November 2009: Scheme in Moscow

I'm too much of a wimp for Russia in the winter. Three hours of sunlight a day and subzero temperatures would throw me into a deep depression. However, I'd love to explore the country in the summer; there's so much street art to see! Perhaps if I make it there this summer, I'll give Scheme a call. The Moscow-based artist toys with mediums and shapes to create fresh new pieces. He writes:

"Hello, I'm Scheme, a graffiti-artist from Moscow. I have never really made normal street-art so much. I'm more of a graffiti-artist trying not to limit my art. I did my first piece in 2004 and have been painting graffiti for about five years."

"Lately, I prefer to keep my style separate from others. Sometimes it's a good experience to collaborate with different artists, but not permanently. Painting together demands a lot of organization and the result often doesn't justify costs. When you are alone, you feel freedom; it's important in art. As for pieces with common colors and background, it's hard to call that 'collaboration.'"

"My style is develops on paper. Sometimes I need more sketch time for realisation. In my way, I try not to copy forms which already exists. I'm like piggy bank which needs something new every time. To be honest, the best place for work is canvas. When you paint on it, you control everything and don't worry about any external factors like weather. Of course, good painting environment makes it better, but in my way it's important to concentrate on style. Also, sometimes after painting on walls, you find some marks on photos and already can't correct it. As for canvas, it's free for finishing anytime you want. Sometimes I also use digitals, but it looks not as fresh as handicraft."

"As for being caught by the police - I can't say that in Russia you can have big problems. Lately, I stopped painting illegally. It's better to concentrate on style than on the place where it can be realised. The craziest adventures were meeting and painting with or just spending time together with artists from my Top 10 list."

"One of the last events I took part in was in Nantes, France. It was called '20 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall in Nantes'. Artists built the wall from cardboard boxes in city-center and made pieces on it. Afterwards, audiences destroyed it just like Berlin 20 years ago. The topic of my piece was 'Freedom'. You can see video and photos of my project. Ciao!"

Thanks, Scheme! For more photos and information, visit his website.