Monday 21 April 2014

Portfolio Review 3: Kelzo

Tony 'Kelzo', is a renown graffiti artist from Manchester, he has been decorating parts of the city since the early 80's.
He is still an active artist who works to commission painting everything from walls to vehicles
I first came across his work when I was studying fine art at a city centre campus in 1999, It was a large abstract style piece, multi layered with angles coming and going in all directions, the colour gradients amazed me. I was an instant fan.
So while writing my dissertation when the opportunity came up to converse with the man himself and take his opinions on many subjects I was delighted.
When I was informed by the tutors that I was required to have my portfolio reviewed again, one of my first thoughts was that I'd like Kelzo to be one of the reviewers.
There were many reasons for my wanting him to look at my work and provide feedback, from the fact he is a local and relevant artist, and from past experiences, he is honest and accessible.
Being a busy man, he was hard to pin down so I sent Kelzo a link to my website so as he could go through my portfolio in his own time.
When Kelzo got back to me, he praised my work, but said there is alot of the same kind of thing out there already, so just as Chris Howker had told me a few months previous, he suggested doing some work that carries a little more meaning, work that says something.
He suggested that I experiment with application methods and the surface I am painting on, not just canvas and paper.
Kelzo also offered some tips and suggestions on the lay out of my website and photographing my work as well.
All in all, it was a short and to the point review, but I appreciated it that way as I knew that Kelzo had taken time out of a busy schedule to assist me.
Short though it was the advice he left me with was priceless as the experience he has in the industry dates back to before I was even born.
I have provided some examples of Kelzo's work, and a link to his website. www.kelzo.com







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