I have thought a lot about art and what it is all about and creative expression has in many ways been my lifeline and an incredible source of joy and energy. I cannot imagine life without some form of creative expression and in the past, if I happened to go through a few days without painting, drawing, sketching or doodling, I found myself gasping for air. Unless I express myself in some way, I fear bursting like a balloon and my parents will tell you that my wall art started emerging at a very young age. My mother loves telling the story of how she came up to my bedroom one day only to find that I had drawn what looked to her like a very large green monster on the wall. I was about 3 at the time and I had in fact drawn a crocodile. In all her love and sensitivity, my mother praised me at the time, much to her later regret may I add, as from that day onwards, my walls were no longer safe. Soon, the crocodile got a little friend, and another, and another until there was a whole herd of monsters and not a bit of blank wall left!
Art goes beyond words and even emotions and the emergence of a new image deep from within is a birthing process that is ever enriching to the painter and the viewer.
I have since grown up and have learned to turn my urge to paint and draw into a profession and because of the depth of my own personal experience in this field of human endeavor, I would urge anyone to find ways of allowing that which flows from within to surface. It is a most liberating, life-affirming and even therapeutic process and I dare say, good for the soul.
Maybe reminding people of creative expression was my aim when I started joining street art projects, and maybe in my mind grey urban spaces just need brightening up. Nature is a canvass of beautiful colors, materials and shades and it is beyond me why so many of our cities and places around the world are dominated by dull colors and the uniformity and monotony thereof are somewhat unbearable to me. I have been fortunate enough to hook up with lots of other artists and together, we have co-created, held discussions and given birth to several pieces of art.
Society needs art and artists need people to appreciate their work, street art makes it happen! On my travels I have seen many brilliant graffiti paintings, on some occasions I even got to know the artist and I would literally move to any town featuring a lot of street art. For now, I am based in my home town, travel around the area and get involved or initiate as many art projects as possible. Even though most people value works of art, they may not visit a gallery. In-your-face street art stops the traffic and acts as a reminder of the creative spirit inherent in everyone and brings it to all passers-by.
Earning a crust as an artist isn’t easy, but you can find ways artistic talents can be utilized to make a living. In my case that means designing company logos, making banners, painting commissioned pictures. I always sit down with clients to determine what image from within they would like to bring out. I would see logos as the image to go along the company mission statement, commissioned pictures as a vision to be expressed and banners as a proclamation of quality. My clients are companies, little old ladies, schools and clubs, actually I have produced art for a plethora of people and the feedback is always positive. Endeavoring to capture my client’s own artistic spirit is the focus of my work and this method has served me well. My rates are competitive and I see nothing wrong with commercial work though I am aware that some artists do not consider logo creation a form of art. What I enjoy is meeting people and finding out what it is they would like to express and then go on to do so. My heart and imagination allow me to discover the essence of their vision and depict it in whatever format they choose, be it a logo, banner or special painting.
You can see some of my work by scrolling through my website, some of my clients have given me the permission to display the work I completed for them.
It was through traveling that the idea of a website surfaced, in particular because I felt the need to share and promote some of the street art I had discovered. Maybe I am also making a case for an increase in public art space and the site is also designed to gather all those passionate about creative expression.