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More Mind-Blowing Stencils: Dave Soukup Is In the Moment

By Ray Hu - September 12, 2011

in Graphic Design | Exhibitions

Hopefully one month has been enough time for our stencil-inclined readership to have pieced their minds back together, because we've just come across yet another stencil artist who might just detonate it yet again.

Where Logan Hicks worked with traditional landscapes, executed in a few moody colors, Chicago-based artist David Soukup sticks to more traditional poster-influenced subject matter.

The collage-y results are graphically captivating, not least for the meticulous methodology behind each piece.Having built a reputation as one of the most detailed stencil artists in the country, Soukup is no stranger to finger-numbing precision and perfection. At first glance, his work may lead you to believe it's is a digital transfer or electronic print-out, but on closer inspection, you'll see what makes David's work so special: the details. Each painting is produced by a precise layering of stencils, meticulously cut by hand, and applied using layers of spray paint.

The new work will be exhibited at Phone Booth Gallery in Long Beach, California, in a solo show called In the Moment:Soukup's new body of work shows a slight change in direction for the artist, who has elevated his paintings to include geometric abstraction, texture, and motion. Consistently raising the bar on what can be done with the stencil medium, Soukup focuses on relational composition while exploring positive and negative space. Working with reclaimed wood, found imagery, photography, and a variety of painting techniques Soukup explores individual relationships between mediums and elements interconnected in the moment.

Much more detail & process after the jump...

Soukup achieves the same level of detail as Hicks, though the latter's work evokes more of a marker-like effect as opposed to the more overt screenprinting reference points of Soukup's lovely ladies. (Matthew Curran, for his part, differentiates himself through his inimitable scratchy style.)

Don't miss the chance to see Soukup's amazing work in person:

David Soukup In the Moment Phone Booth Gallery 2533 East Broadway Long Beach, CA 90803 September 17 – October 6 Opening Reception: September 17, 7–10PM

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Cra

13 years ago

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Its nothing like Banksy's work. The level of detail here is astronomically more than that of Banksy. That detail alone is part of this artists own vision and originality. I mean, can you do this? Or would you?
What is wrong with taking something to a new level? Even if the process is not completely original?

Banksy pieces are a different thing altogether and I dont think it is right or fair to compare them. So stop it.

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Nate

13 years ago

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Fantastic detail!

Though I must say at first I thought him a Logan Hicks wannabe, it seems his current artist of inspiration is Tes One. The design aesthetic is quite similar.
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RobIrwin

13 years ago

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While I appreciate the seemingly motivated stencil savant, does this style not smack of another more well known and established street artist?...Banksy, perhaps? The use and perseverance of such detailed stenciling is to be noted, but is it not the duty of artists to project a vision OF their vision and NOT of others?

I am a fan of all art, but seeing yet another interpretation of this or that in the much-used technique of stencils is quite discomforting and frankly appalling to my eye. Where did the expansion of original creative expression go? Are we not but a muse playing off but another's rendition?

Thanks
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