Featured Artist: Brentos
We're thrilled to interview Brent Turner of Brentos, a Sydney-based artist creating tongue-in-cheek, sherbet-hued illustrations inspired by Australian native wildlife and long, hot summers at the beach.
Brent's signature style blends soft and whimsical with a psychedelic pastel-punk theme inspired by vintage Mambo art, conjuring up dreamy images of the quintessential Aussie Summer with a nostalgic 90's twist.
Featuring a colourful roundup of cheeky bushland critters, Brent uses his creative platform to be a positive voice for wildlife conservation, and has helped raise thousands of dollars for wildlife rescue initiative, WIRES. Brent has also authored and illustrated two sell-out books, both pastel-popping odes to the unique array of animals who call Australia home, doing his part to educate his readers on their conservation status and what we can do to protect them.
Brent does all his fine art printing in-house, but his printer and consumables come from Image Science, so we were delighted at the chance to feature him. Read on as we ask Brent about his creative practise, his stylistic influences and his work supporting native Aussie wildlife.
So, let’s dive into your artistic journey. What inspired you to first take up the brush?
I’ve always been creative and I would draw a lot when I was a kid, drawing on inspiration from the surrounding bushland in Terrey Hills where I’d explore fire trails, creeks, waterfalls and Indigenous artworks. Somewhere along the way though, I stopped drawing and found myself spending a lot of time on the computer, teaching myself graphic design instead. I finished high school and immediately built a small business as a freelance graphic designer.
It wasn’t until 2016 that I moved my freelance business into a shared creative warehouse space in Brookvale and became immersed and influenced by the talented artists, photographers and makers who I shared the space with. It’s here that I rekindled my old love of drawing on pen and paper, which soon evolved into mixing pastel coloured paint and painting on all types of surfaces like surfboards, old vintage speakers, sneakers and canvases. It wasn’t very long after that Apple released the iPad and Pencil and I instantly fell in love with digital illustration.
How would you describe the evolution of your creative process from those initial moments of creating to the development of your distinctive style and voice as an artist?
Going back to when I was a child, I would love to draw Australian animals and I remember drawing a beautiful billabong filled with many Australian animals gathered around it. I was probably about 10 at the time, but that artwork got lost along with my interest in drawing. Instead, I found my creativity developed through the digital world and I would spend many hours tinkering with Photoshop and HTML. Fast forward to the launch of Apple’s iPad and pencil combo, circa 2015. I downloaded a program called Adobe Draw and started drawing Australian animals again in an edgy vintage Mambo-esque style using a soft pastel palette and soon began mixing paint in the same tones.
The evolution of my work and style softened a little over the years as I began illustrating picture books, but the same fundamental message of wildlife advocacy through positivity still remains and runs strong through my pastel coloured illustrations, murals and paintings.
Depicting the quintessential Aussie beach lifestyle and a plethora of cheeky wildlife characters in your signature soft pastel colour palette, your artwork draws on the surreal and irreverent humour that is reminiscent of vintage 90’s Mambo art. What draws you to create in this style, and what do you love the most about sharing the Aussie way of life?
I began my rekindled journey for drawing and painting with influences from my childhood. I’d get my wildlife influences from my childhood home in Terrey Hills (surrounded by bush and near the beach), and the quirkiness from brands I admired like Hot Tuna, Piping Hot, Rip Curl, Billabong, Quiksilver and of course vintage Mambo. The style from 90s illustrations and brands were just so loose, free and fun and I wanted to lean into those memories through my own work.
Aussies love spending time outdoors, surfing, playing cricket, BBQing with beers, camping and being close to the water’s edge. I try to capture this spirit in my work and I love to bring my art to Australians in their places of joy via merch like beach towels, hats, surfboards and the occasional beer can.
I think it’s great that you run your creative business with your partner, Tash. What aspects of your respective skillsets complement each other in the day to day running of the business?
I’m a perfectionist and often focus too much for too long on the smallest of details, whereas Tash is more of a do-er and can see beyond my tunnel vision. This perfectionism is great when I’m painting or working on an illustration or creative project. I’ve found I really lean into storytelling, brand and design whereas Tash is an absolute legend when it comes to getting stuff done and is a pro at handling the backend of our business such as responding to customers, packing orders and assisting at murals. It’s taken quite some time for us to both work well in our roles, but we’re now at a point where we understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses and boundaries and use that knowledge to the benefit of our creative practice.
Bringing your books Australian Animals from Beach to Bush and Australia From Dawn to Dusk to life is a significant accomplishment. Can you share a memorable moment or aspect of your experience in authoring or illustrating your book that stands out to you?
The entire process of illustrating a picture book is such a joy. From the early stages of choosing a concept angle, a working title and theme, to the drafting and final illustrations is just so much fun! Of course, seeing the books on shelves in major department stores and indie bookstores is a cool feeling, but the biggest reward is having kids and families approach Tash and I at markets or popups telling us they had studied my books in class and learned about Australian animals and even got to paint or draw our characters! Our biggest goal is to spread a positive, fun message of wildlife advocacy so these little moments with readers make everything we do really worthwhile.
With multiple partnerships with big name brands like Peter Alexander, Crocs and Reddit, it would be safe to say you’ve successfully turned what you love to do into a thriving commercial venture - a dream goal for most artists. Is doing what you love for a job all it’s cracked up to be? What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m extremely fortunate to do what I love and try to remind myself of that when life and business throws us little curveballs. The biggest challenge we face is sometimes spreading ourselves, and our time, too thin. It can be a delicate balance between painting murals, illustrating books, partnering with brands, designing and selling merch and ensuring our social media game is strong. Whilst we love doing it all, sometimes doing it all can be a little challenging. With that said, we appreciate that’s a great problem to have and are grateful for the little creative business we’ve built over the years and all the support behind it.
What would be your dream creative project or collaboration?
I’ve always said it would be a dream to wrap an entire Boeing with my art and have it fly around the world. QANTAS, you listening? One can dream!
It’s been your mission to be a positive voice for wildlife since the dawn of your creative journey, with your efforts resulting in thousands of dollars raised for wildlife protection and rescue. How do you engage your audience in the conversation about wildlife conservation through your art, and what positive impact have you received from your audience?
My art is very joyful, whimsical and fun and makes a great platform to spread a positive message for wildlife. I try to avoid politics as much as I can, opting to go with a more gentle and fun message that unites us, not divides, with a shared love of Australian animal icons, humour and delight. It’s been rewarding to work with organisations like WIRES and Sydney Wildlife Rescue and share the legendary work their carers do for our native wildlife through my art and community collaborations.
When you embark on a piece centred around native wildlife, how do you go about capturing the essence of these creatures and the landscapes they inhabit in your work?
If I’m starting on something big, like a book, I’ll be out in the bush with my eyes looking up (or down in the case of snakes!). I’ve often spotted birds hunting native bee hives, red bellies chasing frogs and lorikeets darting in and out of tree hollows. I’ll take a little note of all these little natural encounters and revisit them when it’s time to put pen to iPad (or paper!). I’ll often try and think about what makes each species unique and endearing and double down on those quirks. If I’m not in the bush or on site, I’ll have my tv loaded up with Australian natural history docos playing in the background to absorb as much information as I can and apply it to my work.
As we shut the door on 2023 and find ourselves contemplating the new year ahead, it’s the perfect time for a little introspection. What was in your highlight reel of 2023? And what’s on the cards for 2024?
2023 was an incredible year for Brentos. We painted a giant koala mural in the centre of Coffs Harbour for All Walls festival which is a hotspot for conversa/on about koala habitat conservation. My book Australian Animals From Beach to Bush, which consumed me for many months, went to market and sold out of stock not long after. We launched another beer fundraiser with Bucketty's brewery and local mag Towny Frogmouth, painted another mural in Bondi and launched a bunch of collabs with some epic brands like Peter Alexander, CROCS and Hallmark.
This year, I’m starting on my third book and looking to expand our own range of products and merch. It’s been a long time since I’ve painted in my studio, so I’m hoping I can fit in some painting time too!
To shop Brent's rad collection of art prints, posters, beach towels, t-shirts and more, head to his website at www.brentos.com.au. To keep up with Brent and Tash's latest artist news, projects, collabs and murals, follow them on Instagram at @artofbrentos.
