Tell us a little bit about youself.
Hi – I’m Vincent. I'm a French artist and I've been working under the name of Small.My practice covers different fields, such as mural art, graphic design and self-publishing, mainly in silkscreen and risography.
I’m very attached to the field of publishing and printed images but I also develop many mural projects. I have a particular interest in the relationship between graphic design and architecture. The place of an image in space and the resulting dialogue is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me.
I started my career with a job in a small printing factory. This first professional experience brought me a lot of technical knowledge and perhaps created in me the love for printed images. After spending a few years in a design agency, I set up as a freelance designer and started to develop more personal projects, notably poster editions in silkscreen.
But if we want to go further back, I think it all really started with my first graffiti in the 90s, when I was a teen. That was the real starting point of everything that made me want to dedicate myself to graphic design and visual arts in many ways.
What inspires you and how would you describe your style?
For a long time, I’ve been feed by the work of American graphic designers and illustrators from the 50s and 60s such as Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Fredun Shapur or Tom Eckersley. This type of creation continues to influence me today, even if my work is progressively evolving towards a more abstract approach. This very rich period continues to influence me through artists who are for me at the limit between art and design, such as Barbara Stauffacher Solomon or Karel Martens.
My work has always been conditioned by the way I use color, with a limited color palette. In my graffiti days, the color charts offered only had a limited range of colors, even though things were already evolving very quickly.
At the end of my studies in graphic design, I discovered the technique of screen printing and found many similarities in the way of using color: direct and flat tones, simple shapes... It immediately resonated with my practice of graffiti and the constraints imposed by screen printing have gradually shaped my way of conceiving images.
Even today, even if all my projects are not destined for silk-screening, this technique influences almost all my productions, notably by the overprinting of colors which is something central in my work.
Tell us a little about your design for caskshare.
What immediately attracted me to the Caskshare project is the fact of associating the universe of an artist to a very limited production where each bottle contains a unique liquid. This approach joins the work of the artist who creates something unique, with a singular energy.
I wanted to create an artwork in this way, because the philosophy of the project is based on the sharing and the association of people who tend together towards something unique.
This is what I tried to translate in the artwork: the combination of several colors that create, together, a unique piece.
What’s your process for creating a piece like this?
My creative process was the same as any of my projects: it started with hand sketches in a sketchbook. I need to go through this paper/pencil phase at the beginning of each project.
It's a moment where I experiment with a multitude of combinations of shapes and colors allowing me to "tame" the project.
Gradually, a creation emerges that outlines the contours of the final form. After having experimented enough and explored different paths of research, I work on a more accomplished version through the computer or tablet.
Then, depending on the destination of the project, I prepare the final artwork so that it can be screen printed, painted on a wall or printed on an offset press, because each of these mediums have their own constraints.
What’s next for you and how can people reach you?
The year 2023 looks very exciting!
First, I plan to work on a series of silkscreens for which I will constrain myself not to use the computer during the entire printing process. I will start with the edition of two artworks, but the plan is to repeat the process regularly in order to constitute a complete series. Many mural projects are also planned in the coming months. I'm just waiting for the weather to be a bit more friendly!
And finally, currently under discussion, a solo exhibition project in which I will have the opportunity to invest completely a place, in addition to a hanging of works on walls.
This is a great opportunity to bring together my printmaking, drawing and mural work in one project. If people are interested in my work, they can check my website: www.smallstufio.fr (hope it will be updated when these lines will be published) or follow me on Instagram: @small_studio
Finally, I want to thank Caskshare for inviting me for this beautiful collaboration and for letting me a total freedom in the creation!