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Luna Tunes - Behind The Brush

by Kimberly Engwicht
Wow it's been a while, I'm reviving my Behind The Brush series and bringing it back with a BANG with one of my all time favourite artists. 
 

Liam - the man, the myth, the legend of Luna Tunes sat down with me and chatted all things art. Creative, painter, digital designer, head artist for House of Darwin, husband, father - this man does it all.

After seeing his mural in Darwin on a visit back in September 2020, I was immediately obsessed. The mixture of icons he uses to bring the House of Darwin brand to life really resonates with this Darwin girl. I may just be a bit of a fan girl, that I commissioned Liam for a new tattoo piece #comingsoon 
 

So kick your feet back and enjoy hearing from Liam as he shares all things Luna Tunes!  

 

Hey mate, tell us a little bit about yourself! And where are you based? 

Hey my name is Liam - my artist name is LUNA TUNES. I’m based in Naarm (Melbourne) and this is where I grew up and all my family is kind of all over Victoria which is nice.

 

 

What do you do? When did you start and how did you come to do what you do? 

I’ve drawn as far back as I can remember. I remember drawing a lot as a kid and I just kept doing it through school - was lucky to have parents who just always said do what you like and are good at - and art was the only thing that kind of ticked those boxes.

I went to uni - which isn't for everyone - and I hated it at first BUT eventually was really great for me because we focused a lot on the conceptual stuff. It kinda kicked me up the bum and out of my comfort zone doing video, painting, performance and just experimenting and sharing with a small community group in the class.

I think after uni I kinda fell in a hole with my art - the system pummels young people with the need to get a job and become a perfect little cog within the beast and I felt that pressure for sure. It took a big year long trip travelling for me to find the LUNA TUNES name and my real real real passion for art and it become truly fun again.

Since then I’ve just made lots of art. The pandemic was shit for lots of reasons but I was lucky enough to have a lil home studio so I just poured myself into painting. In the early morns and late nights i was just making and it was the best. I feel like I really truely fell in love with art in 2020. Just to be able to do something that makes me so ‘in it’ - that was and is a blessing.

 
Is this currently a side hustle or your full time job? And because I'm nosey, what was your previous job?

I also work at AIME 4 days a week from home ~ my job title is Resident Artist which is nice. AIME is a special place to work. Rest of my art time is on my own stuff.

I’ve always like having another job to sort of switch to different parts of the brain. I’m lucky to have mostly liked all my jobs - I was a dishwasher, a pool man, a burger flipper, a kids art teacher - there are some days when I miss all those jobs - and some days I don’t.

 

What do you primarily use for your work? Paint, digital, ink? Why is it your preferred medium?

Used to always be ink on paper but now probably paint on wood or found objects, sheets, clothes, random items. Plus I do a lot of digital now for specific parts of my work.

 



In ONLY 3 words, how would you describe your art?

ALWAYS

ZERO

NOW

 

What do you LOVE most about your art? 

When I’m fully in it making it - maybe the sun is rising - music is on - hot coffee. Joy.

 

 

When in your life did you have the "I've made it" moment. I want to hear your biggest highlight in your biz so far! 

In grade 6, we had to do caricatures of famous people and I did Prince Charles. They were all displayed in the room for a while. When my teacher Ms Mutsaers was taking them off the walls she got to mine and she said “...we might leave this one up for a little bit” and gave me a wink. It's one of my earliest memories of someone showing I was good at drawing.

Where do you draw inspiration from? 

Everything - Nature, family, music, other artists, fashion, Anger, Love, Science, Books, Movies … yeah everything.


Alright, skies the limit...who/what is your dream brand collab? What would it be?

The bigger the worse for me - I’m not into big brands or businesses at all so just the more local the better.

 

 

So, I'm a massive celeb lover and get star struck easily....Have you ever had your art purchased/liked or commented on by someone famous? We need names 👏🏽 and 👏🏽 details. If not, who would you love to have your art hanging in their house? 

Hahaha - The Queen of England has a Luna Tunes hanging in Buckingham Palace. No only joking. Similar to my brands answer I’d personally prefer someone who is not famous to have my art in their place. But it is always a beautiful privilege if anyone wants to hang my art in their place.


Where would you like to see you and your art in 5 years time? 

OOOOO good question. I just want to be making art and art that is different to what I do now. I don’t necessarily need to progress or grow or whatever, I just want to keep making honest art that keeps my blood pumping.

 

 

When you’re not doing your art, what would we find you doing?

Love this question. With my wife and bubba (although we make art together too), in nature, watering veggies, listening to records, cooking, talking shit with friends, at Preston market, riding my bike, at the pub with my cousins, camping, hiking, raging about the world with my wife.

 

 

Who in the creative world do you look up to? Drop their IG handles so we can stalk them:

TALK TALK DIE @talktalkdie
RUBY KNIGHT @clithead
GIOVANNA DA SILVA @giovannadasilva__
MAYA IRVING @mayaairving
BARC THE DOG @barcthedog
GHOSTSHRIMP @theghostshrimp

 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

You do you. Be honest with yourself. Follow your gut.

 


ALRIGHTY now for some Quick Fire questions 

Hot drink order: Stove top coffee at home
 
All time fav movie: Children of Men
 
Go to ice-cream flavour: Something peppermint
 
1 song you could listen to over and over again: FOUR TET - “Morning Side”
 
Go to alcoholic drink: Beer
 
Favourite conspiracy theory: That planet Earth is just a piece of cereal and all the planets and stars and universe is just a giant bowl of cereal and all eternity is just us getting very very slowly poured into a giant bowl and the end of the universe will be a giant eating us for breakfast.
Hahaha this made me laugh out loud ^^^
 
Name a quirk/something weird that you do that makes you, you - (you don't have to explain...just let it out): When I’m watching a movie I rest my index finger along one side of my nose cos my Dad does that to hold up his big heavy glasses - but I don't have glasses.
 
If you could have a dinner party with 3 famous people, dead or alive, who would they be?: 

My Mum, My wife Benny, my bubba (all very famous in my life).

 

Awwww man, how awesome is this bloke! Thanks sooooo much Liam for taking the time out to answer these questions for me. I love the passion you have for your art and you can see it in everything you do.

Want to see more of Liam's amazing work? Check him out below:

Instagram: @loonatoons

Website: https://www.lunatunes.com.au/index.html

Portrait photograph credit: Kyle Palmer @jackpopperzzz

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TUNE in again very soon...I have a BUNCH of exciting creatives ready to share their stories. 

Are you a creative? Would you like to be featured? Email me at kraedesigns91@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you!

Big Love, 
Kim

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