AN INTERVIEW WITH MR CENZ
We’re delighted to welcome Mr Cenz on board at Lawless Studio, a London based graffiti artist who has been scribbling on surfaces since 1988.
We’re delighted to welcome Mr Cenz on board at Lawless Studio, a London based graffiti artist who has been scribbling on surfaces since 1988.
Working from portrait photographs he creates futuristic and mysterious compositions, which portray strong and spiritual women. Fusing together photorealism, illustration and graffiti, his distinctive style layers intricate and flowing letterforms, shapes and line work in a uniquely rhythmic way. His work has been described as “surrealist graffiti art for the soul”.
What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
"My style has been developed through years of experimenting with different techniques and mediums. From the moment I started messing around with spray paint back in the mid 80s' I was always trying to do something different and looking at the more forward thinking graffiti artists.
I was fascinated by Spraypaint techniques and I spent hours mastering things like the classic graffiti light shine. There is no shortcut to getting a style, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication and has to come organically and with originality.
Being Original is very hard theses days as the graffiti/street art is a very oversaturated scene”
What's your style / perspective / taste?
“I work in a traditional graffiti way, which is ‘freestyle’ and spontaneous. This is important to me, as it’s how you capture the funk, fun and movement in an honest way.”
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The first stage and inspiration is sourcing the reference image. I spend hours looking at photographs to find the right one which speaks to me. Once I have that the rest of the process is very organic and instinctive. I start by deconstructing all the shapes and forms in the face and painting layers and texture to create my own unique interpretation. The result is a mysterious and psychedelic drug fuelled version which has a life and presence all of its own. Each painting is a new adventure where I get lost in a surreal and rhythmic world of endless possibilities. This free process is what keeps me excited about painting”
“My colour palette links directly back to my roots as a graffiti artist. I love mixing strong contrasting colours which shouldn’t really work together.
Back in the days when you wanted to paint a piece you didn’t have much choice so you had to learn to make strange combinations work.
This is still a fascinating thing for me and to make lots of different colours work in harmony and balance is one of the hardest things for an artist to get right.
If this is done incorrectly it can look awful, but the right way with experience and consideration it can look amazing”