Music legend Reg Mombassa paints his own future

IT really is all about the art for this Australian musician and artist.

Reg Mombassa playing his 1969 Fender Stratocaster Blue L series guitar in his backyard. Pictures: John Appleyard

• Who: Artist and musician Reg Mombassa

• Where: Terrace in Glebe with wife Martina O’Doherty

• Favourite thing: This Fender guitar is a ’69 model and the last of the good, old series. I bought it in 1976 from a pawn shop in Newtown, and I always use for stage or recording

• Inspiration: I don’t care about real life and have zero interest in fashion, even though I work for a fashion label. I have no sense of design and colour in the home, I leave that up to my wife.

• Home is: I have a paint studio in the roof, but if I’m recording a song I have to go to the kitchen because that’s where my amps are. The corridor is stacked with books and paintings, and the whole house is a work station

YOU might think musician and artist Reg Mombassa would have very definite opinions about streetscape, architecture and interior design.

After all, his colourful and irreverent artwork has found huge success on the back of Mambo shirts, while his distinctive landscape paintings have earned him a reputation as one of Australia’s most prolific fine artists.

Yet, he has no actual interest in real estate, and he only became interested in drawing houses because his father was a builder.

“My father built every house that we ever lived in, and there was quite a few of them because we shifted every three or four years,” Reg says.

Reg Mombassa playing his 1969 Blue L series Fender Startocaster guitar in the kitchen. At Home with musician and artist Reg Mombassa. Picture: John Appleyard

“I started painting them because no one else was doing it and when I had my first proper exhibition in a proper gallery in 1975, (writer) Patrick White bought one of my paintings.

AT HOME WITH KYAH SIMON

“Now, I have lived in the same terrace house for 20-odd years, which is a standard Glebe terrace and not remotely similar to the relatively inexpensive weatherboard Australian homes of the ’50s my father built, but that has been my inspiration over time.”

Reg (real name Chris O’Doherty) is a founding member of the band Mental As Anything and member of Dog Trumpet, alongside his brother Peter O’Doherty. He likes to paint during the day, when the light is best, and play guitar later in the evening.

“I don’t have any habits and I’m not interested in going to the beach, so I pretty much work seven days a week,” he says. “Working as an artist is an incredibly difficult way to make a living and I am so lucky to have been able to do it.”

More: regmombassa.com

Skull art: My son (Darcy) does a lot of computer-generated art work. This was drawn freehand from one of the images I liked. He also writes and record music in his spare time.

Daughter Lucy’s painting: She won the Brett Whiteley scholarship recently, which is a great thing for a young artist. It’s a difficult way to make a living. I’ve been very fortunate, but I know more talented and hardworking people who haven’t had those lucky breaks.

Cat portrait: This cat was painted by my brother Peter. She died 16 years ago, but we had her for 18. I’ve had three cats in my life and they’ve all been called Pussy Cat.

Tape recorder: It’s a nattered old tape recorder on its last legs. I use it to record songs and ideas. You have to fluff around too much with digital things. I like things that work immediately.

Family photo: This was taken a few years ago now, and they’re all a bit older. This sits
on the same mantelpiece as the older family photo. It’s a nice contrast.

Tools of the trade: Brushes, paints and pencils from Reg's art studio.

Colour pencils: A lot of my stuff is drawn in charcoal and then coloured over with pencil. It’s a fiddly process but it gets the results I like.

Plate: This is highly crusted with old paint. I generally use old dinner plates, cheap crockery stuff that is getting thrown out.

Dolls house: My father made it. He built the original house in South Auckland 60 years ago. When dad retired from building he started making dolls houses so I asked him to make a model of the one of the homes we lived in. He thought was a dumb idea, but he did it.