The POW! WOW! Hawaii x 1xRUN 2016 print suite is in full swing and we are excited to welcome back the one, the only OG Slick. The Hawaiian native now resides in Los Angeles, but always finds time to get back to Hawaii for the world’s premier mural throw down every February. We caught up with Slick to get the lowdown on the first three prints of his latest series “Biting The Hands That Feed U.” The series kicks off with Slick’s signature hands pulling back the curtain on a wall of graffiti with A Peeling, after that Slick takes queues from M.C. Escher with Hand To Hand before wrapping things up with his CMY Kutter. In the words of the infamous artist…”This series came about while brainstorming for my wall at POW! WOW! People recognize me for the iconic LA Hands, which we adopted as my brand Dissizit’s logo. Los Angeles is where we are based, but I want everyone to know that it’s even bigger than just LA. I have seen so many variations of the hands over the years and everybody claiming that they thought of it first. I thought it’s ’bout time to take ’em back. Own it.” Slick said of this latest series. Read on below as we catch up with Slick to discuss A Peeling (dropping 2/12) Hand To Hand (2/19) and CMY Kutter (2/26)…Each week there will also be limited quantities available of discounted 3 print sets for each edition, so be sure to snag yours while you can…
1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about this series, anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
OG Slick: Hands all up in your…
1x: Was this piece part of a recent theme, series or show that you had?
OG Slick: Cartoon hands have been in a lot of my work in past years. I thought it would be fun to remake the infamous “Drawing Hands” by Escher. The CMY Kutter came about because I always feel that I give it my all…”Wtf u want from me?!? Take it all!” Art and paint all up in these veins.
1x: What materials were used to create this piece?
OG Slick: Ink and paper for the most part. We decided to go with silk screen for this edition. I love the final result when things are screened. It’s an art in itself. Especially in this digital age, I don’t like the idea of screened lithos being lost.
1x: When was the piece originally drawn?
OG Slick: It’s hard to say exactly because the idea’s been brewing in my head for a good minute. It wasn’t till last month that I began bringing the concept with the help of 1xRun and Black Sunshine.
1x: Tell us a little bit about your process and how the idea and execution came about?
OG Slick: These were actually designed with triptych in mind, but each still strong enough to stand alone. I do all of my black line with ink, scan them in and color in Illustrator and Photoshop. I always want my art to have an organic hand feel so I never create entirely in the computer. The final 3 images changed during the design process a few times over. It all started with a cartoon hand painting a CMYK rainbow entitled “CMYGAY” ;) but slowly evolved into the 3 you see now.
1x: How long did this piece take from start to finish?
OG Slick: From concept to execution, maybe a month?
1x: Describe this piece with one gut reaction word.
OG Slick: “SLICK-AF”. Oh shit, is that 3?.
3 Print Set by Slick – Click To Purchase
1x: What are your expectation this year for POW!WOW! Hawaii?
OG Slick: Not too much to tell you the truth. It’s a week before the event and I still haven’t secured a wall. It seems harder and harder for artist with graffiti roots to get good walls. Not blaming Jasper, Kamea or Pow Wow by no means, but moreso these wall owners that want free murals and only want pretty pictures and colors. They most definitely want nothing to do with anything actually saying something through our art, or especially communicating it through graffiti type imagery. That was the beauty of graff in the first place tho. Thus lies the dilemma.
1x: Without giving away too much, what are your plans for your mural out in Honolulu?
OG Slick: MURDER WALLS.
1x: What’s your schedule like after POW!WOW! 2016? Any big shows or events coming up that you’d like to share?
OG Slick: I’m super excited about painting with Chaz Bojorquez, a real LA OG when I return from Pow Wow. Also around summer 2016, I’m doing an LA Hands show with Silentstage Gallery and unveiling some crack at this year’s Miami Basel.
1xRUN: Where else can people find you?
OG Slick: Instagram@OG_SLICK
-1xRUN