EP40 - STREET ART LEGEND - Chaz from The London Police

Chaz is from art duo The London Police - originally from Chelmsford. His partner Bob got attacked by a seagull on Chelmsford Tindal Street while they were painting at Concrete Canvas. The danger of painting very high murals - territorial gulls. At school he was into drawing, and then moved into photography, especially for bands. Chaz ended up on the music scene and sold t-shirts for 90s indie superstars Echobelly, as well as touring with Oasis, PWEI and Boyzone. Becoming famous street artists meant that The London Police could live the rock and roll tour life around the world as artists. Chaz started drawing little characters while he was running merch stands for bands - which was an early version of the classic The London Police ‘lad’ character. He always loved graffiti and followed the crew ERZ (Essex Rockerz) at Chelmsford gasworks. After moving to Amsterdam in the late-90s, Chaz’s little characters started appearing on the streets as Chaz jogged around the streets with a pen. TLP got famous pretty quickly in Amsterdam at the same time as street art got popular globally with Shepherd Fairey (Obey), Banksy and Space Invader. Chaz found his own style because he could do traditional graffiti, and it helped him develop a unique style. TLP pride themselves in craft and cleanliness of their lines and marks. Concrete Canvas and street art have transformed Chelmsford into a more visually creative and inspiring City. The multiple heads on TLP characters represent structures of control and influence. Chaz draws the characters, and Bob builds the world around them with precise architectural lines and the smaller minion characters. How to manage a creative partnership? Making each other improve and step up your artistic game. How do you repair a piece of street art after a tropical storm in Miami? How do you start making money as a street artist? Brands and shops would pay money for live painting shows and murals. Pasting posters with Shepherd Fairey in Tokyo. Featuring in street art books (big up Tristan Manco). TLP painted their first big murals in Hengelo and Enschede in the Netherlands. How did The London Police mural on Prinsengracht become a piece of UNESCO Heritage protected art? Creating art that will still be around when you are not. How to spot a good spot to tag? The glory days of Shoreditch street art. How do you learn the rules of street art and where to paint? How do you find your style? Enthusiasm and mean it! Painting Dua Lipa in Kosovo. Painting a 45 metre high 14-storey building in Berlin that you can see from a plane! Meat raffle.The London PoliceTLP on InstagramAre You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEXEdited by Nick HearneArtwork by Alpaca AntennaDon't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff.Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram Thanks to NGDA for their support