Augustine Kofie began his career as a graffiti writer over two decades ago, but his desire to master the art of the spray can lead him to develop the abstract style and vintage-inspired color palette for which he is known. Kofie is currently working on a mural for the ongoing street art festival Pow Wow Hawaii in Honolulu. Hi-Fructose got a chance to go up on the lift with him to chat while he painted. Kofie showed us his initial sketch (something he rarely reveals), which he renders in a combination of traditional and digital media.
“About 10 or 12 years ago, I knew I was going to go in this direction. I kind of let the style take it there, I didn’t force it. But I was paying attention to what I was doing and what I needed to do to let it grow and mature,” said Kofie when asked about the evolution of his style. “I’m a pensive guy as it is, so of course I’m over-thinking everything. So add that to working with the structural aesthetic [of graffiti], and it sort of goes hand in hand… This is what I draw naturally, this is what I gravitate towards.”
He explained that when he arrives on site to paint, he rarely looks back at his first sketch, allowing for room for happy accidents that ultimately become part of his geometric composition. Among the architectural lines are spontaneous elements, like dripping paint, that give Kofie’s work a sense of motion. Take a look at some photos of Kofie’s work in progress and stay tuned for photos of the finished piece in our final recap of Pow Wow.
