Some of my first murals were created at Berlin’s abandoned ice factory- a beloved urbex and party/hang-out spot situated right next to the Spree.
I moved to Berlin in 2012. That first year was an incredibly inspiring adventure and also the year I started to paint murals. Unrestricted by the confines of a page, walls now provided a fully enveloping large-scale canvas. Berlin’s myriad of abandoned buildings, factories, and soviet military bases were a perfect playground of inspiration to learn in and explore.
These are some of the first larger paintings I created in this newly found medium. The abandoned ice factory near my apartment was a rank cesspool teaming with dog-sized rats, but it has always held a very special spot in my heart since it was one of the first places I learned to paint in.
This horrible abomination of a teddy face was the first time I ever used a can of spray paint. I was so embarrassed about the possibility of anyone seeing my atrocious first attempts that I tucked myself away in a small room. Littered with trash, dirty clothes, garbage and an incredibly soiled mattress (I hadn’t been the only one appreciative of the isolated convenience of this room), it provided a raw shelter for experimentation.
The smell of paint was a welcome cover…
TM © 2012