DESPITE his recent unmasking and failed scooter escape attempt, 'Banksy' was back in Bondi just before dawn today, leaving a stencil on the lifeguard tower.
Local cafe owner Bitsy Markham was airing her poodle early this morning when she saw a man in a Hawaiian shirt run from the tower and speed off in a small vehicle. "I was rather startled as you can quite imagine", she said. "I can tell you the make of the car as my aunt had the same one, it was a beige Morris 1100".
Councilor and occasional volunteer lifeguard Mick Bung was furious when contacted by Artworld. "He's back again? I had no idea. I'll have his bollocks for bookends one day!", said Councilor Bung.
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MYSTERY graffiti artist Banksy's cover was blown while trying to escape on a scooter after painting a wall at world famous Bondi Beach, although he may have got away if he hadn't left his stolen Vespa on its stand.
As the sandaled vandal gave a hearty cry of "You'll never catch me, fools!", followed by a less convincing shriek of "I am Zorro", he was recognised by someone familiar with the work of Zorro and who knew 'Banksy' as wealthy collage artist John Ruffels.
The painting on the bathing pavilion wall was immediately painted over, with Councilor Mick Bung saying, "I don't care how much a stencil of Abe Saffron dancing nude at the Creole Discotheque is worth - if it ain't on velvet it ain't art".
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All revved up and nowhere to go.
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A $10,000 Ruffels collage. Obscenity laws prevent us showing the full work
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Artworld's Felicity Snodge-Faberge recently caught up with Snellie Dubois at Toronto's exclusive Glitterati cafe. Over soy-free soy lattes Snellie talked about art, music, philosophy and truffle hunting in the Paris Underground. Felicity talked about herself.
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Artist's model Kimberly O'Sullivan never wanted the party to stop. In 1977 she was eyeing Kev Borich at The Swap in Ebley St Bondi. In 2013 she discovered she'd forgotten to go home and was still sitting at The Swap. It was time for a change. Some of that may not be true, but it was Ebley St, and it was time for a change, and her vee-knees did need washing.
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Don't let gallery owner Schooner O'Resch take you for a cruise. Budding collector K.B. Lager learned the hard way. "I paid $5000 for a tall ship art cruise up the Coogee estuary and a painting of early settlers surfing at Bronte by local artist Martin Greer. All I got was a lousy finger painting by O'Resch. I think there's a seagull in it, but I'm not sure."
As we all know, artists 'living in Struggle St' is a marketing ploy. Every creative we at artworld.com meet has wheels worth at least $90k. And collage master John Ruffels is no exception, seen here with his Ferrari Bloat. This beauty runs on unleaded chardonnay and has seats of butterfly leather and a chassis woven from the finest saffron threads.
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