Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Digital Does | Graffiti Artist

Graffiti Artist Biography

Graffiti


Sydney, Australia

Biography

Name: Digital Does

Year of Birth: 1982

Place of Birth: Veghel, The Netherlands

Quote: "He who does creates"

Current Project:  Endless Perspectives

Does presents Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.

Trailer - Does presents Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.

Part 1: Amsterdam - Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.


Part 2: London - Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.
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Part 3: Basel - Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.

Part 4: Paris - Endless Perspectives from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.


Perfecting his craft since 1997, DOES is a multidisciplinary international artist recognised for his dizzying choice of colours, clean style and eye for detail.



Taking root in graffiti art, traditional letterform is Does’s primary love. He maintains that different hand styles betray elements of their owners' emotional landscapes, putting personality traits subconsciously on display. Only using the letters D, O, E and S as a foundation, he continues to elevate these etchings to new heights. Through an explosion of color and shape, letters assume narrative.

Endless Summer

Nothing Last Forever
Does’s continuous search to innovate and perfect his style display his disciplined nature. Dedication, focus and self-restraint are engrained in him after living the life of a professional soccer player until the age of 28. This path was set at the age of 9 when he was selected to train with the youth selection of one the Netherlands’ professional soccer clubs. As an outlet to his existence in the public eye, he lived a double life as an aspiring graffiti artist.

Sydney, Australia
Toulouse,France

While home alone, couch-bound and recovering from numerous injuries, his talent continued to develop in elaborate drawing sessions. When he was forced to give up his career as a professional soccer player due to injury, it presented a new opportunity: the chance to focus solely on his art. Having already committed many underground years to the graffiti scene and style, he quickly carved out a reputation as one of the best exponents of the craft.


Although his style is very pure and true to its cultural roots, Does doesn’t want to be bound by what some call the graffiti rulebook. Self-taught, his inspiration is derived from memories not only from his native country, but also extensive travel abroad. His art is now also featured in collections across the globe.
Gladbach, Germany 
Sydney,Australia
Sittard, The Netherlands 
Back home, Does is co-founder of the LoveLetters crew, a creative collective of ten European writers, and a member of the Ironlak Family. Ironlak, an established Australian paint brand, named a colour after him: Dieci Does. This name is a direct reference to the shirt number he wore as a professional soccer player - number 10.

Brisbane, Australia 
Melbourne, Australia 
Duisburg, Germany 
Over the years, Does’s work has diversified into illustrative drawings, prints and canvasses. No matter the medium, his work breathes exuberance – bright, dynamic, and full of energy, Does’s meticulous craft and worldly attitude make for instantly recognizable artworks.


Melbourne,Australia 





Digital Does Links



Monday, February 25, 2013

Mata Ruda

Street Artist Biography

Wheat Paste

Name: Mata Ruda

Place of Birth: San Jose, Costa Rica

Currently Living: Brooklyn, New York

Street Art Type: Wheat Paste

About: Mata Ruda is street artist currently based in Brooklyn, New York City. The intention of his work is to memorialize the nobodies, the ignored, the socially and culturally overlooked, those who in our society are consider the "others", by creating large portraits with symbols and objects (such as textile patterns, stars, moons, maps, artifacts, etc) that expose and celebrate stories that otherwise would go unnoticed.

Quote: "We can't understand what is happening to 'something' if we aren't looking but nothing is going to happen to that 'something' if we don't look deeply. That's why so many things with incredible potential go unnoticed.....because nobody bothers to look." - Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Objective: Mata Ruda is all about the magical moments, that occur constantly all around us, to him they are magical and more real than what culturally we accept as "reality". He is currently working on a series of very large portraits commemorating contemporary people (with black and brown as opposed to black on white paper) in reference to the colossal Olmec heads and indigenous stone spheres found throughout South America, Central America & Mexico. He plans on having a solo show focused on the "Colossal Series" in the Spring or the Summer of 2013. The show will be called, "Incurable Otherness"

Meaning Behind the Name: Mata Ruda = Spanish for Rue (Herb). Historically, the herb is notorious for its many medicinal AND harmful capabilities. It is also used in throughout Latin America for its spiritual powers of protection against negative energies, and warding of both foreign and internal dark spirits and it can be used to bring luck, guidance, wealth, etc...

Quote: Much of his work has to do with traveling, immigration, and adapting to new worlds/cultures. so when I read this quote by Richard Wright, I decided it was meant to be: "I was leaving the South to fling myself into the unknown...I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil,to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains,bend in strange winds,respond to the warmth of other suns and, perhaps, to bloom”

Definition: "Mata Ruda" literally translates to "Rough or Hardy Plant", only hardy plants can transplant to alien soil, survive, respond, and bloom..

Admiration: He wanted the name because of my admiration for the work of Pablo Neruda (originally i wanted to be either NERU or RUDA so i decided on RUDA with the word MATA in front so that it would have multiple appropriate meanings.)


More on Mata Ruda

http://mataruda.tumblr.com/

http://instagram.com/mataruda

Monday, February 18, 2013

Skount | Street Artist Biography

Skount Street Artist



Unknown Couple
Skount was born on June 12, 1985. Although he was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, his childhood was spend in Almagro, Spain- part of a very important Historical-Artistic Zone. His work of art has a great focus on street art, and he is known for his highly detailed and vibrant characters. These characters are often delightful and full of imagination.
Escaping Thoughts

While his art mediums are fundamental to his creations, Skount holds no limit to his imagination. His wide range of art interaction include; mural painting, music, canvas-based works, performances, video art, sculptures, and installations. As a matter of fact, the Spanish artist Skount is a complete artist from every single angle. He is known to be an illustrator, a writer, and a performer just to name a few.

Blind Virgin
Fascinated by the wonders of the world, Skount currently enjoys traveling the world. In fact, he feels painting worldwide is one of his major accomplishments. Not only that, but he has also managed to meet a variety of new people, obtained the opportunity to study other cultures, and is highly intrigued by differences presented within each experience.

The Automa Repairer 
Inspired by each distinguishable step in life, he holds a strong sense of direction. Every experience he holds true to his heart and is inspired by traveling, learning, and investigating his interests. At any given time he may feel the need to accomplish more. His passion for different cultures is strong and has opened up his perspective to new ideas. Every second of his life is cherished, and every day he grows by what he sees and feels.  He believes everything is built into the subconscious mind which in return feeds and influences his street art. All of this, in essence, is what makes Skount an admirable artist.

Cuando Un Alma Se Teje Una Sombra 
As with most artists, Skount is stimulated by his work of art.  Not only does his art define his freedom to express, but it is also distinguished through a series of emotions and sensations at the moment lived. His major obstacle is time. He wishes there was more time to enjoy doing what he loves most. On the other hand, his major motivation is the ability to bring his work to the streets, similar to an open museum with endless possibilities. Progression, in this form, is simple. He Simply imagines then sketches and draws on paper until he finally develops his final piece onto the perfect location. In return, this allows him to deliver and express his message in the perfect form.

Searching the Distance
Ideally, he hopes to soon travel to Greek, Croatia, South Korea, Australia, and Los Angeles. There he will be painting a variety of commissioned walls. Very importantly, he will be hosting two exhibitions- one in the Opening Hours Gallery in Sidney, Australia and another in the Cave Gallery in Los Angeles, California. His work is not just limited to street art. Skount is constantly investigating different ways to create different works of art- this is perhaps the most interesting part of his job. There is no limit to what this great artist can create with a variety of materials, techniques, color, display and ideas.

Skount is currently living in Amsterdam.
Ibiza Boat

Quote: “Dreams are not just a message (a coded message, at that), but also an aesthetic activity, a game of the imagination that has its own value. Dreams are proof that fantasies--emotional immersion in the visualization of events that have never and may never occur-- are one of the profoundest necessities for human life...The characters that come from my imagination are my own possibilities, those that never came to bear, or those still on my horizon...”
Skount

Universal Control Illusion


STROKE Urban Art Fair #6 - Munich - may 2012 from Monsta on Vimeo.


Skount's Links:

http://skount-works.blogspot.nl/
http://www.skountworks.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skount/
https://twitter.com/Skountworks
http://skount-works.tumblr.com/

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Judith Supine | Street Artist Biography

Street Artist Biography

Wheat Paste
When one see's Judith Supine's name, they immediately believe the artist to be a female. However, the name is actually borrowed from his mother's maiden name.He currently works and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Paste Up Neon Green

Supine was unable to speak until about one month after his seventeenth birthday. Interesting enough, Judith Supine spent most of his time communicating through art work. Most of the artist's work are formed in a cheap manner and often attempts to obtain free materials. Unbelievably, he often obtains his magazines from the trash, libraries, random offices, and other odd locations. He calls this process deconstruction through reconstruction. 


Wheat Paste Collage

His work is then presented in a psychedelic neon acrylic perspective. Most of his creations are human skinned in a mixture of yellow and green and often include abstract patterns on dark backgrounds. These collages represent his younger days in a drug-fueled and half-conscious manner. The collage itself is something you have never seen, however, the figures, faces, and formations are seen by all everywhere. 
Wheatpaste Cigarettes

One last note, Judith Supine loves creating art that make him sexually uncomfortable.



Sources:
http://judithsupine.com/http://papermonster.net/artist.php?artist=1

Friday, February 1, 2013

Roa | Muralist and Street Artist Biography

Murals

Roa

Owl Mural Black and White Painting
Owl Mural

Street artist Roa is a muralist from Ghen, Belgium. He grew up in the eighties and naturally was inspired by the American life; music, skating and so forth. The love for music, more in particular hip hop, quickly joined his curiosity in graffiti. Like most muralists, he began by spraying throw-ups under bridges and walls.

Muralist Roa Street Art
Vital Substance

One's love for animals could not be expressed nearly as much as our artist Roa. This mysterious Belgian muralist has created hundreds of murals through Europe. He has also traveled to other locations around the world. He is primarily known for his strong obsession for animals and rodents. He often combines life, death, and life after death in his murals, which quickly distinguishes him amongst traditional muralists. His animals are painted to include skeleton and internal organs, making the sight even more realistic. The artist states, "Organs are the vital substances of our body and they represent a lot of the symbolism which I like!"

Black and white rodent mural street art
Roa Skeleton
His preferred forms of methods to paint are by using spray paint or acrylic paint. In fact, most of his work is created through a mixture of black, white, and grayscale colors. At times, the muralist prefers to sketch, specially those large murals. He first began his artistic career by paining buildings and warehouses in his hometown. Nowadays, his work can found worldwide.

Some major cities, where his work can be found, are:
  • London 
  • New York 
  • Berlin 
  • Paris
  • Muralist, Rooster, Mexico
    Roa in Mexico
Muralist Roa's true obsession for animals is unparalleled and he uses this obsession to paint for inspiration. Roa uses native animals based on the location he is painting in. For example, if he goes to a specific location filled with roosters, like Mexico, then he will paint a rooster. Not only does this make him a stand-out artists, but his attention to detail is phenomenal. He truly has a pure passion for painting. Roa simply paints to paint- no other reason.
rodent, skeletons, black and white
Rodent and Skeletons
Although the street art is generally conveyed in a very natural matter, even his dead animal paintings seem at peace. Not only that, but his extra large scale black and while local rodents may be viewing the image at work from nearby.

More Roa pictures here and here.


Other Muralists:


Sources:

http://www.fatcap.com/article/roa.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaime-rojo-steven-harrington/roas-magic-naturalism-str_b_819296.html