Meet David Fratu also known as (ILL.DES)

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Fratu.

David, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I developed a passion for art fairly early on. Seeing my older brother and sister create inspired me to learn to build similar skills. I would pick up every drawing book from the library, and practice recreating each image. Once I got good enough, I started picking up any book that had images and recreating them as well. As I got older, I started taking more drawing classes in school. These classes quickly became my favorite part of being in school. I got picked on a lot growing up, so art was always a world that I could get lost in. After high school, I planned to pursue a degree in graphic design and illustration, but life decided it had other plans for me. I dropped out of college after nearly two years and started a job as a computer engineer. I had stopped making art for about three years before picking up a brush again. I decided from that point on, I was going to take art more seriously and see just how far I could take it. Four years later, in the fall of 2017, I quit my job as I went to travel in Europe. I took this opportunity as a leap of faith to finally make the plunge into creating art full time. I know a lot of people ask this question about taking this step and trust me, it’s definitely scary, but I have zero regrets. I will never forget how it felt to pay a month of bills completely with earnings from my art for the first time. Fast forward to today, I’m further in my career than I ever would have imagined when I first set off on this path. I’m running a successful business and traveling the world painting murals.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been as smooth as any road in Denver. All jokes aside, pursuing a career as a full-time artist is not easy, and it never will be. There are countless sleepless nights and hard work that goes into making it as a successful artist. Creating your own path no matter what you do in life requires patience, hard work, determination and passion. In the beginning, there were several times that I wanted to quit. I still have those days today, but I push through them because at the end of the day following my dreams is more fulfilling than anything else in the world. I wouldn’t say that I’m naturally gifted in creating art, but I can say that I’ve put in more time into becoming a better artist than I’ve put into anything else in my life. There’s a lot that you have to learn at first besides knowing how to make art. For example, running a business, social media, knowing your audience, galleries, pricing, marketing, and advertising. These are all things that I’m still developing today. One of the most important things is always being open to learn new things. Once you think you know everything, you might as well quit. Also, learning to accept failure and rejection is a big part of being an artist. I’ve been rejected from many galleries and opportunities along the way.

There was a mural festival back home that I wanted to be a part of when I was just getting started painting walls. I applied year after year, hoping to make the cut. I remember thinking I’d never make it, but on my fifth attempt, I was finally accepted and was able to paint one of my favorite walls to date. The moral here is just when you want to quit, try one more time!

Please tell us about your art.
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and muralist known as ILL.DES. I specialize in painting abstract geometric art based on the idea of finding a balance between chaos and order. I do this by my use of color gradations and intricate patterns. I’m most known for painting large scale murals around the world. I find that I’m most proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish as an artist in the time that I’ve been doing this. I’ve been able to take my art nationally and internationally and paint in six different countries around the globe. I think that my style and my compositions set me apart from others because they explore balance through a complex, dynamic lens.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think if I had to start over, I probably would have learned to spray paint a lot sooner than I did. It can be an expensive art form, but learning a new medium has taught me to restructure my process in a whole new way. I think that every mistake and failure that I had along the way has helped me grow in some way and brought me to where I am now. The only thing I would have changed would maybe be to have gotten a bit more organized and taken a few more risks on opportunities that intimidated me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.illdes.com
• Email: illdesart@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/illdes
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/illdes

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