1. What inspired you to get into street-art/graffiti?

“Thanks for the questions. By way of terminology, I have never referred to anything I’ve ever done as “street art”. I consider myself a “graffiti writer”. The youth-based Graffiti Movement in New York City began in earnest around 1970. By the time I was twelve years old, in 1973, the graffiti around the city had become very dense and it was very attractive and compelling to me. I didn’t know any graffiti writers, but I saw graffiti everywhere and I wanted to participate in something that I intuitively knew was being done by kids. At that point I was old enough to start the process of marking my first choice of names (“Witten” and “Frodo”) on anything I could get my little Magic Markers on. My development in the culture was slow. I didn’t paint my first subway train until 1977. By 1975 or 1976 I had located a hang-out spot in Central Park where many graffiti writers congregated, so once I started meeting other graffiti writers we could exchange information and create primitive mentor-protege relationships. in 1977 my newfound graffiti friends and I created our own graffiti crew called “RTW” —“Rolling Thunder Writers”.”

2. What do you base your artwork on?

“I don’t base my artwork on anything specifically, but as a graffiti writer I tried to employ the advertising model of Coca-Cola as a guide. The repetition of a standardized logo, presented in different formats and scale, but always familiar, legible and consistent seemed like the perfect model for my graffiti. As far as the stylistic aspect, all artists borrow from sources and piece things together to make it their own. Some of my favorite artists are the psychedelic poster artist Rick Griffin and the sixteenth century painter Albrecht Durer. One of my favorite NY graffiti artists is named Chain 3.”

3. How do you feel your artwork has contributed to the beauty of NYC? 

“I don’t feel it has. That would be egotistical and grandiose. I simply exploited a loophole in the system. I snuck into subway yards at night and painted on the subway cars, knowing they would transport my “logo” around the city. A form of artistic ego-gratification and personal expression. I enjoyed doing it, and still do, but I make no pretense that I’m improving anything, aesthetically. Beauty is subjective, so I leave judgment on the aesthetic merits of anything I’ve ever done to others.”