Day-z is a London born artist who graduated in Fine Art from Central St Martins. With a pencil as the main tool of choice, Day-z fuses techniques learned from the old and new masters with contemporary ideas found among street art and advertising. Day-z was awarded the Derwent Art Prize ‘People’s Choice Award’.
Self taught or art school?
Art school, Fine Art, Central Saint Martins. But I’ve learned a few more skills since then and experimented with a mixture of materials and styles.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
‘Under The Roof of Blue Ionian Weather’ by Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, there is something about the colours and tranquility that makes me fall in love with the piece everytime I see it. I could stare at the scene for hours.
How would you describe your style?
A combination of the old masters mixed with a modern touch, street art meets fine art.
Where are your favourite places to view art?
The beauty about art is that you can view it on the street or in a fancy exhibition. If the art is good you can enjoy it wherever you are.
One of my favourite places to view art is at fairs like Moniker Art Fair, where the experience is also part of the show with countless ideas and new talent. Sometimes I will go twice just because it can really be an art overload and I feel like I might have missed something special the first time.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
One of my favourite artists has to be Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, I love the elegance and detail of his work, I already said I would own one of his pieces earlier in this interview so I guess I would have to include him in one of my favourites. Another few of my favourites have to be Edward Hopper, Caravaggio, Banksy, and Jack Vetriano as I probably reference them the most in my art and go back to them frequently for inspiration.
What or who inspires your art?
My mum is a huge inspiration to my art, she has always inspired and encouraged me to create, but don’t get me wrong she is also my biggest critic.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is a light space in London with beautiful park views. I keep it pretty tidy unless it’s the week before an exhibition and then it looks like a battlefield covered in post-its and paint.
Do you have any studio rituals?
Not rituals as such but I tend to light a candle once in a while and play music or have some form of background noise depending on how i’m feeling that day.
What are you working on currently?
Currently I’m working on a series of pieces about plastic, using simple materials to re-create classical paintings, for example,The Elephants, by Dali, and then draw what looks like a coating on these masterpieces to create the appearance of being wrapped in plastic.
What are your ambitions?
One of my goals is to continue developing my skills and techniques and exploring new territories.I want to create more experiences for people to enjoy and contemplate my art work as well as finding a way to give back by partnering with charities, and other artists committed to making a change.