Vendor: David Littlejohns
(David Littlejohns, selections from records. 08-09 throughout)
Talk about exploding color- when it comes to celebrating the spectrum, the work of artist David Littlejohns is truly eye-catching. Mixing a graffiti style with old records for canvases and a rainbow’s worth of paint, David’s art pieces are more than mixed media, they also inspire a synesthesia of the senses: the bright colors of his designs suggest the kinetic spinning of the record and visually represent a unique take on the aural function the record once served.
It is apparent the flow of sight, sound and motion visible in his current work with records not only comes out of his graffiti oriented style, but David’s approach to artwork itself. Having been drawing since he can remember, David developed a taste and style oriented towards the urban art of graffiti when he was fourteen, and continued from there.
The improvisational style and use of surface in graffiti seems to suit how David develops his projects themselves, while he has turned to personal objects over alleyways and buildings. Choosing his canvas, he says, is a personal process: “Certain events transpired,” David cryptically explains, “and I was forced to adapt to decorating my own personal property.”
And he kept it even more personally to himself until recently. “Much of it hasn’t seen the light of day as I have only recently begun selling my work.” Good thing he is- his dynamic approach to mediums and decorative art is just what this city needs.
David is enthusiastic about the young and still in early-development stage that the Calgary art scene is in: it’s the perfect space for taking risks with the flow of new ideas. In David’s words, its “a huge advantage for artists to showcase their talents with little to no elitism or arrogance to scare them off. In Calgary there is almost a collective understanding among the artsy types that we all need to work together to establish a stronger sense of culture in our city. It’s almost as if we have a clean slate.”
And he’s bold to make some declarative assessments of Calgary and its potential to develop as a creatively respected city: “Calgary is often seen as an uninspiring congolmerate of conservative businesses and suburban sprawl, and this is unfortunately true for the most part. However as the development of more eclectic areas such as Kensington and Inglewood continue to progress so too will inspiration for younger generations of creatives. Calgary has a long way to go, and the allure of cities such as Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto tend to pull away much of our talent but I can already see the climate here changing. Events such as PARKSALE, The Market Collective, Factory Party, and the creative harbour that is Weeds Cafe are all relatively recent additions to the Calgary art scene, and I’m excited to see the ensuing ripple effect all of this will have.”
David has some bold opinions that are pretty in tune with the philosophy behind the PARKSALE- we’re a young and fairly independent pool of creative talent here in Calgary, but by collectively getting excited about the splashes made by each other amongst ourselves, we’re sure to turn these ripples into a tidal wave of colour and ideas.
To see more of David’s record artwork— and apparently, David promises, a live giraffe (if its working visa papers go through)— please come on down to the PARKSALE this Sunday. Join the flow.
You can also see more of his work on his flickr.
