add fuel to the fire X WOOL

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:24:21 +0000

Had a great time during the weekend in Covilhã, hangin’ out with the cool people from WOOL fest. They showed me all the spots and I did some “tradicional FTW” spread with my tiles.
Also a big thanks to my boy Target from Stick2Target for the photos and video shooting.

Grafik Walls

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:49:14 +0000

Now online, Grafik Walls project: Artist Edition Wallpaper Project.
Featuring artwork from Paulo Arraiano (Yup), Diogo Machado (add fuel to the fire), Mosaik, João Rei (Can’t Surf Naked), Gonçalo Mar, Vanessa Teodoro, Klit, Quillograma, Mike Tunna and Margarida Girão.

Mtv – Live Painting

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:07:19 +0000

July 15th – 15.00h to 20.00h
Armazéns do Chiado, Lisbon, Portugal

Don’t Panic Room

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:14:41 +0000

Don’t Panic Room wall painting @ Pop Up Lx 2010

Who am I and what’s all this?

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:40:30 +0000

In a galaxy far, far away…
A cold, drab planet once lay in darkness, suspended in the emptiness of the eternal void…Yet, one day it was inexplicably set alight. Since then Planet Fire has been bombarding the stratospheric layers of our world with ultra-biotic intergalactic characters, aiming to take over and subvert the greyness of daily life…

This futuristic alternate-reality is the brainchild of Diogo Machado (b. 1980), who lives and works in Cascais, Portugal. With a degree in Graphic Design and a few years experience as a Graphic/Screen Designer under his belt, both in Portugal and Germany, in 2007 he decided to become a full-time visual artist and illustrator. From then on, his funny-looking, peaceful, robot-like creatures and graphics have been appearing a little around the globe in illustrations, paintings, exhibitions, hand-painted walls and objects, designer toys, posters, screen-prints, clothing and a diverse array of media in both private and artistic as well as professional and commercial contexts. His unique, vivid style is fast becoming a recognised hallmark in this current graphic-soaked culture of ours.

Located in the outer fringes of a multi-layered imaginative mind, one simple glance can convey all the colourful, weird, funny, exciting, cosy and warm features of Planet Fire. And yet, the visual complexity of some of his series demands a deeper, more meaningful look, as amid the stylish, dynamic artwork there are often little, unexpected and surprising details. Most of his pieces are imbued with layers of content, which require a closer, more critical analysis. Essentially, though, his work relies only on the desire to entertain people with forms and visual games, greatly depending on his creative mood for the day; whether more conceptual, more figurative, more profound, more critical or simply more fun.

His visual probes have been traveling far and wide for a long time, scanning the lost world of B-Movies, low-budget sci-fi, cartoons, Japanese Kaiju, animation, street art and skateboarding visual culture, fuelling his creative drive and giving rise to a deeply ironical usage of such elements, highlighted with bright colours and a fun-loving feel to them. Music has also served as fuel, from the mellow grooves of roots-rock-reggae to the energizing darkness of metal. Lyrics and moods often end up providing new visual directions, generating illustrative responses as interactive feedback. Just like video games. The self-confessed addict admits to spending hours hooked-up on one of his multiple consoles, but he can always claim to be “working”, neatly concentrated on their concept art.

Nevertheless, it is drawing which takes up most of his time. As he started out he followed a heavily digital and vectorial path, only to eventually return to paint, markers and hand-drawn techniques and styles. Nowadays, lying somewhere in between, he is capable of articulating and enmeshing both under the ever-present orienting light of graphic design. In spite of having been relegated to the background, its power is still very much a part of his method, style and vision. Visual balance, composition, and the use of wild typographic elements are often the corner-stones to his graphic and visual output, craftily managing the equation between commercial and artistic work by drawing energy from as big an audience as he can muster. Spreading art and love from the confines of his Planet Fire to conquer drabness. Adding fuel to fire up the colourlessness of our lives.

Words by Miguel Moore, journalist and writer

Freestyle Spray Painting

admin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:43:45 +0000

Many people ask me if I’m a writer or a graffiti artist. I always say “nop”, and that’s the true. I use spray cans to add color to my works, when I do them in a big scale (then I always complete them with markers or brushes). But not here, oh no! no! right here it was all spray wild-style, no project, “let’s waste some cans” style. Know what? i liked it

Fuel TV, done!

admin — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:58:02 +0000

After 2 days hard working on the walls and card box installation at the Fuel.TV soon-to-be party spot, time for a group photo! Big love guys!

My friends Baby Room

admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:51:38 +0000

A gift for my friends and their baby. A room wall filled with funny friends. (Spray paint and markers).

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