By applying, cutting away, and using negative space, he produces large murals on walls and windows. His work has been gaining a lot of interest from cafe and bar spaces, so keep your eyes peeled for his tape drawings around town!

In his own words, Benjamin describes what he does, “I use black (and sometimes white) electrical tape to create large-scale drawings on walls and windows. My work is often slightly cryptic and sinister, with hints of narrative that is never fully explained”.

“I use the strips of tape to create line drawings, often cutting the tape to different thicknesses to create built-up and detailed images.”

© Benjamin Murphy, 2012

Her murals are always eye-catching and colourful but are regularly accompanied by light-hearted humour and wit. She uses simple symbolism to incorporate a cheekiness that I love but still manages to present it in something beautiful.

As a designer, she does just about everything, having been described as someone who ‘just makes nice things’— a description that appears to fit her perfectly.

Sola was kind enough to respond to some questions in great detail, so I will cut to the chase and show you the interview, which explains his background and how he does the art as well as light art’s place in the art world.

How did you stumble into light paintings?

I did the whole art school thing and loved every second but the realities of life meant that I started working as a commercial / editorial photographer. Ater a few years I started to fall out of love with it so decided to try and put some spark back by working on personal projects.

I’d started shooting some inner city landscapes at night and something was ‘missing’ so I started to illuminate the scene with flash and other light sources. One day, quite by accident one of the lights was caught in the shot and well, the rest is history as I was once again in charge of the whole image making process.

How do you create the light art?

The basic technique is no real secret; you take a photograph, in my case using a Canon EOS 5, with a long exposure and move a light source in front of the camera – the camera records wherever the light goes.

I have a huge range of light sources that I use to create different effects and textures so depending on what I have in mind I’ll take the relevant lights and head off to one of the many locations I have stored away in a mental list.

As a rule I tend to shoot late at night as the streets are empty and I can relax and get into what I’m doing, which is really important as I like to be spontaneous and reactive to the environment.

I’m also trying to show these spaces in a new light so to speak so the quieter these ordinarily busy streets are, the better.

Once I’m at a location I get absorbed and often whatever plans for a shot I may have had go out of the window, it’s almost as though the location dictates what should be created.

Once I’ve shot the image I have a very strict rule that I never use any Photoshop trickery with my work, so what you see is what I shoot.

Also, if I’m ever caught in a shot then it won’t go out, for me part of the magic is seeing these beautiful ethereal sculptures that appear to be living and breathing in these, some would say, dead spaces.

My studio work is no exception to the above but it allows me complete control all of the creative process. When I’m working in the studio I get completely absorbed and will often shoot right through the night.

What do you think light graffiti/painting significance is in the art world, and is it becoming more popular?

In many ways, light art is taking photography back to its beginnings in alchemy and experimentation.

It’s all about an exploration of the affects of light on the photographic image.

As with any medium there’s work which does and doesn’t have a place in the art world. I personally am conscious that my work needs to hold many elements such as concept, aesthetic and narrative that inject artistic merit and therefore have a justified artistic offering.

Although there are many people making light art I am one of an extremely small group approaching this from an artistic point of view.

This contemporary work is very new and sure, the art world (as establishment) needs to catch up to this but there again, the art world is changing, becoming more accessible and boundaries are dissolving.

These days the public become the critic via their blogs, via their mouse click and by choosing real artists as apposed to super market ‘art’ to adorn their walls. It’s a really interesting time.

© Sola, 2010

What are you working on right now?

At the moment I have a few personal projects underway; I’m working on a short film / animation of my light art, which is coming together slowly but I’m determined to get it completed by Autumn.

I’m also working on a couple of projects which are merging my studio practice with my street work. Through this I’m exploring the rural environment and so far so good!

I’m also working with a couture clothing company from Germany on a range of fabric prints which will form part of a collection this Autumn. It’s going to be a great project, although it’s a shame I wont be able to wear the end result as I don’t look too hot in a dress!

See more of Sola’s work and buy prints at his site: lightbombing.com.

He gets it just right when it comes to minimal colour choice and the gradients created through texture.

ⓒ Grant Coghill, 2009

MoonApe

Jon’s work has been exhibited in LA, London, Melbourne, Paris, Hong Kong and New York and he has had work featured in publications that include the Guardian, Computer Arts magazine, Creative Review and Design Week.

This post focuses on Jon’s incredible large-scale mural work, with Jon having been kind enough to explain the process and tools behind spilling a healthy portion of his active imagination on the walls of a building.

Jon studied fine art but was drawing and doodling a long time before that. ‘I’ve always fidgeted and needed a pen or pencil in my hand. It’s a nervous disease of sorts’.

For his mural work, Jon will occasionally make a rough sketch, but never actually pencils the drawing in first. ‘I always just start drawing it directly onto the wall and work out how it will work out as I go. It’s sort of like playing with a big puzzle where there are multiple solutions but no room for error’.

Here, Jon demonstrates his skills with a pen and a large canvas:

Below, one gets a sense of the scale of the mural work involved, showing Jon’s work at Pictoplasma in Peterborough and work in an Amsterdam showroom:

Although Jon uses all kinds of materials for some of his other work, including on his vinyl toys below, he uses Posca pens for the line work on the wall art and will apply acrylic paints or emulsion to fill in the larger areas. He will even use a heavy duty crane for some of those harder to reach areas!

Jon is currently in New York working on some pieces for a group show and a solo show happening in August. It’s best to check out his website for updates on where he’ll be and what he’s up to.

‘I’m also collaborating with a musician on some musical pieces, which might end up being very funny / embarrassing / shameful. But the process is fun, and maybe that’s the most important thing when trying out stuff for the first time’.

Thanks Jon!

Moonape: Follow me on Twitter!

Originally from Paris, Christian describes museums as ‘dead places‘ with streets being ‘the best art galleries in the world‘. He says there is a ‘unique sensation‘ in doing artwork that is effectively illegal in most places. He doesn’t describe himself as a vandal, however, with his work attracting less and less trouble, as it becomes more accepted in society, particularly through the right placement of his pieces.

For subject matter, most stencils are based on local people; those people that represent the true culture of the locations he visits.

New Delhi:

Christian asserts that his technique is very basic with the use of a picture or photo as a reference simply for proportion for his stencils, which involve cutting into cardboard. The stencils are placed over ideal areas in urban locations like bins, peeling walls and other unassuming areas to be painted over. ‘For spray cans my two favourite brands are Montana Gold and Sabotaz‘.

Italy:

Morocco:

London:

ⓒ Christian Guémy

I asked Christian what his thoughts on Banksy, the UK street artist that I see a lot of in London:

‘Banksy is just the best street artist in the world according to me, not for his style, that I find sometimes weak, or even his messages, but for the perfect attitude of this dude. He’s straight, bold and sincere. His last fake pet shop in New York and the ‘Cans’ festival are both testimonies that he’s a genius’.

Next for Christian is a street art festival in Casablanca, Morocco, where he headlines, thanks to raised awareness through his work in the south of the country in 2008.

Thanks C215, and best of luck for the future.

Moon Ape