There are many reasons to paint or to keep painting. But often the best ones are the ones you feel when you slow down or stop for a while. French artists ERNEST can probably relate to this more than most. For years as a young man his graff life was as much of his life as life itself. Skipping classes to empty Montana BLACK or Montana GOLD cans is the norm when graffiti feeds you, just as the food you eat. But at some point life kicks in and the food you eat can change. Graphic Design can be that change in diet, so designing logo’s on a screen everyday can syphon the time and desire to create your own logo’s on urban surfaces.

But the old saying, “you can take the writer out of graffiti, but you can’t take the graffiti out of the writer”, is one to take seriously. In recent times ERNEST has switched off the computer a little more regularly and switched back to regular graffiti, most likely benefitting both aspects of his life.

ERNEST – Turning off the computer

The name of the game for ERNEST is repetition. In his own words, “an excuse to to indulge a sort of challenge: completely rethinking the structure and tones for each piece whilst using the same letters. The idea is that each piece should be unique even if it visually linked to others… Everything can be ceaselessly re-done, re-invented and so the possibilities are infinite”.. And unique and innovative his pieces are. If you cook the same ingredients in enough different ways, your bound to come up with some very interesting and tasty recipes. Buon Appetito…

All imagery by ERNEST – follow ERNEST on IG