Urban Art Association

Grafter - one of the best artists out there, IMO, by Ravnur 2020 on Jul 26, 2021 16:17:53 GMT 1, I think Grafter has very good technical skills and these have developed since he came to my knowledge around 2008. Back then he had a lot of publicity and was discussed a lot here. I bought a couple of his first pieces back then and was keen to follow his development, but I must admit I got of the bus when all the splashing and jumping started.

I have had a look at all the works he has on his website again and some of my personal opinion would be

1. The work is very literal. There is very little ambiguity or room for interpretation.
2. Most of the work is very nice and PC with messages of love. Of course being nice and loving is probably what most people aspire to, but I think art needs to approach this in more interesting ways than just stating the message.
3. Too much splashing. All the splashing mostly detracts from the actual image/figure and is sort of detached from this and a bit gimmicky. I like the Euphoria piece which is starting to move into a bit more abstract terrain with more connection between the background "splashes" and the figure. Also i feels like it could develop into darker mood.
4. Too many colorways. I understand that artists like to experiment with various colorways to perfect the work and sometimes a couple might fit the work very well, but i don't think colorways should be released just to satisfy peoples interior design needs.

I would love to see some more work from Grafter when he has a rotten day, when he is angry, when he is fed up, when he is in doubt and the world is not black and white.

My favorite Grafter piece is the very early "Forgotten More Than Most" (below). I don't know the figure and there is a quite ambiguous look/smirk on his face. With his smoke and flatcap he reminds me of my grandad, but then again he could be someone very sinister.....

Just my two pennies and I look forward to seeing more work from Grafter!

I think Grafter has very good technical skills and these have developed since he came to my knowledge around 2008. Back then he had a lot of publicity and was discussed a lot here. I bought a couple of his first pieces back then and was keen to follow his development, but I must admit I got of the bus when all the splashing and jumping started.

I have had a look at all the works he has on his website again and some of my personal opinion would be

1. The work is very literal. There is very little ambiguity or room for interpretation.
2. Most of the work is very nice and PC with messages of love. Of course being nice and loving is probably what most people aspire to, but I think art needs to approach this in more interesting ways than just stating the message.
3. Too much splashing. All the splashing mostly detracts from the actual image/figure and is sort of detached from this and a bit gimmicky. I like the Euphoria piece which is starting to move into a bit more abstract terrain with more connection between the background "splashes" and the figure. Also i feels like it could develop into darker mood.
4. Too many colorways. I understand that artists like to experiment with various colorways to perfect the work and sometimes a couple might fit the work very well, but i don't think colorways should be released just to satisfy peoples interior design needs.

I would love to see some more work from Grafter when he has a rotten day, when he is angry, when he is fed up, when he is in doubt and the world is not black and white.

My favorite Grafter piece is the very early "Forgotten More Than Most" (below). I don't know the figure and there is a quite ambiguous look/smirk on his face. With his smoke and flatcap he reminds me of my grandad, but then again he could be someone very sinister.....

Just my two pennies and I look forward to seeing more work from Grafter!