Home > Guest Writers > Portrait of a Graffiti Artist

Hull High School Student Contribution

Portrait of a Graffiti Artist

This article is written by Mike Bilodeau, a Journalism student at Hull High School.

By Mike Bilodeau (Hull High School Journalism Student)
Senior Joe Jarvis is known throughout the school as one of the most prolific artists that the halls of Hull High School have ever witnessed. Equally well known are his talents in the underground world of graffiti, where his talents as an artist and strong intellectual sense of politics shine through his work. I was fortunate enough to exhibit some of his work in addition to procuring an interview from articulate artist.

So when exactly did you start doing graffiti? 

Robert Banks inspired me with his political stencils. I investigated into it more and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Who is Robert Banks?

He goes by “Banksy”, he does political stencils in order to raise awareness of social problems worldwide. He did a work on the Palestinian side of the Israeli West Bank Border depicting a giant hole in the wall with a boy holding a sand pail. It promoted the tearing down of the wall and the idea that Palestinians and Israelis could resolve their differences. He also did a work in London in order to raise awareness about domestic issues on the wall of a sexual health clinic. The fact that he could use his art in that manner made me want to do it too. 

How do you come up with your new ideas for tags? 

I think of words that mean something to me personally. Graffiti is a kind of self-expression, so when I take a word and make it into my own design it becomes a sort of symbol of myself. 

 

 

 

Ever been caught? 

$700 fine and 15 hours of community service.

What would you say to people who believe that graffiti is only vandalism? 

Graffiti is not just a gang-related art form; it has many political connotations. Graffiti in urban areas is used in order to beautify the decrepit buildings and help to make the area more visually appealing as well as adding more personality to the landscape. Beautiful works are constructed in inner-city areas, some of which are extremely arguably artistic masterpieces.

 

 

I’ve seen some of your other works in school; do you enjoy other types of art?

Yes, I like pretty much everything. I’m a big fan of surrealism and abstract works, formal art, and some modern art.

Who are some of your favorite formal artists?

That’s not an easy one to answer. Bob Frahm he’s relatively unknown and an amateur painter from Detroit Michigan, I love his work. He’s a Harvard grad who spent 10 years in Europe sketching villages, and other rural areas. He’s not famous but his works are an inspiration and he’s my favorite personal artist.

Do you plan on going to college for Art?

Yes I’m applying to RISD and MICA.

What do you think you would want to go into for a major?

I’m thinking of looking into animation or possibly graphic design. I’m really interested in exploring minors, which is what MICA offers. I want to expose myself to as many types of art as possible to see where I have the most talent.

Any idea of what kind of career you want to make out of art?

I’m not entirely sure, I would want to publish a comic book and hopefully get some sort of cartoon series. I’m also interested in franchising the cartoon or characters for t-shirts, stickers, etc.  

Back to Top