Leonardo Verkoelen
November 25, 2024
Hello BRIKS, I’m happy to have you here on the Artist Spotlight! Could you please introduce yourself to the Blauw Films audience?
Hey! I’m BRIKS and I paint walls. With the alias Brikkie Briks I paint compositions using only letters from the alphabet. With the alias Jasper Briks I paint murals more figuratively, usually containing realism.
It seems like you have developed a strong signature style! How do you approach the design process?
Letterpieces I paint freestyle, meaning I only prepare the colors/cans that I’m going to paint with. When the wall is in front of my nose the design starts coming to me, usually in the form of body movements, and I make sure I’m concentrated and then just let it happen.
When designing murals I use the preparation phase to do preliminary research. I take into account the environmental context. I come up with a story and visualize that in the mural.
Can you give an example?
Client asked me to paint a wall in the local park. During my preliminary research I saw people of all ages coming there. Usually taking a stroll, but also to play sports and watch the ducks with their children. The classic park environment.
Talking to them made me realize the ducks kind of characterize this park. As long as anyone remembers they are actively living there, always playing a role in the environment.
The final artwork was called ‘Watching Ducks’. I depicted the residents and visitors of Boudriepark. The background visualizes passing visitors: parents with playing children, sporty individuals, and elderly people having a chat. The middle ground consists of the colours and lanes in the multi-court behind the wall. The foreground shows two ducks, peeping around the corner. They are the true residents of the park.
Usually, visitors come to watch the ducks, but I made sure this time two big, goofy ducks were looking back at them. I painted one of the ducks even bigger than viewers in front of the mural. This gives the duck more power; people have to take them a bit more seriously then. Focusing extra attention on the eyes, I made the ducks have a very friendly attitude.
Overall, the name ‘Watching Ducks’ summarizes this story best. Who’s watching who?
How much do you conceptualize an idea before painting it? Are you big on sketching?
Sketching is very important. To me, being able to draw well is a must for any artist painting walls. Drawing letters is so fucking hard in the beginning. There are not many painters who really take the time and dedication to master the basics of letters and accompanying composition.
However, I don’t like designing the same piece twice. So if I make a sketch on paper, it usually stays on paper. If I go to paint a wall, I make a new sketch on the wall. A lot of the time while painting, it feels like the concept manifests itself, using me, in real time.
For more figurative work I do like making a sketch. For big projects I even make the complete design beforehand.
Since I paint realism I use a lot of Photoshop. I like switching things up and designing my own light sources, extra forms and accompanying shadows to create more depth etc. Being able to make technical drawings quite well is a must for this. Being able to play with perspective, light sources etc. makes the final picture look like ‘this is it’.
As a graffiti artist, what do you believe the role of graffiti is today?
I have no clue.
I’d love to talk about what has influenced you. Are there any specific pieces of art, books, music or people that have had an impact on you?
Anyone who has this passionate type of dedication is an inspiration to me. Doesn't matter if they play chess or make music. If they focus on training and expressing their style, instead of working for quick fixes, it inspires me and I have a lot of respect for these kinds of people.
For example, what the Rafting Goods collective is doing right now. They clearly work hard for the culture, for the love of making music. Streams etc. are important as well but it's only in the picture after a song is made exactly how they want to make it.
People writing graffiti know: it’s not easy. Sometimes I talk with writers about how nice and peaceful it would be if we would be passionate about knitting instead.
You must be on the lookout for nice locations all the time! How do you go about finding them? And when do you know if it’s a good spot to paint?
You get an eye for it.
Any funny stories you can share about days (or nights) you went out to paint?
I paint legal spots only, but.. a friend of mine was painting abroad once. While painting steel in the middle of the night, in another country, with a balaclava covering his face, he heard a voice shouting: “Hey Brikkie! Cool to see you here”. And then he thought what the fuck.
So let’s say you’re on location, making the artwork. When do you know when something is right? Do you have that special feeling when something just clicks?
Yes, while studying (applied) psychology I learnt it’s called flow. Csikszentmihalyi established this concept in psychology and his book called Flow is great literature.
Would you say you’re quite critical with your ideas?
Always, even for simple commissions. Every painting is like a puzzle, where composition, light sources, color theory, storytelling etc. all come together and have to fit well into another. For example this project:
With a playful twist, it delivers an important message: “Trash belongs in the bin, and cleaning up is everyone’s job” (yes, even for the coolest of bunnies among us). The rugged vibe of this little critter gives the message just the right edge to connect with a younger audience.
Strategically painted on the town’s waste collection containers, this piece underscores the connection between trash and responsibility.
And it doesn’t stop there—it serves up a smile with a side of inspiration: tidying up isn’t just necessary—it can be a little bit badass!
What I find interesting about graffiti is how the canvas is often temporary. One day your artwork is there, and on the next…someone painted over it! How do you deal with that? And what’s your approach to painting over graffiti that’s already there?
That’s only the case on legal walls, often called Hall of Fame’s. Most cities have legal spots where everyone can practice. Limited space dictates unwritten rules like for example having to have put in more work on the details, or put in more style than the piece you’re painting over.
I love making pictures so I’m just happy when I have a great picture that represents the real life experience of looking at the painting as good as possible.
When it comes to networking in your industry, what is your favorite approach? Do you go to events for example?
If you’re passionate and dedicated you recognize it in the eyes of others.
I used to dislike the word networking, thinking I had no talent for it. But during the years I realized it’s nothing more than me doing what I do and accidentally meeting people who love doing the same, or are enthusiastic about me doing my thing. It can happen automatically at (international) jams, legal walls or expositions/openings.
What are some of the projects that you most liked working on?
I love painting big walls. For one project in Nijmegen (NL) I was asked to manage the execution of someone else’s design. Painting this wall took two weeks, and it was awesome to be painting on the cherrypicker, being high up in the air. I painted the whole wall, which was 9m high and 27m wide. A total of 243 m².
Besides big walls I love pushing the boundaries for myself. For example with realism, I like painting as many details as possible.
But of course it all started with graffiti, and my love for letters is still 100%.
What I like most within the graffiti is making detailed productions with a team of talented friends, where the focus lies not on your own instagramable piece, but on the complete wall instead. I love it when the whole wall counts as the priority. It’s hard to find people being able to work together for this, but when it happens it’s always gold. Shout out Heny! And also—a shout out to the master Gart Smits for being my first tutor. And next to him also a shout out to the greats James Jetlag and GOMAD for inspiring me to master realism.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced while working on it?
There’s always something new! For big walls it’s mainly getting the experience of knowing all the things that are needed for such big projects. For example, it’s super important to have enough empty buckets to mix all the buckets of paint with water, so the airless can disperse it well. But of course I only thought to bring buckets full of paint. Who brings empty buckets?
Or when I realize I take way too long for details, so I have to work an extra day instead of the predicted time. Which, of course, pays nothing extra. But I see that as a learning experience, and I always want to make the best work that I can. So it’s always worth it.
Alright. There is always a new generation who wants to enter this industry. What kind of advice would you give to someone thinking of a career in graffiti?
Study the masters and put in the work.
Mate, thank you so much for taking the time to do this! As a final question I’d like to ask: Do you have any recommendations for the reader?
But most importantly
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