
123Kviews
Artist Makes Streets Less Boring By Making Graffiti That Interacts With The Surroundings (30 New Pics) Interview With Artist
123Kviews
Art has a lot of meanings and a lot of ideas behind it. Every art piece will mean a different thing, depending on who you ask. People create art for different reasons: some to make something beautiful, some to let out their creativity and share it with the world, some simply out of boredom. Street artist Jamie Paul Scanlon, however, started to create art for a different reason.
Jamie, better known as JPS on his social media, didn't have the best childhood, nor luck. He was brought down by life so many times, he gave into 'heavy drink and drug use,' as JPS himself said. Thankfully, Jamie rediscovered art and it showed him that he could do so much more and turn his life around. And that's exactly what he did.
More info: Facebook | Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
JPS told Bored Panda: "I was always into art from a young age. But I grew up in an environment that seemed to hold little opportunity. Then a series of events and the murders of 2 close friends sent me down a twelve-year path of heavy drink and drug use.
This all changed in 2009 when my mate George took me to the Banksy museum show. It was a major wake-up call to how I had thrown my talents away. I loved the concept of using full-size stencils on walls. It planted the seed to face my addictions and I began self-teaching and hitting walls.""
"I hate the money and business side of art. I prefer to concentrate my energy on delivering new works to the world. The problem is I find it difficult to give Banksy any credit for my creation these days because of the two things I found out the past couple of years: the proof I have of his team blackballing my career and blocking my media. Which is a pity."
Click here if you wanna see the previous article on JPS.
Jamie tells us more about himself: "I was born and raised in Weston-super-Mare. This was predominantly my hometown until 2016 when I met a German street artist named PZY. I then moved to lower Franconia and we got married in 2018. She has taken more of a back seat with her street art these days and is more of my manager and assistant. It’s a tough, high-pressure game if you take it on a serious level and many street artists don’t last the long haul, sadly. The environment I live in now is incredibly different from the world I came from. I have to keep my mind in a state of trying to forget whilst trying to remember the lessons at the same time. Before 2016, my recovery was far from a straight line because drugs seemed unavoidable. Out here, that temptation is removed massively, although it had the downside of being tougher art-wise. Police are faster than GTA out here and people aren’t used to seeing people paint the new surroundings, which also inspired other types of work from me."
Cool image but not cool to do graffiti on rocks or in nature. Keep it to man-mad objects. Kids see this and think it ok to tag rocks and trees: it's not.
The artist also tells us what keeps him inspired to create art: "Well, back in June 2010, I stood on the edge of an abandoned hotel roof where I been sleeping at the time and was seriously considering jumping. It was either do the easiest thing and step forward and join many of my fallen friends or do the hardest thing and try and beat the drink and drug addiction and become a successful artist. I chose the latter, but the journey has not been easy, that’s for sure. Another factor of why I continue is because I love the feeling of delivering new work to my followers."
If you're thinking of getting into street art yourself, Jamie has some advice for you: "If the intention is financial, then there are probably many easier ways to make money, but if it’s a genuine love of art and urges to create, then success is likely to occur on that factor shining through."
Jamie tells us why he enjoys graffiti: "The word graffiti is too broad to say I like it, it’s all about intention, some stuff is done antisocially as a big finger to the system. This appealed to the old me, but really bad scribble is generally a waste of a good spot. In the 11 years since I’ve started, I’ve tried to push and evolve the technique of stenciling and even though I often paint without permission, I still view the legal hurdles as a pain because I intend to improve the world."
The artist also shares where his favorite places to create are: "I love urban decayed abandoned places and the setting they offer for works, nothing better than painting a place like that on a sunny day."
Jamie explained what art means to him: "To me, a world without any art would be very dull, although there is no better artist than Mother Nature herself. Personally, it gave me a purpose and reason to live. I'm proud of how far I’ve come from the walking corpse I once was."
Art is a heavy cross to bear, so many expectations, so little respect if your work doesn't fit those expectations.
Please don't paint on any trees (or otherwise hurt/touch their bark)!
Note: this post originally had 53 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Don't agree with graffiti on nature.
These are small tidy paintings. It’s not like he’s taken a can of spray paint and made sweeping random marks
Instead he has created violent images that many would find offensive or disturbing. I can imagine taking a walk with a child and being confronted by these. Yes, some of these have messages or are common situations, but isn't it the parents' decision to decide when topics are introduced? What if it on your daily walk? Or on a preschools normal walk? Can you imagine how a group of four year olds would react? Banksy and Keith Haring's images were far less gory and in ugly locations. My grandmother would be horrified. Do I change how I walk to the store or subway to avoid these images?
You know where else these type of gory and graphic images are located? ESPECIALLY in the US? Adverts. Billboards. TV. It's unavoidable. But you're not out there protesting every billboard. Hypocrisy isnt a good look.
I wonder how well a canvas with your splattered on it would be by your friends. Surely you wouldn't want to be a hypocrite and say no to art.
You mean the two images, one is the size of a lighter the other is barely the size of three spray cans put together and you have no idea where it is? It could be on some back alley or abandoned factory somewhere. Most of these are being done in out of the way places where most people aren't talking by everyday. So don't worry Mrs overly sensitive your won't have to try and explain why that barely visible little man looking thing is doing.
I don't agree with our world having concrete poured all over it in the name of civilization. This artist and others like him are doing great work, albeit in a small way, to bring beauty to the ugliness mankind has made in the name of progress and lest we forget, the ever popular cash in their bank accounts.
How is a tree or natural looking rock wall ugly?
The same way cherry picked examples are ugly in debates?
I find him incredibly talented, however the painting on rocks felt wrong enough but on trees hell no, and one looked like the back of a tombstone/gravestone and that is horrible. On manmade stuff, sure but leave nature alone, it is beauty itself, it does not need help.
The trees were commissioned, the tomb stone isn't a tomb stone, it's a roof tile.
Thank you for clearing up the tombstone...but he also has the choice to not take commissions that mess with nature.
Absolutely. Who commissions paintings on living objects?
People who have ownership or lumber estate of things on their property? Painting on trees doesn't damage them as badly as say... Turtles and their shells. And the bark will end up covering over it in the end anyways. Relax a little.
I wish people would just feel the art and make such a fart about the location of the piece. We don't mourn art, we celebrate it. Feel with your soul body and heart. Let your mind take the backseat when judging a piece. Geez!
Why is it ok to commission the defacement of a living thing? And don't say because it was on their property. If you want to mutilate something it should be your own body, not the body of another.
Damn calm down getting a little in your feelings aren't cha damn so what if he put up a few beautiful paintings it's hurting nothing nobody hell half the damn things are on rocks and concrete which means no living thing is being hurt
These are really creative
right! I wish they lived in my town
Me too
Don't agree with graffiti on nature.
These are small tidy paintings. It’s not like he’s taken a can of spray paint and made sweeping random marks
Instead he has created violent images that many would find offensive or disturbing. I can imagine taking a walk with a child and being confronted by these. Yes, some of these have messages or are common situations, but isn't it the parents' decision to decide when topics are introduced? What if it on your daily walk? Or on a preschools normal walk? Can you imagine how a group of four year olds would react? Banksy and Keith Haring's images were far less gory and in ugly locations. My grandmother would be horrified. Do I change how I walk to the store or subway to avoid these images?
You know where else these type of gory and graphic images are located? ESPECIALLY in the US? Adverts. Billboards. TV. It's unavoidable. But you're not out there protesting every billboard. Hypocrisy isnt a good look.
I wonder how well a canvas with your splattered on it would be by your friends. Surely you wouldn't want to be a hypocrite and say no to art.
You mean the two images, one is the size of a lighter the other is barely the size of three spray cans put together and you have no idea where it is? It could be on some back alley or abandoned factory somewhere. Most of these are being done in out of the way places where most people aren't talking by everyday. So don't worry Mrs overly sensitive your won't have to try and explain why that barely visible little man looking thing is doing.
I don't agree with our world having concrete poured all over it in the name of civilization. This artist and others like him are doing great work, albeit in a small way, to bring beauty to the ugliness mankind has made in the name of progress and lest we forget, the ever popular cash in their bank accounts.
How is a tree or natural looking rock wall ugly?
The same way cherry picked examples are ugly in debates?
I find him incredibly talented, however the painting on rocks felt wrong enough but on trees hell no, and one looked like the back of a tombstone/gravestone and that is horrible. On manmade stuff, sure but leave nature alone, it is beauty itself, it does not need help.
The trees were commissioned, the tomb stone isn't a tomb stone, it's a roof tile.
Thank you for clearing up the tombstone...but he also has the choice to not take commissions that mess with nature.
Absolutely. Who commissions paintings on living objects?
People who have ownership or lumber estate of things on their property? Painting on trees doesn't damage them as badly as say... Turtles and their shells. And the bark will end up covering over it in the end anyways. Relax a little.
I wish people would just feel the art and make such a fart about the location of the piece. We don't mourn art, we celebrate it. Feel with your soul body and heart. Let your mind take the backseat when judging a piece. Geez!
Why is it ok to commission the defacement of a living thing? And don't say because it was on their property. If you want to mutilate something it should be your own body, not the body of another.
Damn calm down getting a little in your feelings aren't cha damn so what if he put up a few beautiful paintings it's hurting nothing nobody hell half the damn things are on rocks and concrete which means no living thing is being hurt
These are really creative
right! I wish they lived in my town
Me too