“A lot of my art is illegal,” says John D’oh, a globally exhibited urban artist. He can’t expose his identity and to minimise any danger, he talks to me over email. “Painting street art illegally often means that the art process has to be simplified so it can be painted as quickly as possible. You don't have to do it at night, but the location often determines the risk.”
It was the early 80s when D’oh first picked up a spray can. Inspired by the hip-hop sounds of the era, he began by copying record cover images like the Rock Steady Crew. “I remember covering propaganda posters and using stencils in art class. Childhood rebellion moved from using Tipp-Ex on rucksacks and drawing on desks, to graffiti.” He started with cellulose car paint and the single nozzle that came with it. Today, there are many different brands and kinds of cans that vary in high and low pressure, you can use different caps or nozzles to create different effects, and D’oh explains that “it’s all a lot less toxic.”
With a full-time job outside this passion, John D’oh is one of the many people who use art as an escapism. He finds the creative process relaxing and uses it as a way to calm down. Instead of shouting at the telly, he paints a wall. The fact that what he does is also sometimes illegal only makes it more exciting. “I get a buzz from painting; it’s the thrilling risk of being caught and also the enjoyment out of people’s responses to the artwork. Often you can sit and watch people's reactions, you can hear them laughing or talking about it.”
“I tend to enjoy the artworks that are more fun and prankish rather than overly serious, especially when the general public gets involved. For instance, the male and female skeletons which I put out for Valentine’s Day a few years ago had people queuing up to sit and have their photos taken with the skeletons. I get a lot of pleasure watching so many of the general public interact with my artwork and with each other.”
For every design he battles weather, lighting, and the surroundings of the location from footfall to the legality of it. “I hardly ever test out what I am going to paint and often don't know what the finished wall will look like until it has been painted.” For legal walls he has “all the time in the world” to perfect his design, but when that’s not the case he uses pre-made cut outs. D’oh explains how it’s great for areas with lots of CCTV, but also when the design responds to current issues: “Often you have to react very quickly to a political scandal as there is no point in putting the art out two weeks after the story was first aired because the public can get distracted by something else.”
The right wall is a key component to a design. Areas and environments come with its own background, meaning and context that can’t be recreated elsewhere. D’oh goes into detail in his book, Street Art and Graffiti: A Dissertation, about the importance of keeping designs in their chosen location. “I am always looking at walls. Sometimes the location will come first, and the idea will come next. Location can be important because if you’re doing a piece about the rising costs of train fares you need to get it as close as possible to a train station in order to get your point across.”
How the public view or interact with work determines the overall meaning of the piece too. D’oh tells me how street art, compared to graffiti, is generally more accepted in the eyes of the public “because it fits into a more conventional understanding of what art is.”
“It is not just about bringing your art to a new audience or exposing people to different ideas. It is also about addressing issues that matter to that local community in a way that is visible to them in their everyday lives.” The best way to do this, D’oh says, is through humour: “I think it is important to convey any message with humour if you want people to notice it.”
“I still enjoy doing art, but everybody has good and bad days. Sometimes you think a piece will go down well but instead it only has a muted reception.” With all the time, effort and risk it takes to put up just a single design, John D’oh just hopes that his artwork “makes people smile as they go about their daily lives.”
To keep updated on John D'oh's latest installations follow him on Instagram @johndohart, and to buy his book go to www.john-doh.co.uk/shop. To read how street art has brightened up the streets in the time of COVID go here. For information on Cheltenham's virtual street art festival go here.
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