D. Clement

I am a 24 year old, self-taught stencil artist from Detroit, MI.

I'm actually much more than that, but considering this space will be devoted to the art, I guess it should be the opening line. More about my background with this spray paint stuff (it's long:)

While I was in high school I became fascinated with the dynamics of graffiti. I questioned why somebody would risk breaking the law to leave a visual impression on an audience they didn't know (the public). And I wondered if people actively registered their observations of street art or passively ignored them. I immersed myself into the culture of street art in many forms: graffiti writing, mural work, stickers, commissioned and advertising work, and stencil art. It wasn't long before I was trying my skill at many of the aforementioned mediums of street art. Detroit provided a great source of inspiration and opportunity for this new interest. I've always adhered to a strict policy of never marking private property, choosing placement positions in daylight and requiring the work to fit aesthetically with its surroundings. Thus, I would never consider my street art vandalism.

I attended Michigan State University and by then I had discovered and was creating stencils to use with spray paint. They allowed clean imagery and fast placement, ideal for street artists. East Lansing was also an incubator for creativity... being surrounded by 40,000+ young, intelligent people will provide much inspiration. It also provided tons of public canvas which would be seen by an audience of thousands on a daily basis. As I became more proficient with stencil work I moved on to multi-layered pieces, which dictated my move from the streets to other forms of (indoor and legal!) media; like canvas, wood, vinyl, paper, metal, and glass. I became less enchanted with anonymously reaching a huge audience with simple stencils, instead desiring to create complex work that I could proudly attach my name to.

Which has led me to what I've put my creative energy into for the past six years: multi-layered stencil art on canvas. I occasionally create on other forms besides canvas, but it is my predominant surface to be sure. Each piece is elaborately detailed and takes 2 to 3 weeks to create, using hand cut stencils.