Meet Hazard: The Creative Force Behind Our Iconic Characters

Meet Hazard: The Creative Force Behind Our Iconic Characters

For years, the bold, mischievous characters on our bottles have been as much a part of Khoo’s Hot Sauce as the flavours inside. From day one, those illustrations came from the same hand: Bristol graffiti artist Hazard. After bringing her back to design the brand-new character for Thai’d Up, we realised it was high time we sat down and found out more about the artist who has shaped the visual identity of our core range.

What follows is a peek into Hazard’s world: the murals, the travels, the bright colours, the characters, and the creative journey that led all the way to the newest face of Thai’d Up.

1. Let’s start at the beginning — how did you first get into art, and what drew you towards graffiti as your main form of expression?

I’ve been into art since I can remember, always drawing and trying to copy my Dad’s amazing illustrations and graphics! Since I can remember I have always been absolutely captivated by BIG art – whether it’s murals, graffiti, massive paintings, wallpaper, fabric – anything that is eye-catching and different within a grey, beige and brick-brown world! I got into graffiti when I was 13 and it turned out using a spray can was harder than it looked, so I had to keep at it to get better. I loved the sense of community in graffiti and the more I painted, the more I found other artists and became inspired by different styles and ways of painting. I’ve always loved bright colours, characters and patterns so I always went down that route in my own work!

2. Can you tell us a bit about how you first came on board with Khoo’s Hot Sauce, and how you started developing these distinctive stylised vegetable characters?

We’re going back many many years now, but I was experimenting with illustrative characters and created some fruit and vegetable personalities that matched the Khoo’s Hot Sauce energy. So we developed a series of characters to bring the ingredients and flavours to life for the labels. I absolutely loved creating these illustrations – it was a dream brief every time I got a new sauce description!

3. Over the years you’ve continued to create the core lineup of characters for Khoo’s sauces. How has your own street art style evolved since those first illustrations?

I love to draw, but over the years I’ve been painting bigger and bigger murals with a focus on realism, which as you can imagine, takes up a significant amount of time! In recent years I’ve painted projects all over the world – mural painting has taken me from York to New York; painting the 79th floor of 3 World Trade Centre in Manhattan, I’ve crowdfunded community mural projects on the Arizona-Mexico border, I’ve painted in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica to name a few! It’s been crazy. I’ve been on a journey of trying to up my skill set – from project logistics, business management, painting techniques – photo realism, illumination, colour theory and funding applications – all whilst painting murals full time as my career! I’d like to think my love of colour, characters and pattern is as evident in the first illustrations as it is now in my large murals on buildings!

4. Outside of Khoo’s Hot Sauce, what kinds of projects or walls do you most enjoy working on these days? Have you been working on anything really exciting you’d like to share with our readers?

I love painting projects that allow me to explore and experience different cultures and places – I’ve painted in the Amazon, I’ve painted in the Norwegian mountains, I’ve painted in the jungle in Colombia and Costa Rica and the desert in Arizona – all whilst meeting artists and creatives whilst adventuring and soaking up different cultures and ways of life. That’s the dream right?! Sometimes I really can’t believe I get to travel and do “big colouring in” for a living!

When I’m here in the UK, my favourite projects are the ones where I get to paint spaces that transform the environments around them – brightening up the area, representing communities, ecology and heritage and also creating artwork that puts a smile on passers-by’s faces! I’m lucky enough to paint at Glastonbury festival as part of the build of the festival and have to admit it’s usually the highlight of the summer – 3 weeks living and painting in a field with amazing artists, designers and build-crew!

Looking ahead, I’d like to put the skill-sets I’ve developed painting big buildings, into smaller scale paintings – combining spray paint with more traditional materials like ink and oil paints. That being said, I’m also in the middle of writing up a dream project that if (when!) funded, could take me around the world painting murals for really incredible communities and cultural landmarks. Keep your eyes peeled, maybe it’ll be both!

5. Have you tried Thai’d Up yet? What do you think of our newest sauce, and how can you see it being used in your kitchen?

I could happily have this sauce with everything! Thai food is my absolutely favourite – I love the sharp zing and spice that’s a slap-around-the-face rather than a slow burn. The fragrant ingredients in Thai cuisine is what has kept me hooked and I can honestly say this sauce is everything that is great about Thai cuisine in one bottle! The lime and the thai basil in this make it so fresh and punchy – I love using it as a dip so the sauce is the star of the show, I’ve been making summer rolls as a healthy twist on a spring roll recently, but this sauce is incredible with thai sticky fish cakes too! Yummmm. This is the one I’m getting all my mates to get so when I go round to theirs I know I’m good for condiments! Haha!

6. Finally, we love it hot at Khoo’s Hot Sauce. How hot do you like it? What’s your go-to spicy meal at the moment?

I’m a chilli fiend! I love it hot and you’ll find me putting chillies in everything I’m cooking and hot sauce with everything I’m eating! I do switch it up though, I like a scotch bonnet, a cheeky jalapeno and I also love a smokey chipotle. My current obsession is possibly controversial – the Khoo’s Northern Beacon sauce with eggs and avocado on toast. It’s hot, it’s sweet and honestly you couldn’t start the day better. I’m also loving Mexican food at the moment, tacos, quesadilla and enchiladas but with chillies as the main event! And with that, I’m starving… cheers mate!