Concrete Playground Meets Artists and Musos Kool Thing and Junky

Whether in collectives or as individuals, a ton of artists are leaving their mark on canvas and walls all around Brisbane. Two such visual magicians are Vlada and Jaimee. You may recognise them a few ways. They comprise one half of rising musical stars Major Leagues, but they also go by separate artistic pseudonyms. Allow me to introduce Junky (Vlada) and Kool Thing (Jaimee) — two of the most interesting artists in town.

Junky's detailed illustrations are a sight to behold, while Kool Thing's beloved Pet Portraits have made her hot property to animal lovers everywhere. These pals have been decorating walls across Brisbane for some time, and now they are joining forces for a collaborative exhibition at Jamie's Espresso this Thursday.

We decided to have a chat to both artists to find out what makes them tick.

Jaimee, in a quick sentence, tell us about your art style!

J: My direction might be associated with a street art and/or comic art style.

Jaimee, Where did you come up with the idea for Pet Portraits?

J: My amazing mother placed that seed in my mind. Thanks mum.

How has the response been since you started producing them?

J: Dog lovers from all over the country are so encouraging toward this endeavour. It's on its way to becoming a legitimate small business, yippy!

Vlada, your illustrations are incredibly detailed! What sort of illustrations do you enjoy drawing the most?

V: When I first started drawing I pretty much just drew thousands of pictures of Gambit from X-Men (really focusing on the six pack), so I think doing graphic novel style drawing will always be my favourite thing to do.

However Jaimee and I have done a few big murals around the place and they have always been crazy fun. We have been lucky that the lovely people that have let us massacre their walls have just let us have free reign over the space and we get to draw pictures of laser squids and intergalactic bunny rabbits and all kinds of fun things.

What/where do you draw your influences from?

J: I sway toward anything with intentional and detailed line work. Traditional Japanese prints from old favourites like Hokusai or modern Israeli street artist like UNGA, have surly been an encouragement in the way my work polishes out.

V: The artists I follow and fawn over are a huge influence on my work. After I finish something I spend a significant amount of time making sure I haven't plagiarised. I have a little spongy baby brain. Same goes for comic books and whatever I'm reading at the time.

Oh and pretty much everything I eat. I'm way too inspired by food.

What can you tell us about your upcoming exhibition? What can we expect?

J: Vlada and I will each have four to five pieces on display, consisting of our latest inspirations. It will probably look a lot like our Tumblr feed, because us gals don't get out much.

V: For this particular exhibition all the works will be fairly new. I never intended on having a theme; however, as I finished everything they all ended up being black-and-white inked pictures. For anyone that has seen any of Jaimee's work she has a solid style that has this incredible ability to adapt and change but maintains its integrity, which is something I really respect about her work. Generally it'll be a collection of new stuff and hopefully will be visually delicious!

You are quite active amongst the Brisbane cultural scene; what do you like about Brisbane culturally at this point in time?

J: Brisbane has many integral components that make our cultural hub beautiful, including our music and street art. I have recently been city hopping on a national tour with Vlada and our band mates in Major Leagues and we were blown away by the amount of gorgeous street art from the main cities we travelled to. I only hope we will have more tolerance for artistic speech on our streets because I feel that there is a lack of it within our Brisbane culture. I'm super excited for progression in Brisbane's cultural hub. There is much to look forward to.

V: Brisbane is wonderful. There are always great bands playing, exhibitions to see, beers to drink and burritos to consume. Brisbane will just keep on growing creatively as well. There are some great minds in this bustling metropolis of ours. Oh yes, and hanging out at Kodak Beach of course.

Who are some artists or musicians that you would recommend to someone looking to immerse themselves in Brisbane culture?

J: Sam McKenzie (Illustrator) Jesse Olsen (illustrator/tattoo artist), Theresa Fryer (cinematographer) As for musicians, Babaganouj, ROKU MUSIC, Cub Sport and The Good Sports.

V: I know for a fact that Jaimee's list and mine are incredibly similar so refer to Jaimee Fryer's list. Ha. But my addition to the artist list would have to be Phoebe Paradise.

Where are your favourite places to eat / drink / party around town?

J: I go to The Tiller in Alderley for coffee every day; The Scratch bar for my beer needs and The Underdog is a swinging place I'd like to party down at more often.

V: Well you can't go wrong with drinking beers on a deck — if you have a deck that is. We have a deck and it is popular past time in our home. Food wise, Vietnamese pork rolls from my bakery in East Brisbane are a solid lunchtime treat and fun dancing times at Black Bear Lodge on the weekends are brilliant, especially if it's a No Diggity night. Ooooh Damn.

Kool Thing and Junky will be hosting an exhibition at Jamie's Espresso this Thursday. Check out their work from 6pm.