The Early Days

A look at my early graffiti years in Amsterdam and New York, starting in 1983. These archives trace the beginnings of my style, the scene I grew up in and the foundations of my current practice.

One of my first tags: in white on the black bottom strip of the Pepergasthuis, Groningen 1984

Groningen, 1984 — The beginning

Website under construction. Text will follow.

“Graffiti has been very important to me in life, and not just as a career.”

— Mick La Rock

Style writing and letter development

!! Website under construction. For now AI puked out this text. (Better personal written text will soon replace this!)

Letters became the main focus early on. Shapes shifted, stretched and moved across sketchbook pages, influenced by what was happening in Amsterdam and by images coming in from New York. Outlines, extensions and geometric breaks were tested to see how far a letter could go without losing balance.

These experiments formed the base of the graphic language used now. Clear forms, grids and angled structures in murals and studio work can all be traced back to those first years of rebuilding the alphabet.

New York connection

!! Website under construction. For now AI puked out this text. (Better personal written text will soon replace this!)

Travels to New York in the early early nineties offered a direct view of the styles that shaped the graffiti movement. Trains, handstyles and large pieces seen up close changed how letters and structure were understood. Encounters with writers known only from magazines, including artists connected to Lady Pink, Seen and Dondi, added new perspective.

The experience confirmed the direction already taken in Amsterdam. It showed how lettering, space and rhythm could connect across cities and cultures and strengthened the approach brought back home.