KITCH-EN GALLERY

During the late 70’s and early 80’s I started noticing punk slogans crudely painted with brushes on walls around my hometown of Wigston in Leicester.  Then in ’85 at the age of 10 I saw my first graffiti piece. It read “Just paradise”!  It was put up overnight on my way to school so I passed it every day, and it didn’t get removed for years. I never got a photograph but being into break dancing and art by then, this wall had a massive impact on my life.

I understood graffiti was all about getting your name up and although this didn’t concern me too much, I loved the different styles of letters and colours. What really grabbed me were the fill-ins and backgrounds. Once the books “Subway” and “Spraycan Art” came out, I soon discovered two artists whose work still inspires me today. Dondi White and Futura 2000 were now the greats of my time and spray paint was the future!
I skateboarded everywhere I went (unless I was walking trackside out of Leicester Central) and started to feel a connection between the deck graphics/stickers and the urban art I was seeing more and more. This was fuelling my imagination and I started to abstract what inspired me from each art form trying to create something I could call my own. I knew paint would be my medium.

 

Twenty-two years on, a degree in painting and after five years of traveling, I am based in Bristol and still enjoy inspiration from graf and skate culture. I photograph every bombed space I can find and love being surrounded by other artists who are also inspired by the streets. Painting is something I practice every day and love dearly.  I don’t have to think too much about it and can just let happen. The enjoyment being the feeling of total freedom I get. Always moving onwards and upwards with no limits into the unknown.