A closer look at Bom K's creative process
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your artistic practice?
I'm Bom k, a painter and member of the "Da mental vaporz" group. I started graffiti at the age of 17 under several pseudonyms before settling on this one in 1995. Today I paint on walls and canvases in my studio, making a full-time living from this passion.
What is your background and how did you get into design?
I quickly found an interest in drawing for the pleasure of creating, from a very early age. At first, I was content to reproduce animals from magazines and books, as this allowed me to get to grips with pencil and understand the steps involved. My mother also painted from time to time, which reinforced my love of drawing. I didn't have access to art schools because I had to work to help pay the bills, so I naturally had the urge to pursue drawing and then my first self-taught paintings on canvas, all the while documenting myself.
In your day-to-day work as an artist, what inspires you? What triggers the creation of a work of art?
I sometimes look into space and an idea, a concept, emerges. Then, putting this idea down on paper to get as close as possible to it requires a process that leads more or less to the construction of what I want. Most of the time, I come back to notes or small sketches that accumulate over time, then while drawing something else comes to mind. It's like a never-ending loop that leads me down other paths. It sounds simple to write it down, but it's often a little battle with the imagination.
Can you explain how you go about creating your work? What are the different stages of creation?
Generally speaking, I build up a work of art beforehand by working on a drawing to prepare my subject. This is followed by a succession of stages, including flat tints and the shaping of tracings to form the overall motif and background. From then on, I can start working on volume and detail, alternating with different ways of achieving them. Mastery of the tool is essential, as it gives me the freedom to correct my mistakes or modify as I see fit.