CANS Graffiti Art Workshops

Over 4 weeks in May 2012, 86 artists learnt an array of skills from seasoned heavy weights of the graffiti game, who offered rare insight and knowledge into their techniques, styles and what sets them apart from the rest.

Leading local and visiting artists included Poise & Ishk, Dash & Kab101, Mistery & Vans the Omega, and Searious Jones & Store.

Techniques explored traditional lettering, clean lines, character construction, creating forms through colour technique, structured lettering, portraits, character development & photo realism.

The lead artists

POISE started her artistic career as a teenage Graffiti Writer in the 80’s. Her self-taught styles have evolved into intricate works depicting scenes of bright cheerfulness to dark morbidity, modernised with a twist of tattoo and low brow styles.

ISHK has been creating and devastating for over 15 years, working with a passion through hip hop. Her work is based around 2 basic principles in graffiti – letters and characters. With a feminine style that stands out as organic and fluid relying on colour to define the letter structure, her characters take on a life of their own.

DASH (TFC) still stands as one of Australia's most talented graffiti writers. A part of TFC Crew, Dash has a style and quality to his work that is unmatched by any, from letters to characters Dash is a true king.

Street-writing since the early eighties, KAB101 has developed a marking style reflective of his personality. His work is based on calligraphic signature markings and mechanical type styles, utilizing spray paint, inks, markers and brushes

MISTERY Initially starting out as a B-boy in the early 1980s Mistery then began emceeing and painting graff and hasn't stopped up to this day. Still emceeing in his crew Brethren, he continues to gig and record music as well as investing in the lives of up and coming artists. Mistery works out of the Street University in Sydney's South West and runs various Hip Hop workshops teaching the elements of the culture.

VANS THE OMEGA Recognised for his attention to detail & search for perfection within letter structure. Blending sharp highly technical machine like shapes, seemingly impossible patterns mixed with a traditional graffiti aesthetic, Vans is in the spotlight worldwide painting alongside his other TMD members & extended family of writers around the planet

SEARIOUS JONES A sarcastic sense of humour, the heavy influence of saturday morning cartoon punch, National Geographic drama and text soaked, screen printed, punk rock posters is apparent in her works as is her love of fonts and signage, wordplay and human ridiculousness!