Brendan Walsh (or ColdGhost as he is known in the art world) is a self-taught mixed media artist who describes his work as urban pop art and graffiti style. His art is intriguing and refreshing, sometimes it’s sassy and mischievous, but mostly it’s deeply immersive — it draws in the viewer. Brendan says what defines his work is a strong desire to use recycled materials and re-purposed objects. His work straddles both worlds of free accessible street art and commercial contemporary art.
ColdGhost has always guarded his privacy to allow his work to speak for itself. So who is the man behind the mask? In the early days, Brendan enjoyed repairing and restoring vintage furniture, which led him to open a vintage retail store called Beautiful Garbage. It became a creative space where Brendan sold his pop art pieces, continued restoring furniture, worked with textiles, made homewares, jewellery and handmade ceramics. Three years ago, he closed the door on his successful business and became a full-time artist.
For as long as he can remember, Brendan says he has dabbled in art. He describes himself as creative and driven, but he also has plenty of fun along the way. “I love that making art is my job,” he enthuses. “I’m so glad I took the chance to become a full-time artist because I never wanted to die wondering, what if … ”
Brendan has participated in various group and solo shows over the years, both in Australia and overseas, and he’s been commissioned to produce art in a variety of public spaces. He draws most of his inspiration from pop art, advertising, street art, graffiti and suburban culture, creating his dynamic pieces using mostly acrylic paint, spray packs and stencils. The works are also finished with paint pens, pencils and oil sticks.
Much of his work depicts celebrities — visual artists, musicians, actors and actresses. Brendan says he sometimes uses his urban pop artworks to make social commentary. “My artworks have always played around with ideas of identity, and I frequently add masks or deliberately obscured eyes and mouth to alter well-known pop art icon identities,” he says.
Brendan also enjoys making abstract graffiti paintings, created with layers of recycled street posters and paint. “These expressive abstract artworks are often the most personally challenging, and making a beautiful painting out of what was essentially rubbish is a doubly rewarding experience,” he says.