GRAB YOUR FAVOURITE BREW AND READ OUR CHAT WITH BEASTMAN
Beastman is a longtime friend of Paradox Coffee Roasters, and together we have created a vibrant limited edition range.We sat down and had a chat with Brad about our creative collaboration and to learn a little bit more about how he got started, what inspires him & what he has coming up next.
How’d you get started? Did you draw a lot as a kid?
Yes I definitely did a lot of drawing when I was little, I have never stopped sketching random ideas, characters, patterns and words. When I was young I drew pictures whilst at school and also at home just to kill time and escape in my head a bit. I never stopped experimenting with art, making weird paintings, drawings and taking photos. I have always been involved with skateboarding culture, and this played a big role in encouraging me to make art and express my creativity. Years and years of messing around with making images on my own in private eventually took me on a path of art making with an intent to show people. In my mid 20s I really began to push my art making as a means of income, and I’m still pushing my artwork forward today, always trying to make something new and working on various art projects.
Who or what are your influences?
I am influenced mostly by the world around us, the natural environment and how we interact with it. I love exploring places and landscapes, and am very interested in design and architecture. I love to see other artists making new and interesting images, and that inspires me to continue to push my work forward into new dimensions, styles and mediums.
At what point did you become an “Artist”?
I’m not sure really, I guess I always felt like I was a ‘creative’ person since I was a teenager, I was always making things and trying out different mediums and processes. I didn’t start showing other people my artworks until I was about 25 years old. Up until then I mainly kept it all to myself as I didn’t think anything I was doing was worth showing anyone else, or wasn’t good enough to show people.
What mediums do you use to create your art?
I work in various mediums depending on the outcome I need, or the project I am working on. I create a lot of my ideas and concepts digitally, although I do still draw frequently to try and develop new ideas and compositions. I make paintings with acrylic paints and inks, and I also paint mural artworks with a combination of acrylic and aerosol paints, depending on the surface, size and style of the artwork.
Do you have a preference between working digitally vs murals?
Over the years I have really leaned into the digital creation of my work. Most of the paintings I make I prepare the concept, colours and compositions digitally before I make the painting. I doing necessarily have a preference, I more use both of them together to achieve the outcome Im looking for.
Your art has a very distinct style. Is that something that has always been there or did it develop over time?
It took many years to develop my distinct style, and it’s still continuing to evolve. I never felt like I wanted to show anyone my artwork until I myself knew that what I was making was different to anything else I had seen. Over the last 20 years I have continued to grow and develop my style so it’s always moving forward, but also still staying true to what I have always been known for. The more art you make, the harder it gets to make more art. I love the challenge of this, it’s what drives me to want to continue to be an artist.
Can you talk us through the process of creating your artwork for our recent Paradox Collaboration?
Over the last couple of years, my body of artworks has been focused on square grid compositions, so I naturally wanted to continue with this process for Paradox. I used the letters of the word Paradox to develop the various shapes within the design, and incorporated a feeling of process and flow to the design to reference the processes involved in growing, roasting and serving coffee. The coffee making process has so many complex stages involved, and I wanted to reflect this in the design, as if each square in the grid represents steps in the coffee process. I intended to create something for Paradox that was suitable for screen printing, whilst also unique, vibrant, fun, abstract, bold and contemporary.
Any exciting plans for 2024?
I am working towards doing a solo exhibition of new paintings in Sydney mid year, which I am really excited about because I have not shown any paintings in Sydney for about 10 years. Other than this, I will continue to do public art projects and private commission works as they develop. You can follow what I am working on either on my website – beastman.com.au or on instagram @bradeastman
Discover the items in this collaboration below.
Paradox x Beastman White T-Shirt
Beastman Paradox Graphic – Front and Back Prints
Hand Screen Printed in Australia

Paradox x Beastman Black T-Shirt
Beastman Paradox Graphic – Front and Back Prints
Hand Screen Printed in Australia
Paradox x Beastman kit 1
Black T-shirt, Black Tote Bag + 200g Christmas Blend

Paradox x Beastman KIT 2
White T-shirt + 200g Christmas Blend


|