JASON SETNYK
Artist and writer Eric D. introduced participants to the creative roots of graffiti during a recent Art and Language Lab session at the Cline House Gallery in downtown Cornwall.
Co-facilitated by Eric D. and Sean George, the free workshop explored pseudonyms, tags, hand styles, and the connection between graffiti, calligraphy, and creative writing.
The session was part of the Art and Language Lab program, which invites participants of all experience levels to experiment with visual art and writing in a collaborative setting.
Originally from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Eric D. learned graffiti culture in Montreal and said he has been spray painting since he was 13 years old.
He explained that his interest in graffiti has evolved over the years. “Originally, the legality,” he said with a laugh when asked what first attracted him to the medium. “Nowadays, the beautiful fusion between graffiti and fine art, I would say.”
“This is my first workshop,” he said, noting he previously taught English for six months in Morocco.
“I am teaching hand styles today, which is the basis of tagging,” he said. “If presented properly, it relates to calligraphy and artistic writing and using an alphabet in each person’s own way, which is, in essence, the root of graffiti.”
Eric D. also addressed common misconceptions about graffiti and tagging, emphasizing that the art form has deeper creative and expressive elements.
“Tagging, at its root form, is definitely very connected with things like calligraphy, creative writing, and expressive writing,” he said. “If paired in the right ways and tones, it can be viewed in a very different manner.”
The Art & Language Lab is hosted through the Cline House Gallery’s downtown studio space.
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