing the Shadow Hand Puppets as a result of I used my household and associates as fashions, so it was really actually pretty to have all of them concerned,” he says.
“I believe numerous locals actually loved the Hip Hop Marionettes. I even purchased my very own puppet to review the way it moved for the paintings. They’ve each been demolished now, which is an actual disgrace, after all, however it’s the nature of graffiti artwork. Buildings will get torn down, areas will get constructed on, works fade within the solar or get painted over.”
Bobby provides: “Issues you might have accomplished will disappear however they’ll at all times have had a component within the historical past and heritage of the town.”
