killer instinct
fin DAC
check the dragon armoury creative gallery
fin DAC thanks for joining us here at powder. we’ve been taken by your striking street art for some time now and we’re chuffed to finally get the chance to chat with you about it.
at present where are you, what are you working on and what is coming next?
I’m currently in Bradford (North England) working on a film project called The Great Escape with 3 other artists – Jimmy C, Tankpetrol and ASKE P19. We’ll be doing a spot of street painting as well while were there. Then I head to Montreal with Angelina Christina for the FIMA festival and then to Madrid for another self-funded paint trip.
you’re a street artist who terms your style urban aesthetics. how does your street art differ from that of others and why have you made this distinction?
I made the distinction to separate my work from those around me because I didn’t want the association with a scene that in my eyes was all ego-driven personalities and negative stereotypes. My work is all about beautification of the urban landscape and I wasn’t, and still don’t, see a lot of that from other male street artists.
you work on the streets. what are the advantages of working in this setting and what do you think the role of street art is in general?
The advantages for me are simple: being in a situation where everything around u, from the wall surface to the light, can dictate what or how u paint. It’s a unique opportunity that most artists waste.
what’s the most bizarre place you’ve ever produced a work?
On the back of a rotting ship in North Wales. The Black Duke has been dry-docked there for 20 years or so and The DuDug Project came up with the idea of turning it into a canvas for urban artists. I went in November last year and it was quite an experience.
what would you say culturally influences your art?
I honestly don’t think anything current does? I rarely watch TV, the news or read newspapers so have no idea what’s going on in the world most of the time. But for me this is a bonus because I’m not constantly being bombarded by the negativity that pervades seemingly everything these days. I focus on art of the past and ideologies that seem ill at odds with modern life.
you started your career as an artist only quite recently. what was the impetus to make this great change in your life?
That great change was something that was actually forced upon me. I had been unhappy for about 8 years but stuck in a rut and unable, I thought, to do anything to change it. But some higher power decided to give me the kick up the arse I needed by turning my life upside down and making me look at myself in a way that I hadn’t before. It wasn’t easy to pull myself up out of that hole but, luckily, I was able to use the negative to turn my life into a positive so I can’t complain.
your urban asian female series is a change from your earlier work; what led to this evolution? and what influenced you to turn your attention to the east?
My early work was very much influenced by graphic novels such as Sin City. But as much as I loved painting those characters, I realised I was doing the same as the majority of male artists who depict women in their art: sexualising them. So I went back to basics and tried to find another way of doing things. Softening the look and feel of what I was doing technically required an added element to complete the change. The softness and beauty of Asian art and my love of it was the start but finding the right models/muses was the final piece of the puzzle.
when you’re producing your asian works do you use models and if so who are they?
I use 1 of 3 models/muses depending on the look and feel of the intended piece. Nicole, Meggie and Alex have played a huge part in my evolution of my art. They were the ingredient I needed to evolve my work and they came along at exactly the right time. My friendship with each of them is one of the most pleasing parts about what I do.
which current artists influence you and who are your favourites on the scene?
No street artists work influences me in any way at all. My favourites are Conor Harrington, Morten Andersen and Herakut simply because their work is constantly of an extremely high level and always evolving and improving. IMO that sets them apart from most other urban artists I see. But their styles are so far removed from my own that it has no residual effect at all. TBH I don’t want to be influenced by other artists anyway... I have all the influence I need locked up in my head.
over the last few years you’ve been travelling to countries around the globe to create street art. do any of these experiences stand out more for you and if so why?
I’ve had so many amazing trips that they all kind of merge into one as time goes on. As a whole, they have made me a far happier, rounded person who’s more aware of the good and bad on this planet. In essence I guess that has nothing to do with art but it’s my art life that has facilitated that travel.
what does DAC stand for?
It stands for Dragon Armoury Creative: the name of my personal online portfolio before I went full time with art. It’s the reason I sign my work with a dragon logo.
cheers for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us here at powder. we look forward to catching your next series of works… whatever they may be.
check fin's work at flicker dragon armoury creative
or at findac.tumblr
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