406 / My top 10 artists of 2012!
Since my top ten artists of last year, some amazing artists have entered the fray.
These artists are by no means the biggest out there, some of them you probably haven't even have heard of...
And if you haven't, then here's your opportunity to expand your mind a little.
Here's to an amazing 2013 full of colour!!!
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01 - Jaybo Monk & Augustine Kofie
Joint first are these two incredible painters...
Jaybo was my number 1 from 2011 and he's back again in the top spot, but he has to share it with another geometric master - Augustine Kofie.
These two just had a joint show in Los Angeles called Conversations which gave me an excuse to put them joint first! These two are at the top of their game and consistently get better and better.
I know it's a cliché, but these two lads will be untouchable in 2013!
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02 - Smash 137
Smash is without doubt one of the most prolific graffiti artists out there.
His signature, slightly Kandinskyesque paintings are so filled with dynamics and colour that it's very hard not to fall in love with them. They're all so different and his colour use verges on complete brilliance.
There are few artists I follow religiously, but Smash 137 is most definitely one of them. He's one artist I hope I get to work with sooner rather than later.
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03 - Steve More
Steve More has elevated his output and quality daily... He is in the studio everyday making something new from some kind of recycled material or acquired medium.
His attention to detail is second to no one and beyond anything the work he creates is totally stunning.
Without Steve, the Megaro mural project in Kings Cross, London would never have happened... One of the most amazing work ethics I have ever seen in an artist...
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04 - Jerry 'Joker' Inscoe
Been a fan of this guy for a long long time... Ever since I saw his left of field wildstyles in 12OZ Prophet Magazine almost 2 decades ago...
In 2012 Jerry Inscoe has made an amazing comeback to art, after spending a lot of time racing bikes, he returned to form with some amazing new murals and some very special new paintings. He also worked on extending his Transcend family unit and more importantly became an Agent Of Change after being an affiliate for so many years. An amazing project in NYC for 2013 and more showings of his beautiful paintings in Berlin and his hometown of Portland, are on the horizon.
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05 - Marco 'PHO' Grassi
Marco 'PHO' Grassi is a painters painter! His gestural marks and confident washes of bitumen, gold and colour are quite possibly some of the most stunning paintings you'll ever have the good fortune to stand in front of.
This year he had an incredible showing in Berlin and has made so many fantastic paintings for private collections all over Europe. Not only is he an amazing artist but he is an extremely kind and generous human being and I am highly honoured to call him my friend.
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06 - SHOK-1
SHOK-1 is a highly intelligent, communicative artist who is, not only a brilliant painter but holds the most incredible passion for the scene that he considers himself a part of. His dialogue with his street paintings has to be seen to be believed, there is cause and reason to his every move in art making. I have been lucky enough to work very closely with Shok on numerous wall projects over the past year and I have seen firsthand the fast pace of his development, that is just never-ending. Considering his history and background in classical 'Graffiti' it's amazing to see where his paintings have led and just how educated his eyes and mind are.
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07 - David Shillinglaw
Here's a painter who knows his art history...
A rarity in most artists, but David Shillinglaw is as educated about art as most art school lecturers are. His paintings are about the human condition and social aspects of people. You can see so much in his paintings beyond the snippets of words and text he places randomly within them. He uses colour brilliantly and loves to talk for hours about art and painting. David has really come to fruition in 2012... He has had shows all over the world and recently travelled to Gambia where he painted walls with the local villages and is currently working on a project to help the people he met on his travels in Gambia.
Another one of the most generous and giving artists I know...
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08 - Poesia
Another member of the Transcend Crew and the mastermind behind the hugely successful Graffuturism blog... Poesia is an immensely talented painter, curator and advocate of the artform. He has traveled extensively over the past 12 months to London, Paris, Hawaii and all over the United States and painted beautifully gestural walls wherever he landed. He has spent so much time promoting other artists whose work he loves and his next project is the Graffuturism group show in LA with Soze Gallery this December with almost 40 artists from all over the planet, including such leading luminaries as Futura, Haze and Carlos Mare.
Poesia was also cited as one of Complex Magazine's 50 most important artists of 2012...
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09 - Niels 'Shoe' Meulman
Now I don't band the word 'legend' around very much but I feel it's highly appropriate where Shoe is concerned. The man has been writing graffiti since before most current writers were even born. His gradual development into the modern calligraphist we see now has been an amazing journey which I've viewed from a distance, only getting to finally meet Shoe this year when he exhibited alongside me at the Moniker Art fair. His paintings are delicate, bold and beautiful.
I am definitely a big fan of this guy's work.
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10 - Cyrcle
No top 10 of 2012 should be without these guys...
Earlier this year I received a garbled phone call from Paris one afternoon from some American guys saying they wanted to hook up whilst they were in London, sadly I was actually off to Paris myself the next day... The call was from Cyrcle and since then I've seen them go from strength to strength with their amazing creations, installations and wild ideas. Finally got to meet them when they all came to my recent LA show and they are one collective high up on my wish list of people I want to collaborate with...
Incredible artists and an amazing team!
