DRAWING

SAM FLORES

in ,

(1975, New Mexico, US)

Flores grew up immersed in the vastness of the Southwestern desert, spending his time as a youth skating, drawing and honing his graffiti skills (his moniker being Tiger).

He is uniquely noted for being an autodidact, or self taught artist, having no formal institutional training. Sam eventually landed in the Bay Area in the late 90's drawn to it's Bohemian lifestyle and also the promise it held for him to develop his career as a commercial artist. Ever since, Flores has enjoyed an incredible career, developing a passionate fan base while advancing his talent through an ever changing subject matter, often juxtaposed with that of his peer urban contemporary artists, namely because of the presence of themes rarely seen in such genres such as innocence, feminine, natural beauty and melancholy sentiments.

Flores' subject matter includes a myriad of anthropomorphic characters and beautiful goddesses with styles being inspired by Japanese Edo period influenced landscapes, urban contemporary/ graf inspired montages, pop-surrealist environments and his most recent works which are inspired by Mexican pulp comic art and classical portraiture.

Sam currently creative directs his brand Twelve Grain for Upper Playground, the "12" representing his original crew in Albuquerque and the "Grain" representing the role that nature has played in work and life.

Watch this video by VIMBY TV:


D*FACE

in ,

(England)

D*Face is a London-based sculptor and stencil artist, who uses the city as his own personal gallery sticking, pasting and drawing on any wall or space available. Known for its subversive nature, his work challenges our expectations by overturning iconic imagery and introducing us to his own bizarre characters and creations.

Growing up in London, D*Face had a childhood interest in graffiti, and as a teenager was drawn to the street culture and imagery associated with skateboarding. Following a degree in Illustration and Design, D*Face went to work at creative agency, but was disillusioned with it and continued to pursue his own work on the side. Eventually his personal work eclipsed his paid work and he left his job to concentrate on his artistic ambitions.

His characters, such as "D*Dog" are vehicles for which the viewer questions their relationship with the work, it aims to encourage the public to not just see but to look at their surroundings. An associate of Banksy, he has shown works at the world famous Santa's Ghetto and recently had his own solo exhibition at the Stolen Space gallery in East London.

Watch this interview by Walrus TV: