A few years back I went to see an exhibition of the works of José Parlá. His work is simply stunning. As a New Yorker and a long time graffiti artist, his work is influenced by the walls of the city. Posters go up and are ripped down. Walls are tagged. Dust goes on and is washed off. He creates a similar look but speeds the process up with the use of different mediums and “ages” the canvas. He combines collage, markers, paints, coloured pigment in PVA and other techniques to build the work up in layers. I particularly love his marker and brush calligraphy work. With it he tells stories and he layers it over itself and creates a weave of line work.

Anyhow, it’s great to see how his work has evolved over time and to see the huge projects he’s now being commissioned on.