The Brave One paints wall murals using emulsion and spray paint, His work is often associated with 'Graffiti Art'.
"People hate graffiti. People call my work graffiti. I use spray-paint to create images often based around letter forms."
In the early seventies New York's Graffiti scrawls gave birth to an art form, which has since influenced thousands of artists world wide to master the art of painting with spray cans. The Brave One is part of the Graffiti - Art movement and he finds most people are immediately interested.
To gain his Graphic Design degree, he wrote his dissertation centred around the subject of visual languages, 'Graffiti', and youth sub-cultures, he understands this subject and the issues that surround it very well. Since leaving University, he has painted large-scale murals, and run workshops with Youth Groups, in Schools and for many Councils art initiatives.
|
 |
| Yo I aint never sat down and written about MY paintings. When I was asked by some guy to this for the opportunity to contribute some art work for a book, this is what happened............ |
PICTURE 1
This one is all about the curves, I was inspired to do this one after I saw the walls in Mexico and how the writers there paint on top of each others pieces and with really pastel colours. Quite Often I do a lot of straight letters and serious stuff so this came as a relief. I was painting a lot at the time and wanted to do something ‘funny’ because basically I think there should be a little more fun and funny things happening in graffiti. Where I am from in the UK writers take themselves too seriously, whilst I am out painting I want a smile on my face too many people in the UK paint with a ‘frowned up grill talking bout who they gonna kill’ y’knowhat I mean! - Painted in Essex - UK, 2002. |
PICTURE 2
This piece was all about brightening the place up! We were starting off a new hall of fame and at first it was a dark grimy place and there just wasn’t enough colour, so I slammed it with some in a traditional style. - Painted in Essex - UK, 2003. |
PICTURE 3
I painted this octopus on these metal doors in a derelict old building. When we first started visiting this place it used to freak me out it was proper dangerous, and the first few paintings I did there were kind of a reflection of the uncomfortable sense i got from being there. The metal doors opened into a pitch black room, the un-penetrable darkness kind of suggested that some thing lurked behind the doors, some thing like a monster! y’know, so.... keep the doors shut! - Painted in Essex - UK, 2002 |
PICTURE 4
This painting just stands for... “I was Here!” Local people know who does these faces so I just wanted to say that I had passed through and ‘put a Brave face on things!’. Painted in Southend - UK, 2001 |
PICTURE 5
This painting marks a sad day, we found out about Jam Master J on the way to the hall of fame. The UK doesn’t have a lot of gun crime and I am glad for that. This character represents me growing up trying to be a full time b-boy like run dmc, and Yo! I really used to wear my hair like that too! |
PICTURE 6
This character represents a turning point in the way I painted faces, the background is inspired by those Spumco cartoons (Ren & Stimpy) and the letters are from a font that was on the front of a joke book I had from when I was little. (3001 jokes games & Puzzles for Kids) - Painted Chelmsford - UK, 2001 |
PICTURE 7
I paint a lot of characters and I think people first got to know me for doing characters next to, or in between other peoples letters, this wall I wanted to do both, The result was a freakily small piece and a character that I was really pleased with. it made people laugh! I also liked the opportunity the speech bubble gave me to be so predominant with the letters BRAVE ONE. Painted in East London, 2001. |
PICTURE 8
I painted this to look like a skater kid! I am around skaters a lot. I sketch a lot and I am always experimenting with how I can bend faces around and do crazy looking eyes and mouths and stuff, the background was based on a style that I saw in a Robt Williams book. This was part of a production at the legendary Plaistow hall of fame. Painted in East London, 2002 |
PICTURE 9
This is just an image I saw and decided to make it into an advert for my website. “The Insects are Coming” is significant cos this was painted in the early spring when there is no bugs or creepy crawlies about yet. Every writer knows the sacrifices many insects make when we paint the walls they live in, they often come and pay us a flying visit just to check out the colours, and end up being part of the painting. Painted in Chelmsford - UK, 2003. |
PICTURE 10
I don’t like killing Bugs. When I was young I squashed loads for fun, so now I try to let them live. But occasionally they get too close to my paintings like this lady-bird did. This painting is an actual account of how this beetle died! Painted in Chelmsford - UK, 2002. |
