Street Arts
- Lsd Magazine Interviews Belgian Street Artist Resto (issue 6)
Belgian artist Resto has been taking the flatland's by storm with his gargantuan dreamscape of lovingly warped, modern mythic wonder. Rippling with vibrant colour, he dances through styles from letters to questionably attired giants and has become...
- Lsd Magazine Interviews - Eine (issue 5)
Well fuck us sideways with a crate of spray paint but the unthinkable has happened. David Cameron, British Prime Minister and Tory - yes TORY leader shook hands with President Obama on his first official visit to Washington and proudly handed over a painting...
- Lsd Magazine Interviews Artist 'ezra' - Issue 4
From the spraying up the tranquil idyll of Lucerne to shaping the world into an explosion of piercing image and ravishing colour, Ezra’s dazzling work is on the rampage. Incredibly clean forms are illuminated by a spectacular assault of colour and...
- Balance - Grafuturism Exhibition By Bartek Swiatecki Aka Pener At The Book Club, London
Hookedblog last caught up with Polish artist Bartek Świątecki AKA Pener's back in 2013 when we were invited up to a secret Cambridge countryside location, to hang out and take some photographs. The event organised by Propa Stuff (Previously on...
- Surrounded By Idiots: The Id Crew Show
East London Gallery Graffiti Life on Cheshire Street kick off their 2014 program of exhibitions with a group show Surrounded By Idiots, the very first ID Crew show. "The collective comprises some of the most eclectic and prolific artists with each individual...
Street Arts
LSD Magazine interviews Does Loveletters (issue 9)
Whipping together dazzling dynamics, razor sharp lettering, penetrating dimensionality and an extraordinary depth of colour, Does’s hypnotic flows are truly a breathtaking window onto the power of the letter form. Gorgeously nuanced detail and geometric spins wrap themselves sensuously around melting angles and jagged bursts of serpentine shape. Twisting, turning and sinuously curving, Does has an amazing ability to bend staccato lines and sharp cuts into an unfolding sense of freeform whole. Cracking perspective’s rigid mirror, much of his work almost feels like an epic modern remix of cubism. Starting out life as a professional soccer player, Does rapidly evolved into a master of the graffiti art form.
Founding the Loveletters crew with Nash in 2006, the crew has set sublime standards of spray, now laced with immense poignancy from the passing of Dare. Today, both the crew and Does himself are a global force. Does paints monumental pieces the world over, injecting a scintillating rush of mesmerising funk and glittering flow into every last drip. Loving his precision incisions into the frontal lobe, we caught up with Does for a word...
What does the power of the letter mean to you?
Letters offer a strong basis from which you can experiment freely and discover many different forms and shapes. While I experiment with forms and shapes, I always try to stay true to the basic form.
What were your early experiences with letters
When I was fifteen I started taking my sketches to the wall and play around with letters. I mainly did tags and throw ups back then and it was more about vandalism than anything else. I also started a mini crew with my best friends and we had lots of fun together. I did my first real piece in 1997, my best friends were patrolling for me.
How much of a graffiti scene was there in your home town when you were younger When I was younger?
The Campina factory was a place in Sittard that many writers from all around Europe visited to leave their mark. I never got to paint these walls unfortunately, it was before my graffiti days. In surrounding cities there used to be quite a big scene, but from what I know the scene died down after a major arrest. Nash, Tumki and I are all from Sittard, so although the scene is quite small nowadays, we certainly make the most of it!
Tell us a little about your time as a professional soccer player and how that reconciled with your growing interest in graffiti..
I entered into a talent development programme when I was 10, was selected for the national team at the age of 12, signed my first contract when I was 15 and made my debut in the fist team at the age 16. I started tagging around my 15th birthday. I guess I needed some kind of relief from all the routine and discipline. I had always been drawing a lot without a particular purpose. When I discovered graffiti I really stared to take the drawing very seriously as I felt that was my basis. Throughout my soccer career I continued to draw a lot. Especially during my darker moments, which where mainly related to knee injuries, drawing really helped me to stay positive.
Is playing soccer professionally as glamorous as people believe?
It can be glamorous when you are successful. When you are being bashed in the press or when the team is not delivering, the glamour fades very fast.
How did you start to move into more complex pieces?
You get to a point where you have the basics under control. With the basics I mean letter shape, colour combinations and the balance and flow in a piece. From that moment on I felt like experimenting more and more. That has led to more complex pieces.
When did you start to really play with colour combinations?
In my view, I really started to go crazy with colour combinations when I lived in Sydney. Whereas I was used to doing collaboration walls with Nash and Tumki, I was suddenly on my own and unrestricted in using colours and shapes.
Where is the balance between the legible and the abstract?
The balance is in the shape of the singular letters. You can add many elements to a letter without bending it out of its basic shape and balance.
Founding the Loveletters crew with Nash in 2006, the crew has set sublime standards of spray, now laced with immense poignancy from the passing of Dare. Today, both the crew and Does himself are a global force. Does paints monumental pieces the world over, injecting a scintillating rush of mesmerising funk and glittering flow into every last drip. Loving his precision incisions into the frontal lobe, we caught up with Does for a word...
What does the power of the letter mean to you?
Letters offer a strong basis from which you can experiment freely and discover many different forms and shapes. While I experiment with forms and shapes, I always try to stay true to the basic form.
What were your early experiences with letters
When I was fifteen I started taking my sketches to the wall and play around with letters. I mainly did tags and throw ups back then and it was more about vandalism than anything else. I also started a mini crew with my best friends and we had lots of fun together. I did my first real piece in 1997, my best friends were patrolling for me.
How much of a graffiti scene was there in your home town when you were younger When I was younger?
The Campina factory was a place in Sittard that many writers from all around Europe visited to leave their mark. I never got to paint these walls unfortunately, it was before my graffiti days. In surrounding cities there used to be quite a big scene, but from what I know the scene died down after a major arrest. Nash, Tumki and I are all from Sittard, so although the scene is quite small nowadays, we certainly make the most of it!
Tell us a little about your time as a professional soccer player and how that reconciled with your growing interest in graffiti..
I entered into a talent development programme when I was 10, was selected for the national team at the age of 12, signed my first contract when I was 15 and made my debut in the fist team at the age 16. I started tagging around my 15th birthday. I guess I needed some kind of relief from all the routine and discipline. I had always been drawing a lot without a particular purpose. When I discovered graffiti I really stared to take the drawing very seriously as I felt that was my basis. Throughout my soccer career I continued to draw a lot. Especially during my darker moments, which where mainly related to knee injuries, drawing really helped me to stay positive.
Is playing soccer professionally as glamorous as people believe?
It can be glamorous when you are successful. When you are being bashed in the press or when the team is not delivering, the glamour fades very fast.
How did you start to move into more complex pieces?
You get to a point where you have the basics under control. With the basics I mean letter shape, colour combinations and the balance and flow in a piece. From that moment on I felt like experimenting more and more. That has led to more complex pieces.
When did you start to really play with colour combinations?
In my view, I really started to go crazy with colour combinations when I lived in Sydney. Whereas I was used to doing collaboration walls with Nash and Tumki, I was suddenly on my own and unrestricted in using colours and shapes.
Where is the balance between the legible and the abstract?
The balance is in the shape of the singular letters. You can add many elements to a letter without bending it out of its basic shape and balance.
Does Loveletters Website
Does Loveletters Facebook
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READ LSD MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 - FREE (Below)
Open publication - Free publishing - More culture
- Lsd Magazine Interviews Belgian Street Artist Resto (issue 6)
Belgian artist Resto has been taking the flatland's by storm with his gargantuan dreamscape of lovingly warped, modern mythic wonder. Rippling with vibrant colour, he dances through styles from letters to questionably attired giants and has become...
- Lsd Magazine Interviews - Eine (issue 5)
Well fuck us sideways with a crate of spray paint but the unthinkable has happened. David Cameron, British Prime Minister and Tory - yes TORY leader shook hands with President Obama on his first official visit to Washington and proudly handed over a painting...
- Lsd Magazine Interviews Artist 'ezra' - Issue 4
From the spraying up the tranquil idyll of Lucerne to shaping the world into an explosion of piercing image and ravishing colour, Ezra’s dazzling work is on the rampage. Incredibly clean forms are illuminated by a spectacular assault of colour and...
- Balance - Grafuturism Exhibition By Bartek Swiatecki Aka Pener At The Book Club, London
Hookedblog last caught up with Polish artist Bartek Świątecki AKA Pener's back in 2013 when we were invited up to a secret Cambridge countryside location, to hang out and take some photographs. The event organised by Propa Stuff (Previously on...
- Surrounded By Idiots: The Id Crew Show
East London Gallery Graffiti Life on Cheshire Street kick off their 2014 program of exhibitions with a group show Surrounded By Idiots, the very first ID Crew show. "The collective comprises some of the most eclectic and prolific artists with each individual...