Vastus is an artist from Finland, creating traditional and digital art. Tools of the trade include spray paint, markers, photoshop, illustrator and more...

Hi Vastus, today MoW selected 4 of your artworks inspired by music. Can you tell MoW how did music inspired them ? What was the music behind them ? What inspired you to create such pieces?

Well, the three black and white pieces are pretty straightforward. The three artists were part of the "27 Club". They show the artist and the way they died, alcohol, suicide (with a shotgun) and heroin. While working on them I was listening to music created by the three artists to get inspired. The fourth piece, of Sebastien Tellier was just for fun I guess and I've loved his music for years.

Why is music important to you and your art?

I very rarely work on my art without listening to any music, so i guess it's quite a relevant part of the creative process. Personally i love to discover new music and artists on my free time, especially since modern technology what with spotify and youtube has made it so easy. It's quite amazing no matter how many artists and songs you listen to/know, there's still infinite amount of music you haven't heard.

If you had to choose between the artworks presented today, which of your artwork would be your favorite ? And why ?

Personally iIlike the one of Amy Winehouse. Not really sure why. I guess the contrast between how calm and beautiful she looks, yet in the end she was neither.

Can you tell MoW more about the techniques you used. How old is your technique? How did it start?

The artwork chosen, are all digital. So basically it's a combination of photoshop and illustrator. Before I did digital art this way, I actually discovered this "dripping" style kind of by accident while doing traditional stencil work and failing hard. I liked it, so I replicated it digitally. Also glitch art has always tickled me just the right way for some reason, so it's all about of combining different styles I like and developing them even further.

Check out a video that showcase Vastus' art.

Do you have plans on creating new artworks insipired by music ?

I don't see why not. Also every now and then musicians request album covers and such. If the music is good, I really enjoy that kind of work.

Do you listen to music when you’re working ? If so, what kind of music ?

Yes i do. Depends on what I'm working. If it's a specific artist, I listen to music made by him/her, if not I listen to just any music that fits my mood at the moment.

What is the song you liked the most lately? What album ? What was the last gig you went to ?

That's a tough one. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Röyksopp, especially their album "Junior". So I guess I'll just go with that one.