Catching Up With Street Artist Simon Luxton

Simon "Sigh" Luxton is a Jack-of-all-arts. He is an illustrator and aerosol artist. But he's also a barista - or "caffeine merchant". In 2015 Luxton is stepping up as resident artist of the long-running Port Macquarie, New South Wales Festival Of The Sun - aka FOTSUN.

Luxton is based in Port Macquarie but actually hails from coastal Wynyard, Tasmania. The nomad settled in the town a decade ago because he had a friend there and recognised its opportunities for both a countercultural artist and cafe lover. "Since then I've just been hustling pretty hard to really pump the art scene," Luxton enthuses.

"We're trying to make FOTSUN a complete festival - like more than just a concert."

Luxton is a 'DIY' artist - he has no formal training. "I learnt from a previous employer that, whenever someone asks you to do something, you always say 'yes' and then you figure out how you're gonna do it." As a cartoon-obsessed kid, he started to draw. He'd subsequently get into graff. The artist scored his first professional commission while living in New Zealand, creating a mural for a snowboard shop. Today, Luxton's aesthetic (check out his Insty, @sigh_13) is influenced by divergent subcultures - surf, skate, tattoo art and alt-rock. As for the coffee side? Some artists work in hospitality to merely subsidise their endeavours. But Luxton finds his gigs surprisingly complementary. "I'd say 90 per cent of all the art I've done in Port Macquarie is on walls in cafes and restaurants and bars." Lately he's ventured into clothing design, launching his own distinctive T-shirts.

Luxton is engaged in several aspects of that similarly "DIY" FOTSUN this year. For one, he conceived its artwork, inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's iconic Japanese woodblock print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. "I got the nod about six months ago from Simon Luke - who runs the entire festival, [and] who's also a close friend of mine - to be in charge of basically the whole feel of the festival for this year. That involved coming up with all the poster art, the theme, and all the little illustrative elements that we're gonna involve. I'm in charge of the merchandise..."

In 2015 FOTSUN is introducing Wabi Sabi, an intimate festival prelude focusing on "interactive art". It will comprise workshops Luxton has curated devoted to everything from street art (which he'll conduct with pals) to sand-sculpting to - brilliantly - adult colouring-in. "We're trying to make FOTSUN a complete festival - like more than just a concert. The Wabi Sabi on the Thursday night is gonna introduce everyone to the upcoming music fest by just reminding them that festivals like this don't happen without the involvement and the enthusiasm of the crowd - because the ticket-holders are what keep it alive. I guess they can almost make themselves feel like shareholders in these events because, without them, they don't exist. So it's kind of giving a bit back and getting people to really come and get involved and release their inner creativeness." The live artist hopes to unearth fresh talent.

And Luxton, traditionally a hard rock fan, is looking forward to catching FOTSUN's homegrown headliners, especially '90s favourites Jebediah. "I used to listen to Jebediah on school bushwalking trips back in the day, so getting back into listening to those guys was unreal."