August is Aerosol and Spray Color month on our Customer Engagement Calendar, so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate muralist Devin Finley, a fellow member of our team here at Mac. Devin began spraying graffiti on free walls in the alleyways of downtown Olympia, Washington as a teenager. In 2013, he founded Define Arts and has over a decade of experience in custom indoor and outdoor artwork, logo re-creations, custom murals, and multiple other disciplines. Keep reading to learn more about Devin’s journey as an artist.
- Where are you from and where do you currently reside?
Born and raised in Olympia, WA and I am currently residing in Vancouver, WA.
- Can you describe what your role looks like at MacPherson’s?
My role at Mac is the Graffiti Channel Rep.
- What drew you to working with spray paint, and how did it feel when you did it for the first time?
One thing that drew me toward using spray paint is the art of graffiti. I have always been more of a reference artist. Being that American graffiti is typically letter-based, the letters gave me the reference and foundation to then use my artistic mind to manipulate and change up those letters creatively.
- Can you describe your process for creating a mural?
I am a commercial artist/muralist so I usually am tasked with bringing my client’s ideas and concepts to life. Depending on what a client is looking for me to paint, I will take that information and create a mockup of the design and superimpose it using Procreate to show the customer what it will look like. As a commercial artist, I use the clients’ inspiration to inspire the overall vision for the artwork.
- What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve done?
One of my favorite pieces I have created was a project I just completed for The City of Kirkland, WA. One of the reasons I really enjoyed the project is the contrast between the portraits, painted in highly saturated colors, and the raw concrete weathered wall for the negative space.
- How have you grown as an artist in the past five years and what are the major contributing factors to your growth?
I have absolutely grown as an artist in the last 5 years. One of the main contributing factors is that I am always being asked to paint different subject matters and styles using a large grab bag of different techniques. This keeps me learning and acquiring new additional skill sets. Another contributing factor to my growth is that I constantly push myself.
- What are your current go-to supplies?
My current go-to supplies are Montana Cans.
- What are your website and social media links?
Website: define-arts.com
Instagram: @define_arts
