As you walk into the Regency Park Community Unit you can’t help but notice the ‘Chish’. This large painting showing a combination chicken and fish is the work of young aerosol artist and resident LJ.
‘I’ve been drawing since I was about seven,’ explains LJ, ‘but I really got interested when I saw my brother doing it when I was nine.
‘I was going to the Aerosol Art program at Twelve25 til last term and they showed me like new techniques.
‘Sometimes we work on our own stuff but sometimes we do community projects like the Rec. Centre wall.’
LJ’s worker Dave Platt explains that aerosol art is not LJ’s only talent.
‘When we saw LJ perform his music in Elizabeth recently, we recorded it and the rest of the staff were blown away.’
‘His songs are amazing, really creative and based on things that he has seen in his life.’
The only thing holding back LJs music is his lack of the right equipment.
‘All that equipment costs a lot, microphones and stuff, and then I could do it in my room.’
LJ attends a hiphop school at Northern Sound System.
‘It’s been great to see LJ so committed to music and art. He is always working on a drawing or new songs,’ says Dave.
‘ Right now we are looking everywhere to get some funding to buy him the laptop and software and the tuition that could turn this into something really important in his life.’
LJ remains modest about his artistic skills.
‘Of all my [graffiti] crew, I reckon I’m about the worst.’
