Art / Artist of the Month
Artist of the month: Fuller
Fuller is an artist producing map artwork to explore the identity of different places. Researching extensively, using facts and lived experiences to create “cartographic love letters.”
Buy Fuller’s Bristol Map here: www.b247.squarespace.com/artist-of-the-month-march-2019
He grew up in Essex, which “while being the fake-tan capital of Britain, it was my gateway into the playground of London, which later became a major piece of work”.
is needed now More than ever
Fuller’s first job was for a London-based broadsheet when he was 17, saying: “It took me 14 years of realizing other people’s creative endeavours before I found the confidence to go it alone.”
His passion for art had become more than something he could do whenever he could find time and became his full-time career.
When asked what inspires his creativity, he says: “I’m driven by an obsession with the sense of a place, a phenomenon that compels me to observe cultures and create maps of the mind.”
Fuller explains that the process is more complex than simply just creating a beautiful map: “Before I even put pen to paper I walk, ride bikes, take photos, collect data, talk to people. Its exploring, getting lost and gathering stories.” The pieces he creates aim to use local knowledge and exploration of areas to tell a human, lived experience.
Each drawing has details that reveal new stories each time the work is viewed, from architecture and curiosities to memories and human tales.
The piece of work being sold is Fuller’s map of Bristol. When asked more about it, he said it “was one of my first major works to be completed.
Fuller’s ‘Bristol Map’ is being sold for £450 by Bristol24/7 and Hidden Gallery
“I had a full time job and I was trying to get the piece finished. I was pushed for time and spent any spare time soaking up Bristol life. I would get up early every morning and draw.”
Fuller lived in Montpelier for six years, and says he still visits regularly to see friends. He explains that he still uses Bristol supplies, such as Niche Frames on Stokes Croft and Hello Blue Printers down by Spike Island.
Notable career moments included producing the map of Beijing, as it tested the scope of his research skills as it’s so large: “It really is a mega city. I walked around the entirety of its sixth ring road just to try and understand its scale.” The original work is currently on display at The British Embassy in Beijing.
Speaking about future projects, he says: “Right now I’m hiding in the hills working on something that has flipped my normal methodology upside down.
“Being self-taught makes me an ‘outsider”, but I don’t care much for labels. Right now, I use cartography as art but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an open mind about doing new things.”
Read more: Artist of the month: Elaine Jones
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