Graffiti workshop at Godfrey Sculpture Park

Isidora Spielmann | Oct 05, 2016

October 1 was an overcast day, which brings the right kind of lighting to work with bright colours. It was also the right temperature for people working outdoors, painting boards graffiti-style on an old farmstead just east of Godfrey.

German graffiti legend Loomit has been called the godfather of modern graffiti and it has been said about him that he has given graffiti its current meaning. Invited by sculptor Stefan Duerst, Loomit stopped in between assignments in the Bronx and Brooklyn to lead a workshop at Godfrey’s Sculpture Park. He was accompanied by friend and fellow graffiti artist Nils, with whom he has partnered on several installations. Together they paint large walls all over the world with beautifully clear colours. Nils’ playful photo realism weaves into Loomit’s lettering; their work dances along the walls, never holding still, seemingly to open windows to somewhere else.

One interesting thing is that the names graffiti artists take on usually have very little to do with their actual names or anything else, but are letters that please them when they tag.

In the days before the workshop, Loomit and Nils had painted a mandarin orange on one of the old barn’s walls, an inspired greeting to the expectant workshop participants. The old barn was soon filled with artistic endeavours on Saturday as the workshop went on its way.

Loomit and Nils had brought smaller boards, along with their spray paints, paint cans and paint markers to the workshop. The aspiring graffiti artists spent the morning sketching and planning out ideas under the guidance of their teachers, and the afternoon brought colours to their boards. What joy to find new tools, to find a new way to express one’s visions. People of all ages and walks of life feel drawn to the medium and so, the ensuing paintings are as different as their creators. Perhaps soon we will hear of a new graffiti artist whose career started at this workshop.

Loomit himself has painted on a series of sculptures by Stefan Duerst, this being the first time a metal sculptor and a graffiti artist are working together. The two are preparing for a show at Studio 22 in Kingston, which will open on November 19.