Tag—you’re it! BAMA Forum takes an artistic turn with graffiti workshop… One of the speakers at the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA) Autumn Forum held last October was David Speed, Founder of Graffiti Life, who delivered a presentation on perceptions of graffiti and the background to the art form, as well as providing a practical workshop for attendees. Delegates were divided into two groups, with one listening to the presentation and the second group taking part by adding graffiti to BAMA’s mural design. They began by being shown how to spray paint in a straight line and moved on to producing some more sophisticated artwork, which later went on display in BAMA’s offices. Speed has been a graffiti and street artist since 1999. He has painted all over the world and, with his company Graffiti Life, has worked for many famous brands including Microsoft, Sony, Nike, Google and L’Oréal. Commissions have taken him and his team to Las Vegas, Dubai, Rome, Paris and elsewhere around Europe. When graffiti artists first started in the 1970s, aerosol paint proved difficult to control due to the pressure and speed of the paint. “Now, aerosol paints are pretty much perfect,” enthused Speed. “The pressure of modern cans makes them very controllable.” “As a young artist in the early 2000s, graffiti became an allconsuming passion,” he added. “During this time, areas where graffiti was legal and sanctioned were gradually closed down and so I chose to take my work to the streets. In 2010, after several peers began receiving prison sentences for painting illegally, I decided to do something positive and founded Graffiti Life.” The company began in a small garage in Norwood, UK but grew steadily. Speed now works with a team of ten artists and project managers as well as operating a graffiti-inspired gallery in East London. Graffiti Life has also taken on apprentices, two of whom were previously oil-painters. “Spray paint remains at the core of the team’s artwork and we continue to find new ways to utilize the technology of the aerosol can,” Speed concluded. Spray February 2017 Spray 17 Did you know? London Graffiti Tours have a 5-star review on Trip Advisor.com and are ranked #121 out of the 628 available tours in London… BAMA Chief Executive Patrick Heskins gets inspired during the graffiti session. BAMA Chairman Sebastian Alvarez demonstrates how easy it is to control artistic designs with contemporary spray paint technology. BAMA members take part in the graffiti session at the Autumn Forum; the artwork was later hung in BAMA offices.
Spray February 2017
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