I’ve been wanting to write something about this blog, my work, my progress, and a possible change of direction for a while now.
Last year was rough. I had some seriously bad experiences with a few festivals, and they made me question this whole “street art” thing. It forced me to look back at everything I’ve done so far and to think about where I actually want to go next.
This doesn’t mean I’ll stop painting murals, at festivals or otherwise.
Not being put in a box and avoiding labels has always been one of the main reasons I loved painting outside. If I wanted to do something more realistic, more illustrative, or just different, there was no one there to tell me, “That’s not what we know you for—don’t do that. Do what we like.” That kind of attitude used to belong mostly to galleries, but more and more I’m seeing it in the so-called “urban art scene.”
I should say that my experiences with galleries in the last two years have actually been very positive. On the other hand, a lot of “street art” projects are funded by cities and often connected to tourist boards, and in those cases the artist can easily become a tool for propaganda. Not always—but it happens.
It is a good thing that this type of art has been accepted. It’s easier than ever to paint a big wall without worrying about prejudice or being accused of vandalism (even when you have permission). Mural festivals can’t really function without sponsors, and the more money a project has, the higher the production quality should be. I don’t have a problem with that.
Many of the people involved in these organizations are my friends. I know how hard it is to start something and how much work it takes to pull off a big event.
Still, I don’t think artists should be invited to projects just to please sponsors or to make a tourist postcard for a city. At that point, it stops being “your own thing” and becomes a commercial or commission job—and that should be treated and paid very differently.
My own thing
When I look at my older work, I can see a lot of bad decisions, compromises, and approaches that didn’t really make sense. But I’m glad they happened. Like Cicero said a long time ago, “More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.”
Lately, I’ve been spending more time in the studio, working with oil, gouache, and aquarelle, slowly shifting from spray to brushes. That doesn’t mean I’m abandoning spray or changing who I am as an artist. I just want to expand my tools, so I’m not dependent on a single medium—especially when I’m working outside my hometown.
I’m also trying to develop different palettes, work more on brushstrokes, and avoid fully rendered surfaces. Spray makes rendering and smooth transitions easy, but when everything is treated that way, the work can start to feel flat. Trying new mediums keeps things alive. Doing the same thing over and over just drains me and kills the desire to paint.
I could go on, but I’ll let future work speak for itself.
In future posts, I’d like to write more about influences—adopted art parents, inspirations, and some contemporary artists whose work keeps pushing me forward.
This kind of text might feel a bit out of place, but I needed to get it out. Having it written down should keep me working and help me stand my ground if situations like last year come up again. Hopefully, they won’t.
Peeling away layers of bad influences and mistakes can hurt—but it creates space for healthier growth.
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