Graffiti artist uses city as a canvas

By Daniel Casillas, MWN

Artworks are usually enjoyed in museums or galleries. However, there are also talented street artists who use cities as their canvases to create impressive masterpieces. That is the case of Germany-based painter called JPS. He makes works that interact with the environment in a creative and fun way.

“Knowing that people love my art is the biggest reward for me,” says JPS. 

Metro sat down with the graffiti artist to learn more. 

What led you to become an artist?

My father – who was sadly an alcoholic and was in and out of jail throughout my childhood – was a very good artist. He taught me drawing techniques and made me appreciate art. After school, I decided to study graphic design. Sadly, I had to leave college because the government stopped fundings and I couldn’t afford it any longer.

Around the same time, two of my friends were murdered in separate events only 6 months apart. I couldn’t cope with the loss and my desperation led me into a downwards spiral of heavy drug and alcohol abuse, which ultimately did end in homelessness.

In 2009, a friend managed to awaken my interest in stencil art and made me realize how I’d thrown away my own life and what disgrace I became over the years. I turned my life around and started to create my first artworks.

What about street art?

I think my works are very wide-ranged and can’t be described in a short sentence. I’m not only doing the street art that interacts with things, I also love to play with words and add puns to them. I only paint what I love and if I have a good idea, I need to bring it to the streets.

Tell us more about your creative process.

In most cases, the location inspires the work. I always had the ability to see my environment differently than a lot of other people, I see a crack in a wall and my mind transforms it into a raging stream or the lower section of a regular lamppost reminds me of a ketchup bottle. As I know a lot of people wouldn’t take notice of these things, my aim is to make people see the world as I do – and to put a smile on their faces.