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Kyle Brightside is a self-taught artist known for creating bright, bold and fun art that captures the energy & passion of the surf & skate culture. Kyle specialises in large format canvas & mural work, skateboard and surfboard art - Kyle's passion is inspiring creativity with younger generations & sharing his art with everyone.
Tell us a little about yourself! What was it like growing up in Melbourne?
I’m a professional artist & get to create all sorts of cool stuff for a living. I love skateboarding, music, tattoos and long walks on the beach and smooth jazz … ok maybe more punk rock over smooth jazz!
I loved growing up in Melbourne. Catching the trains into the city from a young age to go skateboarding exposed me to a huge diverse culture of people, art forms & expressions. I think growing up in Melbourne you get to see such a range of people all making a life from their passions and subconsciously I think that gave me a strong confidence that I could do something cool with my life.
It also gave me a strong sense of that city lifestyle from a young age and quickly showed me that I prefer to be surrounded by nature and the ocean. Which is exactly where life has taken me.
How did skateboarding in Melbourne play a role in your upbringing?
Skateboarding changed everything for me. It 100% shaped my entire life and still plays a huge part in everything I do. Growing up with such a diverse and open minded culture that truly embraces creativity in every sense was & is the foundation I have built my life, art & business on.
For me, skateboarding was all about creativity & expression. From the clothes you wore, the brands you repped, the tricks you learned and the style you bought to skateboarding. It was all about expressing yourself, and the beautiful open community allowed you to experiment with who you were each day – this really gave me the chance to find my own style.
I remember it was/ is all about you bringing your own style to skateboarding, never copying others but adding to or creating something unique for you. So skateboarding helped me find myself really fast & gave me confidence to express myself the way I want to. This is what I really want my art and story to do for others – to inspire them to be creative in their own way and express themselves however they want to.
How did you first get into street art?
Unconsciously. I was never really into graffiti or anything like that, I’m grateful growing up in a place like Melbourne that has such a strong presence of a variety of street art styles. Being exposed to that from a young age definitely has given me a broad idea of what art can be – but graffiti wasn’t my thing.
Street art has just slowly come into my life over the years as it's such a great way to connect with the community, share my art & story and plays a big part in being able to make a living from art for me and sharing my message to inspire & encourage creativity in all aspects of our lives. Now I’m stoked I get to bring my art to local streets around beach and surf communities and connect with those communities and give something back to help the community love where they live or help businesses stand out and grow.
That’s what I’m really enjoying about Street Art and large-scale murals – they can reach so many people and really share a story from the locals that bring about pride in their community and something they are happy to share with visitors.
Where does your unique style come from, and how has it developed over the years?
Hmm … good question! It probably comes from some weird place in my mind where it makes sense! I’m massively influenced by the OG’s in skateboard and surfboard graphics – Jim Phillips, Drew Brophy, Ed Roth – all those legends! They really showed me how art doesn’t have to be something in galleries or museums to be able to make a living from it. They really blew that whole "starving artist” idea out of my mind instantly!
I think my style takes a bit from all the influences in my life – from skateboarding & surfing, to punk rock & hip hop music, to tattoos & tattoo culture and the natural environment around me. It all comes into play in some way through my art.
I definitely think my style has developed over time. It's totally changed as I’ve got more confident in sharing what I actually love to create every day and not just what I think people want to see. That was a game changer for me, as I just accepted it's going to be something that not everyone is going to vibe with. But as long as it gives me those "Yeah” moments and I keep trying to bring something unique & different to the game, I think it’ll constantly develop.
What other artists inspire you?
Jimbo Phillips (USA), Drew Brophy (USA) are obviously big ones for my style. I’m a big fan of Steen Jones (AU) for his drive and work ethic. And a huge fan of Carlos Saint-Lawrence - an artist from Chile I’ve connected with who has a rad style and loves cool colour pallets.
I also have to mention Zac Bennett-Brook - an Artist from Perth who does these crazy works over surfboards, clothing and huge walls alike. He is as down to earth & rad as you can be - definitely a personal goal to create a collaboration piece together soon.
Other artists that inspire me are the ones hustling to make it work as a full time job. It's hard making a career as an artist so anyone else out there making it happen inspires me and I’m always super impressed by it!
What are your 5 favourite pieces?
What’s next on the cards for you?
Lots of fun stuff. I’ve got some things in the works creating skateboard graphics sold all over the US which will be rad. Hopefully I can get back to Los Angeles soon to catch up on some cool mural jobs I had booked before 2020 went all … well 2020 on us!
And super stoked to be sharing creativity way more this year with Skateboard Art Packs being sold to kids who are keen to be creative & paint their own skateboard. So lots of workshops happening too just to get the kids excited about art & open to expressing themselves. This is definitely something I’m keen to do more of this year & feel like I’m in a good spot to do it well.
What’s your favourite Dickies product/s?
I’m a massive fan of the Eisenhower lined jacket! It suits Melbourne’s crazy unpredictable weather. I love the Slim cuffed CP918 pants – absolutely bomb-proof, comfy and can hit the beach straight after work and not end up with sand everywhere! Also - nothing beats a solid Flannelette shirt!
If you’re round Melbourne I’d 100% recommend the coffee & good vibes at The Alleyway Cartel. Awesome little café under my studio in Murrumbeena. Or if you’re up for a road trip hit the road and come check out some of my local beaches on the Mornington Peninsula. It has such a chilled out vibe, and you can always find a nice secluded beach to laze away some days, surf, kite-surf or snorkel. I’d also definitely recommend getting creative in some way in your life – whether it's painting, drawing, making music, dancing, writing, photography or whatever floats your boat – go be creative. It's not about being the best it’s just about having fun & enjoying the process of making something for yourself.
Stay Rad!