In remembrance of the late street artist John Dolan, one year since his departure we’ve made the decision to revisit an interview featured in our 2014 Urban Scape edition.
Following our interview with John for this special feature he became a good friend of Design Exchange and his absence is deeply felt by all of us and on the streets of Shoreditch. In this particular edition, we also had the privilege of commissioning John to create artwork for our header pages and featured him prominently on the cover.
Originally showcased in the 2014 Urban Scape edition of Design Exchange this piece continues to reflect the enduring impact of John Dolan’s big character and his street art
If you’ve visited Shoreditch recently, you may have noticed John Dolan and his dog, George, sitting outside on the pavement of the High Street.
Last year, when we first met Dolan, he was homeless and spent most of his days drawing pictures of George and the surrounding city. Today, however, his artwork is well known and he’s recently enjoyed showings in London. These include a successful exhibition at the Howard Griffin Gallery on Shoreditch High Street last September entitled George the Dog John the Artist, which sold out and in which five works alone went for £15,000. Dolan currently has new shows planned for 2014 in New York and Los Angeles and Random House are publishing his life story internationally this year. Nonetheless, even with a busy schedule, he took the time to do some exclusive drawings for Design Exchange, as seen throughout this issue
Tell us a bit about yourself, did you grow up in London?
I grew up on City Road, EC1 on the Kings Square Estate opposite Gordon’s Gin Factory. I could walk from my house and be at the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in ten minutes. I would stand on a monument of Queen Victoria that’s just opposite St Paul’s every Lord Mayor’s day and watch the processions go by. Early on in my life I made some bad choices and found myself homeless and in and out of jail for a period of twenty years. Three years ago I became an artist.
How did the drawing start? was this something you have always been doing?
I have always been able to draw. I was born with natural artistic talent, passed down to me from my grandfather who was also an artist. But there have been many years when I’d never even pick up a pen because I was banged up or on the streets. I neglected my talent for long periods of time. I only picked up the pen again because I had been homeless for a long time and was getting older and it was make or break for me. I found myself in Shoreditch, the art capital of the country and I started sitting out on Shoreditch High Street because you never know who is going to walk past you from one day to the next.
What inspires your work, has being home-less in Shoreditch inspired you?
I get my inspiration from everything around me, but initially, my main inspiration was these two decrepit old buildings in Shoreditch opposite where I used to sit (and still occasionally do sit). I used these buildings as a study for three years and drew them hundreds of times. Shoreditch has been my greatest inspiration and has inspired me in more ways than I ever realised. The fashion, the people, the history, and the general vibe of the entire area gives me great inspiration each day.
Do you have a building / urban area you would love to draw?
I like to draw the run down buildings that no one really takes any notice of or pays much attention to. I like the grime and dark alleyways, the buildings that are just about ready to fall down. If they have street art or graffiti on them then to me that makes them more appealing and beautiful. For the magazine, I have been drawing cityscapes of a different style and I also prefer to draw buildings from the ground up! However, I do love how the aerial views come together on completion and I like the London architecture in the Square Mile because it fits in with all the old buildings. There is a lot of history in London, especially the City of London with the parts of the old Roman wall running through it. The modern architecture has been built to fit in with the old architecture and as much as it is out of place, it is not out of place, it works. I’ve used Shoreditch as a launch pad and will branch out around the world once I have established myself more on the art scene – watch this space!
Future plans what next?
I’ve just finished writing my life story which will be published this July by Random House. I am also working on a big project with the Museum of London in May and planning an exhibition in Los Angeles for later in the year.
First Published in print in the 2014 Urban Scape edition of Design Exchange.
