US based Street artist Tristan Eaton, who has created logos for former US President Barack Obama, says that he is fascinated with India’s “rich visuals” and the beautiful display of colours and illustrations that not just reflects from the country’s religious iconography but also from taxi cabs.

“I’d love to visit and paint in India. What fascinates me about India is the rich visuals that come from such an old culture. Indian culture has created this beautiful display of colours and type and illustrations all the way from it religious iconography to how they paint a taxi cab,” Eaton told IANS in an e-mail interview from Bulgaria when asked about his plans to Visit India anytime soon.

“It’s all fascinating and quirky and magical to me. I would love to be around that in person and try to take inspiration from that and put it into a mural there some day,” he added.

Eaton inspires personal progress by transforming communities and people’s everyday lives through his art and he thinks that art can really enrich people’s lives

“…you have to focus on beautifying the neighbourhood you live in so that the public work you’re doing is providing a service for the people who live amongst it. A little bit of art can go a long way.. On a personal note, artist to artist, the materials available to street artists are so wide ranging that everyone needs to spend time focusing on developing their skills with the tools they have at hand.

“No one likes ugly street art. I recommend everyone take the time to get better and take every chance you can to improve your skills because I do that myself on every mural that I do,” he said.

Born in Los Angeles in 1978, he expressed a passionate interest in street and pop art at an early age. He has since established his place among the most influential figures in the street art world.

With the belief that his street art designs have the ability to bridge the gap between fine Art and consumerism, Eaton embodies the person who sincerely believes in the power of art-both the visual experience and the artistic creation.

He has associated with whisky brand- Johnnie Walker for its limited edition ‘Artist Series’ packs.
The limited-edition designs are being released for people seeking meaningful, one-of-a-kind gifts to give loved ones

Eaton took inspiration for his designs from the heritage of Johnnie Walker and the wide range of flavours and aromas that can be found in the Scotch Whisky maker’s range of award-winning blends.

He says that with the “Artist Series”, he wants people to celebrate the experience of savouring all the flavours and aromas of the blends.

“Enjoying whisky should be an experience for all the senses – these limited edition gift packs are perfect for people with a keen interest in art and whisky. They are celebratory and fun but I hope there’s something there visually for hard core whisky connoisseurs about how we took this flavour and represented it visually so they can discover how it looks the way it tastes,” he said.

But isn’t street art as a profession is dead?

“That’s funny because people have said that every ten years since the 1980s. When early subway painters started making paintings, people saw it as a fad. There was the big street art bubble when Banksy (England-based graffiti artist) was selling paintings for half a million dollars and that hasn’t changed.

“And now we have people like Kaws (American pop artist) who is the face of contemporary art and Shepard Fairey who is changing American politics with his work. I feel we’re at the beginning of what’s possible for this movement because the addition of large scale muralism is only the most recent chapter in this entire movement and it shows no sign of stopping or slowing down anytime soon.,” he said.