Vintage Portrait 05

Growing up as the son of an artist, John Contrado spent his entire life surrounded by beauty and creativity. His father's passion and love of art is what inspired John to start creating art of his own.

Spray paint and stencils became a natural fit for John because he is constantly tweaking and fine tuning during the art-making process. When he is designing and cutting stencils, for instance, he can make all the adjustments he wants before the paint ever touches the canvas. John considers this process of stenciling to be ninety percent preparation, and ten percent presentation; if it looks easy or effortless to the casual observer, John feels that he has been successful.