This custom painted jacket came from a collaborative idea with my client, Stefano, an Italian man with a bright smile and contagious positive energy. Also an art enthusiast, we had connected when I shared my painting projects with him.
Stefano had a particular liking for street art, such as graffiti. He shared with me some really cool work done by ROA, in particular a graffiti wall painting he had done of a snake and a rat. Coincidentally, I have my own affinity to snakes, which have often been used in my own history and heritage, that of the Norwegian vikings. The serpent was commonly used as an ancient symbol, as Celtics prior to being converted to Christianity. The symbol was used in mythology, as characters or even cosmic forces into themselves, and were commonly represented on armour, flags, ships, jewellery, even woodcarvings in churches, including their roof shingles mimicking the scales of the serpent.
Photos taken by me of the oldest viking church in Norway
Using this as a baseline, I combined the image of the serpent with my own adaptation of traditional Scandinavian style. Scandinavian design is traditionally notable for its simplicity, folk style ornamentation, vibrant colours, and fun patterns that are clean and cheerful. Bright whites, blues, reds, and yellows are common throughout Scandinavian design. I envisioned a snake coiling from the bottom of the jacket to the top, in consideration of the way ROA had done the graffiti, as well as to honour the creative life force of the serpent.
Enjoy wearing your jacket back in Italy, Stefano! I am so happy that you love it and look forward to seeing pictures of my jacket being worn across the world.
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