For a few years already, I’ve been dwelling on the idea of creating a large work of art destined for the streets. My usual projects are on a much smaller scale. with the intention of being presented across a digital format, or perhaps on a wall within an enclosed space.
Having already dabbled in this format, I never really dared work on something of this magnitude. Months went by as I mulled over the ideas, months in which thousands of images passed through my head; They organized, erased, mutated, regrouped themselves again. Meanwhile, I nourished my mind with more information over murals, some traditional and some more closely resembling graffiti. I started picking up on on styles, the flow of the images, and the narrative within them. I attempted to discover the evident and the hidden symbolism each author fills their work with.
As with any work of art, it contains two different discourses. One for the public, those who observe it, and communicate or feel represented in it. The other is for the artist, conveying a more discreet and intimate dialogue.
Many months went by as images slowly began to manifest themselves on sheets of paper, without any particular order or hierarchy to them. Slowly, they began to take a more defined form.
Animals and flowers came to life; flames and volutes, scales and tesserae figures.
And as everything began to take form, these sketches were transferred onto a digital format, providing me more liberty in a place where errors or alterations could be quickly rectified.
But, it began to take on too complex of a form as I progressed. I tried simplifying the images, the textures and colors, but it was impossible. A vacui fear began to creep up on me. Every day was one more scale, one more feather, one more tile…
Finally, and after almost two years of quietly stealing time from work and home responsibilities, as with many other projects, I have achieved in creating a render of my sketches on a street wall, bringing it to life in this digital urban space.
I hope you enjoy this project.