Over the past couple of decades graffiti artists have enjoyed increased levels of popularity and recognition, this in part can be attributed to the increased circulation of their artwork through online mediums such as a social media, allowing larger audiences access to their art. It can also be attributed to the substantial increase in the quality and impact of the graffiti that is being produced.
Perhaps the most famous graffiti artist of our times is Banksy, who has been uncommonly successful as a graffiti artist. His success is such that he has not only featured widely in the British and wider global press on a regular basis over the last couple of decades, but also that his work is also purchasable in print form ranging from books collecting his works, through to printed portraits of his most iconic pieces that can be found everywhere from student digs, through to middle class, suburban households. Banksy’s success is such that he is in most cases the only contemporary graffiti artist that anyone knows by name.
However, there are a wide range of graffiti artists who are not perhaps as successful as Banksy in terms of their public recognition and knowledge, but are equally talented. Despite their lack of public attention on a wider scale for their work, these artists have created art work that delights and entertains all those who are able to enjoy it in its original setting.
Collected beneath are three lesser known graffiti artists that have created their own unique style of graffiti art work, from 1979 through to the present day.
Lady Pink: Sandra Fabara:
The woman who was to become the graffiti artist Lady Pink was born in Ecuador under the name Sandra Fabara. However she was brought up in the Queens area of New York and the creative influence of the area and the era can be seen to this day in her work. She began creating Graffiti over 30 years ago in 1979, this was during her period of education at the High School of Art and Design.
Due to the originality of her work and the substantial talent she demonstrated, she quickly became recognised as the only female artist able to keep up with the men in the strongly male dominated world of street graffiti. She differs from a number of other leading graffiti artists due to the fact that her artistic outputs are not limited to street graffiti. Whilst she was making her name with street graffiti, she was also exhibiting her other paintings in art galleries. She earned a cult following as a result of her appearance in the 1982 movie “Wild Style” and now runs a mural company with her husband who is also an artist.
Xens: Graeme Brusby:
Graeme Brusby is an excellent example of the ambiguity of graffiti artists in the UK with the exception of Banksy. Many regard him is the “UKs most important graffiti artist after Banksy”, but few have heard of him. However, this is not due to Brusby’s lack of trying. He is perhaps one of the most internet savvy graffiti artists currently spraying. To demonstrate, the artist has his own web site, blog, social media pages and even a fan forum.
Brusby’s journey to become a graffiti artist began in the 1980s whilst he was studying at the Edinburgh College of Art. From these beginnings he has gained entry to one of the UK’s most admired graffiti collectives “the TCF crew”. Xens work can be frequently seen in collaborations and exhibitions throughout the UK and Europe.
SABER:
Is perhaps best known for the creation of the colossal piece on the sloping cement bank of the Los Angeles River, the piece is reported to be the single largest piece of graffiti in the world. SABER completed the now iconic piece in 1997 and is reported to have used a jaw dropping 97 gallons of paint over the period of 35 nights that it took him to complete the piece. To give you an idea of the scope of the piece, it is almost the length of a football field and can be viewed on satellite images from space.
Unlike some of the other graffiti artists collected in this list, SABER has successfully gone “pro” in the sense that his graffiti stylings have been utilised by globally leading brands. The honour list of brands who have used his work for their own marketing efforts include Levi’s, Hyundia and even Harley-Davidson. In addition to this success, SABER has also hosted a solo exhibition and released a monograph.
Of course, each artist has their own preference for their art materials, from the colour of the spray paint to spraying methods and preference for aerosol can size and shape. Sprayed art work and the use of aerosol spray paint is becoming increasingly popular with all kinds of people, from professional artists through to people who enjoy upcycling furniture and other household items as a hobby.
At DC Paint Solutions, we have a specialist team available to answer any questions that you may have about using aerosol spray paints. Our aerosol spray paints have a unique nozzle, allowing you to spray areas from 2 inches to 12 inches; a perfect choice for graffiti style art work through to respraying bedroom furniture.
Our team has years of experience within the industry and are able to offer a colour matching service, so if you have a sample of the colour you want for your next project, you can send it to us and our in-house colour technicians will match it, so that you get the perfect colour for whatever you are spray painting.
With a range of literally thousands of colours available and all of the main brands such as RAL and British Standard colour matched, you have the luxury of being able to perfectly match any colour for spray paint, from respraying a front door or security gate through to touch up paint pots for smaller jobs like model painting.
