Enso

David Soukup was born in a small town in Michigan in 1985. He attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI before moving to Chicago to pursue a career in feature film production and as a fine artist. David credits two college professors for turning him onto the stencil medium while pursuing a degree in illustration. Early on, both were able to see his incredible talent for photorealism and extreme attention to detail. Previously, his skills were limited to what was possible only with graphite pencils and pens, but spray paint stencils offered him a whole new route of exploration. Drawn to the process, execution, and dedication required, David embraced and immediately began to explore the boundaries of the medium. David was quickly recognized internationally for his stencil works for his finger-numbing precision and perfection. The urban environment became an immediate focus for David’s work. Living in Chicago, he was surrounded by an endless possibility of inspiration and a city that showcased some of the best architecture in the world. Using elements of graphic design, collage, mixed media, and reclaimed materials, David’s work is a reflection and experience of his everyday life. His work has taken on several themes and approaches, but Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas. Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. It is also known as silkscreen, seriography, and serigraph.