UK artist Adam Williams makes works independently under the ‘Twisty Bitz’ moniker and collaboratively as part of ‘Trap Toys’. Quickly making a name for himself for his expert molding, casting and design skills.
Whilst ‘Trap Toys’ are firmly embedded in the hip hop and street art aesthetic, Adam uses ‘Twisty Bitz’ as a release for his independent creations – thus far only teasing his works with none yet available for purchase.
(Picture below of the John E Concrete figure from ‘Twisty Bitz’)
With lots in the works as always via ‘Trap Toys’ and 2016 set to be the year for Adam to go in hard with ‘Twisty Bitz’, now is the perfect time to get to know him by reading the Art Talk interview, below…
Basics/Getting to Know
Name + D.O.B?
Adam Williams.
17/03/81
City, State n Country you currently call home?
Pershore, Worcestershire, UK
City, State n Country your from?
Same as above.
(Pictures below of the Spider Mandem figure from ‘Trap Toys’ x ‘Rich T Paint‘)
Describe a memory from some pivotal stages of yr life ….basically trying to piece together your pivotal moments. Concerts, art, action-figures, romance, school, crime… ANYTHING man!
* age 5 – beginnings:
Can’t remember allot.
I had an attic room, a few toys, I was happy.
My middle brother was born when I was 4. I wasn’t happy about that apparently. I smashed windows with a bamboo Cain!! haha
(Pictures below of Adam as a kid)
* age 10 – continuations:
I had a brother, and another on the way.
Me and Tim had a bunch of different toys, he-man, thunder cats, star wars etc. We played allot. Mixing up different toys to make one big universe.
I was happy to have brothers by then.
* age 15 – getting serious:
High school, videogames, music, party’s, comics. movies, drinking, getting high.
* age 20 – young adult:
Drinking, partying, gigs, girlfriends, collage and working various jobs, getting high.
* age 30 – adult mode:
In my 20’s and 30’s I started creating allot more.
I have always drawn etc, but I started sculpting at this point. Was never for releasing. Just something I would do for myself and friends.
(A recent picture of Adam below)
Personal motto?
More motto/quote, but …
“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 96% how I react to it.”
Favourite band(s)?
Korn, Alkaline trio, lambatron, Eminem, immortal technique, To name just a few.
I have always been pretty eclectic with music. Anything a bit dirty, and grimey, i’m into it.
Favourite TV show(s)?
Lately I have been watching Vikings, true detective, the Strain, American horror story, orphan black, utopia.
I do get hooked on some shows.
Also watch some anime. And Adventure time, regular show, south park, some adult swim sometimes.
Favourite sport(s) + teams?
Don’t do sports much.
I do watch football sometimes. That’s more because I know my friends will be out watching it, so its easy to see folk when the game is on.
(Pictures below of the Little Snoop Dogg figure from ‘Trap Toys’ x ‘45RPM‘)
Favourite movie(s)?
Too many to list.
I always have a hard time with this question.
Lost boys, gooiness, gremlins, Big etc from my childhood. I also love Asian cinema, Ichi the killer, Versus, Sympathy for Mr vengeance.
Then I have always been a sucker for animation. Its just beautiful to me.
Then recently, Mad max and Chapie have been my top films.
I watch a lot, and forget more.
Favourite books and comics?
I read alot. Always have: sci-fi, horror, fantasy. I’m really into historical fiction.
Conn Iggulden’s Genghis khan and Caesar books are mind blowing. Great reads both.
I do read some comics on occasion, but don’t buy many anymore.
Art Questions
Why the name ‘Twisty Bitz’?
When I was 12, I had what the doctors called ‘a testicular torsion’ a twisted bollock basically. It hurt like a bastard!
Needless to say, people found out, and so Twist ended up being my high school nickname.
Favourite other artist(s)?
I am a fan of lots of my fellow resin artists.
Tim (@extratruckestrial) always blows my mind. He is a full on resin alchemist! Always producing great looking toys, well thought out, and vibrant colours.
All top notch!
Worst aspect of the contemporary art-hustle?
The hours.
I don’t begrudge any of the hustle. I do it for the love of casting, and creating.
But a lot of non work hours go into it.
Best aspect of the contemporary art-hustle?
The people involved, and the supportive atmosphere we all have going on.
Ideas get bounced around, and collabs happen.
I also love to push myself creatively.
Thoughts on the rise of the resin art scene in general?
It seems an ever flowing scene at the moment.
Ever changing and growing. We shall see what happens next.
I’m just happy being a tiny part of the scene.
(Pictures below of the the process and a finished Mutant Space Yeti figure from ‘Twisty Bitz’)
Do you consider what you are making to be ‘art’, ‘design’, re-hashed crap?
Art and design, with a slight dash of rehashed crap.
When and why did you first start making ‘art’ (drawings, paintings, anything)?
I have always drawn, painted and sculpted.
I would draw pictures for sick relatives, and draw random crap, as kids will.
What did you draw as a pre-teen child?
He man, transformers, gremlins, dinosaurs, cars, people, lots of random things.
What did you draw as a teen?
Didn’t draw much as a teen. Only for art or design class. So that would have been fruit, or a classic artist study.
I also doodled, but don’t remember what.
Any pivotal artistic moment/influence?
When I started sculpting in my mid 20’s, things started falling into place creatively for me. Then I started moulding/casting four or so years ago.
Its all been a natural progression since.
Why + when did you decide to go in on the art hustle?
Being asked to be ½ of Traptoys put me in the art hustle. That side of things took off nicely.
Its been a blast this year. Being part of a Clutter gallery show was the crown to a good year for us.
I haven’t really released anything of my own for sale as yet.
Some people have toys as gifts or trades. I have been fortunate to take part in two gallery shows so far.
Kind of dipping my toe I guess.
I hope to release more this year.
(Picture below of the ‘Trap Toys’ boys – center – with Ron English and Josh from ‘Clutter‘)
Describe the method of making a ‘Twisty Bitz’ work? (dot point all o.k.)
* your original resin sculpts (such your John E Concrete figure)?
I started with a resin he man body for Johnny, sanded that back and sculpted bigger muscles. Then textured, and cut until I was happy.
I went through several magnet combos, and still had a nightmare. Then settled on He man arm joints. I got caught up for a while with him. Don’t have a method as yet. I’m way to self critical, so it all takes ages!
* your customs!?
My customs are much quicker. I make molds for testing different pigments, and effects.
King Caesar is my recent ish one. Straight up bootleg.
The creativity comes latter with the different effects and colours.
All good practice.
(Pictures below of Adam working on his toys)
You told me you also work with ‘Trap Toys’…
* what is your role within ‘Trap Toys’?
Mainly prepping, moulding, casting, finishing/sanding.
I do paint sometimes on customs and recently IronSam.
We talk a lot about toys, and bounce ideas around.
* has any of the ‘Trap Toys’ work met with legal hurdles?
Yes. A mild one with Bronson.
It’s the first toy we worked on together as Traptoys, and it will never be released. We were asked politely not to.
(Picture below of the Action Bronson figure from ‘Trap Toys’)
* favourite ‘Trap Toys’ release you have worked on and why?
All of them have been great.
The RTJ mash up and IronSam have been my favourite.
All though I am very exited about our upcoming releases too.
(Pictures below of the RTJ + Iron Sam figures from ‘Trap Toys’)
You have released a few resin figures thus far… What are the back bios / narratives for:
* John E Concrete?
John E Concrete started as a piss take name with my friends for people if they walked with that hard man pose. Like they are carrying invisible carpets under their arms.
The toy came from that. I’m still working on him, so a few changes soon.
He is earth’s champion against the Mutant Space Yeti invasion!
* Mutant Space Yeti
Mutant Space Yeti is the foot solider of the space yeti invasion.
They left earth, and their then declining yeti tribe, before we existed. They mastered genetics, and created mutated versions of themselves in labs by the 1000s.
They are ruled over by a War Queen, and are hell bent on enslaving us all.
* the Slime Knights?
Simple bio here.
They are Knights infected with the grime. Now they here horrible, grimey dirty music in their heads, driving them insane, whilst sweating slime constantly.
They may well become Grime Knights.
I’m still developing on these to.
(Pictures below of the process and some finished Slime Knights by ‘Twisty Bitz’)
Odds n Ends
What role did toys play in your childhood?
A massive one.
Me and my brothers grew up playing with a mix of different toys.
We didn’t have loads, but we did quite well over the years at car boots, and gifts from our parents.
We used to combine the different toy-lines and make up stories. Or just play out our own versions of episodes we liked.
Please describe your experiences growing up in the UK?
Typical upbringing in a small, working class town.
Its very quiet, and surrounded by countryside to explore.
Very nice and chilled most of the time.
Who was your 1st crush and why?
I can’t remember her name, but me and my best friend at the time were both dating her at the same time.
We were 7, so I didn’t have much of a clue what was going on most of the time.
It’s funny to think back on.
(Pictures below of the A Trak figure from ‘Trap Toys’ x ‘Fools Gold Records’ x ‘Bnardartwork‘)
Does sex change everything?
It does.
Puberty changes everything, and then sex complicates things further.
Its both the best and worst of things! haha
Please describe your latest dream in detail…
Don’t really remember them in detail.
They usually involve me and my friends and family hanging out somewhere weird. Like a shopping centre, or an abandoned cruise ship. Meeting dream girls, and causing chaos. That, and zombie dreams.
Have you ever tried psychedelics of any sort? And what was the experience like?
When I was a teen, and my early 20’s I experimented with drugs.
Didn’t like chemicals much. It’s the hangover that kills me.
I do smoke a lot of weed at times.
Of everything you have done what would you most like to be remembered for and why?
Being a generally nice guy, who made random resin toys.
I will probably be remembered as the weird, quiet stoner dude though, haha
Drugs – waste of time or gateway to the universe?
A bit of both.
I think its all about realizing where your boundaries are.
Drugs are good for changing your mindset, or looking at the world through different eyes for a few hours.
I have learnt the long way that when i’m high, I get next to nothing done.
I have reined in my green consumption a lot.
Please describe what you think the British Psyche/Zeitgeist is today?
There’s not much going on lately, so I think its quite chilled.
We tend to just roll with the punches here. Posh dickheads will always be in charge, we just look after ourselves.
I don’t pay much attention to the news.
The Future
Any collaborations on the horizon?
Nothing concrete.
I have a few colabs in talking stages, so we shall see.
I hope for some for 2016.
Any major projects you want to hype?
Lots coming up. I’m casting Easy He, for trap toys at the moment.
Very exited about his release.
Also have a small batch of space yetis in the works for various people. And more to come from me to.
Exiting year ahead for sure.
(Pictures below of the soon to be released Eazy He figure from ‘Trap Toys’ x ‘Dan X Draws‘)
Links
- ‘Twisty Bitz’ – Instagram
- ‘Trap Toys’ – Instagram
- ‘Trap Toys’ – Site
- ‘Trap Toys’ – Online Store
