Straight Out Of Dartford

GEE HIGGINS

STRAIGHT OUT OF DARTFORD

BY SHANNON RANDALL

We are back with another edition of ‘Straight Outta Dartford’! This month’s piece will be a bit different from usual as we focus on someone who wasn’t born in Dartford, but now resides here and has contributed to Dartford with his beautifully unique street art.

Gee Higgins is a professional street artist. He has created pieces not only in Dartford, but across London and Kent. A favourite of mine is one currently on a wall in Margate featuring a skeleton face kissing a corpse bride--esque woman. Gee has had various pieces of street art around Dartford such as one behind Barclays Bank in central town of a stormtrooper pointing a gun at a parking meter. This area used to be a car park and Gee’s intention with his piece here was “to make people aware of being ticketed back when it was a car park.” Gee’s most prominent work in Dartford was probably his organised paint jam in Lowfield Street when the plans to build a Tesco Supermarket fell through and the boards advertising it were stripped clean. Gee, along with 10-15 other artists all gathered to add some life to the boarded up Lowfield street. Unfortunately, the very next day it was painted over to make room for a Dartford community art project which ironically has also been painted over now. I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out that most of Broadditch Farm Haunt Fest Artwork was created by Gee.

Gee’s work centers primarily around street art, but he also gets creative with canvas art which he mainly uses to participate in shows with. As well as public street art and canvas prints, you can also hire Gee to spruce up your garden or home and get him to paint you some personalised art for your private property! When asked why he largely prefers spray paints when creating, he said, “I like using spray paints as the blending and shading that can be achieved is like no other medium”. His style is unique and really does range from gothic to cheery to picturesque, some of it covering political themes or themes of humanity itself.

For all the aspiring artists out there, I asked Gee how he first got into his artistic ways and what worked for him. “I started using markers all over my bedroom wall then took to doing graffiti in the 80s. I did a few bits and pieces over the years for bedrooms, businesses etc”. One thing he said that stood out particularly for me was the viewpoint on art degrees. I know from friends and acquaintances interested in the art industries that advice on the pathway into these is often contradictory and confusing, so hearing from an artist on this topic is always helpful. “I find now a lot of street artists are coming from university with art degrees but the old school are all self taught...I now think art is for everyone not just the ones with a royal art academy degree.” Gee got into art with hard work and persistence and yet he didn’t have to spend thousands on a degree to do so! Art is for everyone, it has no restrictions. If you have access to a canvas -a wall, paper, fabric!- then you too can be an artist.

https://whatifgallery.co.uk https://geestreetart.bigcartel.com Instagram: @kapitall.gee Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ geestreetart