Tom Snaw aka ‘SNAWLAX’ is a Frank Zappa, MAD magazine loving vandal who has been hitting the streets of Convict Town for years with his unique tags, throws, murals and stickers.
Snaw is not a writer to ever rest on his laurels. He gets up constantly, varies his style at will, and makes a huge effort to stain those hard to reach places.
(Picture below of Snaw getting up in the Sydney CBD)
Indeed, Snaw sums up his approach to graffiti and getting up as:
“I was more inspired by the ‘zorro’ approach to graff.
I like the mystery, i don’t really socialise with other writers i prefer to get in, paint, get a flick, add it to the pile, move on to the next one.”
Now with years of street work to his name, and a recent entry into the ‘legit’ world with his apparel brand, now is the perfect time to get to know ole Snaw by reading the Art Talk interview, below…
Basics/Getting to Know
Name + D.O.B?
Tom Snaw.
City, State n Country you’re from?
Sydney, beach area.
(Pictures below of a Snaw design)
Describe a memory from three stages of yr life ….basically trying to piece together your pivotal moments. Concerts, art, action-figures, girls, school, crime… ANYTHING man.
* age 5 – beginnings:
No stand out memories, average kid stuff, school, soccer/footy.
* age 10 – continuations:
Porn and bum puffing alpines at the skate park haha.
* age 15 – getting serious:
Drugs.
(picture below of a throw up by Snaw)
Personal motto?
Some random tupac line about thug life…
Favorite band(s)?
Frank Zappa.
Favorite TV show(s)?
Cartoons.
Favorite sport(s) + teams?
Xbox.
(Picture below of a pile of Snaw sticker packs)
Favorite movie(s)?
Charles Bronson movies.
Favorite books and comics?
Mad magazine.
Art and Graffiti
In the graffiti scene there is a friction between what seems to be a desire for recognition – namely placing stickers and art all over public spaces – and a reluctance to be interviewed, set up an online presence and all of those other ‘normal’ art hustle things… Care to explain and elaborate this for those at home?
I was more inspired by the “zorro” approach to graff.
I like the mystery, i don’t really socialise with other writers i prefer to get in, paint, get a flick, add it to the pile, move on to the next one.
(Pictures below of ole Snaw getting up)
What are your favorite markers and products to use for your graffiti?
Anything that fucks up the surface, I’m enjoying using rust mix…
Describe the method of making materials used for a ‘Snaw’ work? (dot point all o.k.)
* your stickers?
Screen printed vinyls, Eggshells.
* your large pieces?
Cheap paint.
* your throw ups and tags?
Scrap paint.
* your apparel?
Screenprinting.
(Picture below of a Snaw brand t in the wild)
Favorite other artist(s) and why?
Mkue and other 246 writers, I like their (sic) throwups and bombing.
When and why did you first start making ‘art’ (drawings, paintings, anything)?
Boredom.
What did you draw or make as a pre-teen child?
Monsters.
What did you draw or make as a teen?
Painted dicks on things.
(Picture below of a Snaw X Robots Will Kill sticker collab)
Any pivotal artistic moment/influence?
Nothing exciting.
What are your thoughts on the general Sydney scene?
Not a fan of the generic ny public, its gotten stale…
What does an average day out getting up involve?
Nothing special, it’s become habit.
Worst aspect of getting up?
Meeting other people.
Best aspect of getting up?
I haven’t found one yet.
(Pictures below of some Snaw stickers in the wild)
Do you consider your actions and photography as ‘art’, ‘design’, performance art, vandalism, re-hashed crap?
Vandalism!
How, in your opinion, has the rise of platforms such as Instagram impacted the life of an emerging writer, and the scene in general?
People don’t wanna put in the hard work anymore, it’s not fun anymore, it’s a competition for likes and followers, kids put in a year or 2 and talk about “back in the day”.
What do you think the general public’s perception of graffiti is?
They don’t understand what or why but their (sic) not the reason I write.
Thoughts on Kalis of ‘RAW Inc.’? – I ask as you are frequent collaborators.
His label is about to take off, he deserves it I guess, he has put in alot of work and networking to get it out there.
What was it like collaborating with Art Whore’s dear friend ‘Monstery And Me’?
Awesome, always like it when I can collab with a local.
She has some fresh characters and an awesome style, I hope to work with her on something again soon, stay tuned for more.
(Picture below of the Snaw X Monstery And Me collab design)
Odds n Ends
What role did toys play in your childhood?
Broke them all, melted action figures and crushed matchbox cars.
Who was your 1st crush and why?
The blondie off 90210, the slutty one not the horse head…
Does sex change everything?
Not really.
Please describe your latest dream in detail…
Bad memory.
Have you ever tried psychedelics of any sort? And what was the experience like?
Made me alot more relaxed in the long run, I recommend it to any curious kids.
What does ‘lad’ culture mean to you and why?
I distance myself from it.
(Picture below of a stack of Snaw zines)
Who would win in a fight and why: a punk as all hell kid from the Coast Vs. an inner-city-lad?
Kids are soft these days, i would expect both sides to arrive with family legal representatives.
What are the best and worst parts of living in Sydney, Australia aka ConvictTown?
The fun police have taken over.
The Future
Any major projects you want to hype man?
Few collabs and blanks to come.
Any collaborations in the works?
Nothing announced yet, not sure the direction for this year yet.
Links
- Snaw – online shop
- Snaw – shop instagram
- Snaw – private instagram
