Fresh Canvas
Science meets art in the work of Spenceroni
Interview by Patrick Boyle
Spencer Harrison started an undergraduate degree in science more specifically: nanotechnology. It’s not the training one might expect a visual artist would have undergone. But as we all (should) know, life paths diverge – and often for good reason. If they didn’t, we mightn’t have the myriad colours and shapes of Spenceroni in our world. “My grandfather was a chemist,” Spencer says. “I had that influence growing up. But then my parents were also very artistic and ended up as teachers. They were two very different influences. But I really liked the experimentation and the curiosity side of science. “There’s elements of the scientific process that apply to my art. When you look at definitions of the scientific process, it’s about limiting your field of view in order to see things clearly. It’s the same when experimenting with new work – you focus in on one area and learn everything about it. This might be as simple as: how will this colour look with that one?”
“I found myself at a conference with different artists discussing their journeys and work,” Spencer recalls. “I had this lightbulb moment – I knew that this is what I should’ve been doing all along. The next day I spoke to my business partner and said, ‘I’m leaving the business.’ I just had to do it. I left the next day. Then slowly I wound down my client work, found a studio space, and started really working as an artist.” Spenceroni is an apt moniker for Spencer’s artist alter-ego. It’s fun, playful, and reflects a
realised sense of self (or, at the very least, his actual name). A series of simple male forms, dancing among Saved By The Bell-ian shapes, caught the attention of the online illustration
and queer communities. In 2015, a commission from local synthpop sensation Miami Horror led Spencer into the realm of large scale muralism. To promote their sophomore album, All Possible Futures, the band had Spencer paint the north-side wall of Fitzroy’s Peel Street Park. It’s an enormous, eye-catching piece, and one that generated an influx of exciting commissions for Spencer. He’s now able to commit the requisite time to working in his Brunswick studio. “You can’t just sit around and wait for an idea,” Spencer explains. “You have to be doing something all the time. A lot of the time, the work for exhibitions often comes from ideas I was just experimenting with in the studio. So I’ll just start playing around, by drawing, or collage-making, or just something small. When I start moving my hands, that’s when the ideas come and kind of
lead to what that next body of work will be.” Spencer also cites education as one of his biggest passions. He recently started posting digestible videos on Instagram, each a hands-on tutorial on an aspect of artmaking. Sharing is caring, Spencer believes, in the creative community. He also teaches graphic design part-time at Shillington College. “I’ve always had a side job as an artist,” Spencer says. “I think it takes pressure off your artmaking if you don’t rely on it solely for your income. I get to help my students make their transition to a more creative and fulfilling career, which is something I was lucky enough to do in my own life.” Follow @spenceroni on Instagram for all your geometric art needs.