Geoff Cunningham

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I am a stencil artist. I love the flexibility the technique offers, and the different effects I can achieve using it. I love that it combines a wide range of artistic disciplines – from photography, digital art/manipulation, hand cutting of detailed stencils, spray painting, and finally hand painted brushwork and collage. I love the challenge of bringing all of these different disciplines together to create a finished piece that invites an emotional response, but also the opportunity for the viewer to look beyond the colours and composition to see hidden details, extra meaning or unexpected touches.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

Stencil art is a long and at times arduous process. I usually start with my own reference photos and then using Photoshop I manipulate the image, combining it with other images until I have a composition I'm happy with. Recently, I have also started using AI to create my own images to cut stencils from. From that point I create multiple layers that are then hand cut before using spray paint and hand painted acrylic to create the final piece.

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

My studio is in my backyard which I love because I hate traffic! I would love more space (as would every artist), but the positives far out weigh the negatives! My studio is in two parts, one to cut and paint in, the other is an outdoor spray booth area for the spray paint part of my process.