26/02/2015

JF-iNk, Street Art offspring


Wisdom, acrylique, spraypaint, paintmarker, 35x50 cm


JF-iNk is a multi-disciplinary painter, mixing-up several technics, from stencil calligraphy to dripping. The topics he is working with are numerous and diversified, stemmed from his very rich personal universe. The combination between realistic and abstract art makes his work remarkably appealing as he is mastering all these technics with consistency but also spontaneity.
His graphic and stunning canvases are naturally referring to Street Art movement. However, even if the artist is obviously inspired by this trend, his creations are not subject to the street hazards and the subsequent short life expectancy of a piece of art displayed on a public wall. Indeed, he is carrying out his works in a studio and exposes his art in galleries.
JF-iNk works are revealing in some extent a reflection from their apparent naïve fluidity: they are actually conveying a fresh and spontaneous feeling, although they are clearly  made with thoroughness.  



The eye, scratch card, 50x65 cm


Could you tell us briefly about your artistic path ?

I am a self-taught painter; I actually did not recieve any training or follow any workshop. I am just passionate about art and I have self-educated myself for the past 15 years. I began with tagging in the streets but I quickly choose to use paper, pencil and ink as mediums. Thereafter, I started to be more and more interested by painting, which became my main working medium. Nevertheless, I don’t want to be limited in any area because I like stirring together different technics and customize objects.



Mega munny, acrylique, spraypaint, paintmaker 


Would you define yourself as a Street Artist ?

I would not qualify myself as a Street Artist because I don’t practice in the streets. I see myself more as Street Art offspring as all my compositions are strongly related to Street Art technics and patterns. I actually prefer being in a studio so I can have time to think about my next creation and to plan how I would do it. Still, the streets are attracting me because of the giant format and the possibilities that could not be reached in a studio.



Share, acrylique, spraypaint, paintmaker, 50x70 cm


Are you getting inspiration from specific artists or artistic trends ?

Like said previously, I take most of my inspiration from Street Art. Concerning the artists, lots of names come to my mind but I think that the artists from the "9ème concept" have certainly  impressed me the most. Their manners of expressing themselves in such different ways but still with consistency, push me to keep practicing my art the way I do. Thus, I am consistently testing divergent technics from one another like ink (my first medium – hence my pseudo “JF-iNk”), drawing, traditional painting, typography and stencil. It is by looking at C215’s work 3 years ago that I get keen on practicing stencil technic. I did not perform an extraordinary job as for my first tentatives so I quickly gave up my first idea of a multi-layers stencil application and kept the single-layer as my preferred technic. One of its big advantages is that I can easily materialize the portrait global shape as a base to then be more spontaneous in the contrast and color arrangement. In a whole other frame, one of my favorite artists of the moment is Bruno Leyval who masters ink painting.



Less is More..., liner on artbook A3


Could you detail the technics you like working with ?

Most of my drawing are subsequently refine by computer. I use a graphic tablet to shape the main drawing’s lines and depending the height, I print the result or I draw them again on 200g paper. After waiting for few hours, I cut the main portrait form, apply the different background layers and colors. I varnish/gloss the whole by adding shadows and lights, thanks to acrylic paint, that give some depth to the drawing. All the process can be seen on my Vimeo profile: jf-ink stencils.



 Blackbook P1, paint liner on artbook, 14x14 cm



Blackbook P2, paint liner on artbook, 14x14 cm



Do your portraits just originate from your imagination or from pictures ?

All my portraits are photographs-inspired. If I find a picture that I like, I can create a stencil from it. By the way, I recently began to work with some friends of mine that are photographers. They are realizing gorgeous portraits and we have several common exhibition projects.  



Crying colors, acrylique, spaypaint, paintmarker, 50x100 cm


I noticed you let a great place to contrasts in your works, in both a matter of exposure and colors. Is this taking on a special importance to you ?

Indeed, I like to privilege contrasts in my paintings. I especially enjoy playing with shadows and lights to give the portrait some depth. I value the black and white format but I prefer to use bursting colors. A single-layer portrait  with stencil is very flat so the depth helps to bring it to life.




Behind blue eyes, acrylic, spraypaint, paintmarker, 140x200 cm


Do you have special projects you would like to mention?

I am currently participating to the Peace Helmet Project, supported by Wayne Anthony (the author of Class of 88’) and LSD (London Street-art Design) magazine. The project consists into turning an object suggesting violence in a positive art object. In that case, 25 anti-riot helmets will be painted by different artists (Best/Ever, Mr. Cenz, Dmark, My Dog Sighs, Stick…) to express each other point of view on this matter. The results will be displayed during an exhibition in London in the next few months. Through the help of an association in Quimper (France) named Trust in my art, I could also participate in 2014 in a collective charity exhibition : Safety Art, aimed for Hawaii children.
Concerning my future personal projects, I am planning a solo-exhibition in “My Première Galerie” (My First Galery), which is a contemporary-oriented art gallery in Quimper, starting Nov 29th 2014. In parallel, we are thinking with a friend of mine making portrait photographs to put together a performance confronting our medium.




Beauty, acrylic, spraypaint, paintmarker, 100x100 cm



JF-iNk’s use of colors and contrast approach is really in very original compositions he creates. Even if his professional career is somewhat recent (started in 2012), I foresee a very bright future for him. His unique visual universe deserves all reader’s attention and I strongly advise to take a look at the artist website.

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