Posted on Oct 20th, 2020
by Elzbieta Karpinska for Urban Youth Magazine
“Street art” is undeniably inseparable part of cities. One has to admit, despite all scepticism, that tasteful works and various ideas brighten up our days becoming part of urban space.These works of art are inspired by surroundings to make unity, so to say, location provoke the artwork itself.
One of these artists is Jamie Paul Scanlon known as JPS, who is inspired by simple ordinary things, which most of us overlook, such as cracks in walls or grass growing out of concrete. JPS is not only well-known for his good eye for details, but also for his funny puns, which leave no one passing without a smile on their face.
Let’s take a look into the artist’s story and let him speak for himself: ” At 32 years old in 2009, a friend George took me to see Banksy’s exhibition in Bristol. I’d only seen a bit of his stuff, but George was forever on about him so I tagged along.
It was a life-changing moment that day, I was blown away at how full-size works could be applied so fast and the buzz the place gave off. It was definitely Banksy’s best work—it made me realize how I’d thrown away my own life and what a disgrace I’d become over the years. As soon as I went back to the place (I was sofa-surfing at the time), I tried to cut my first stencil with just a rusty blade and a magazine cover and a stolen can of high-pressure spray-paint.
Those first ones were terrible and I’d not faced the addiction still ravaging my life and things went further downhill until it got to the point of sleeping on the roof of an abandoned hotel. I knew life was now at its lowest and stood atop the ledge debating whether I should jump. I remember thinking, ‘it’s easy to join your lost friends, just step forward… or you can do the hardest thing and prove that you weren’t all losers like we’d been raised to believe.
‘ I went to my mum’s and begged her to let me home and said I’d go to recovery the next day. I didn’t do residential treatment, I basically locked myself away and focused on teaching myself my own technique. As much as Banksy inspired me, I did not want to be a clone. I think I’ve developed my own style. I attended counselling and group meetings It’s not been a straight line, I first relapsed after 11 months due to the sudden success and stress of it, but I’d already made enough of a mark around the town to snap back out of it. Every time I fell off the wagon, I’d get back on. Eventually, you get fed up with going through withdrawals.
Addiction is something you never cure, you just have to learn to take each day at a time and don’t let a slip-up be an excuse to not stop. As a youngster, my influences were Dali, Escher, Cezanne, Giger. Obviously, Banksy inspired me a lot, but I later inspired him. I have a few different areas I like to explore in my work: movies and music are a big factor in my works, but I also like the intervention stuff, it’s a case of never being predictable. I can also be inspired by current events, but prefer to paint stuff that doesn’t expire.
I look for interesting fittings, features, or shapes, and then kind of brainstorm the best. Then I check Google to make sure I’m not biting anyone. I grew up very poor, so trying to price my work was tough and I was often ripped off. Also, the occasional hater can make life crap, but the good outweighs the bad. I find that the most rewarding is seeing people post pics of my works or their pets, etc. It’s the best feeling in the world to make people happy, especially as I carry so much guilt from the person I once was.”
So let’s take a look into the artworks!
Hope you find it inspirational!
Words by Elzbeita Karpinska
Trainee Junior Volunteer Content Writer/Social Media Assistant at Urban Youth
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