1xRUN Thru Interview
dEYEvers Helmet by Peat “Eyez” Wollaeger
1xRUN: This new dEYEvers Helmet has been in the works for a few months, can you tell us a little about how the concept came together and the materials used?
Peat Wollaeger: Yes, for the last 1xrun, eye made this series of Eyeball business men made out of stenciled wood…but for five of them I cut those out of brushed aluminum and people went nuts over them.
So this time around I wanted to do the whole run on the aluminum surface…and to up the ante, I found this custom brushed red anodized aluminum that I special ordered from the inter-webs.I’ve had the metal for a few months and was trying to think of a good piece to paint on the aluminum. The vintage dEYEvers helmet was just begging to be sprayed on this metallic surface.
Each dEYEver Helmet was hand stenciled by me, using multiple layers to achieve to final piece.
1xRUN: How do you feel the transition from working with stencils on the street to wood cutouts and now metal?
Peat Wollaeger: Stencils on the street always look best to me, and when I was working for the man and had my bills paid it allowed me to do much un-commishioned work. 2 years ago after Art Basel I went full-time as an artist and ever since, I have been looking for ways to put food on table. Hence hustling paintings, doing 1xRUN’s, commissioned murals, and now the EYEZbrand clothing line. I do still love doing the random piece on the streets now and again, just don’t tell my wife I didn’t get paid for that one, haha!
1xRUN: Your summer has been pretty busy, bring us up to speed on your recent murals and pop up shops.
Peat Wollaeger: Eye did a ton of commissioned murals this summer…finally feeding my kids with these stenciled walls! Actually, I did a mural in exchange for a car last June ;) I also, have just launched a new clothing line based off of my EYEZ and Art. see EYEZbrand.com for more. I am doing sweatshop free t-shirts, pins, snapbacks, hand-stenciled hoodies and dresses. I also, just completed some really fresh sleeping masks to keep an eye on your things while you rest. Since I am starting to have a bunch of product, I have been dropping in on un-leased spaces and doing pop-ups to hustle the merch and art. I am also shopping out new retail outlets to carry EYEZbrand and possibly my own permanent pop shop.
1xRUN: 2013 is shaping up to be a another big year for muralists, how do you see the movement progressing both local and around the world?
Peat Wollaeger: I know its amazing! I am just so stoked at what is going on in Miami at the moment, I was actually one of the first group of artists to hit Wynwood during Basel back in 2007 when I did my tribute to Keith Haring for Primary Flight. There were only a handful of artists dropping murals and most of the folks were still hanging in South Beach for Art Basel. Back then the neighborhood was super sketch, almost like MJ’s Thiller Video come to life. Now, that neighborhood is the spot to be during Basel with hundreds of murals everywhere, and everyone and their mom painting new walls hourly. I think what is happening is when artists visit here in December, they go home inspired and want to push mural in their own hoods, it almost like a creative virus.
As we speak I am planning a massive mural project here in St. Louis, mostly drumming up funds and walls at the moment. Eye want to bring in some of the best artist to the STL to add some color to this town.
Keith Haring Tribute by Peat Wollaeger from Peat Wollaeger on Vimeo.
1xRUN: This is the 2nd 1xRUN release, what surprises do you have in the future for 1xRUN collectors?
Peat Wollaeger: Oh you will have to wait for that…eye’m not giving anything away until all these bad boys are sold out!