1xRUN Thru Interview
Put It In The Ditch, Brah! by Persue
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, is the original still for sale?
Persue: This piece was created while I was in Chicago during a cross country trip with my good friends Rime MSK and Mason. The original was purchased when completed by Mason during our stop in Detroit. I have also produced 12 new originals that will be coming before the end of the year as well.
1xRUN: When was this piece created & with what materials?
Persue: This was hand painted with animation cell paint in March of 2013.
1xRun: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
Persue: This is my very first print release.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Persue: Before we left California for the East Coast Rime told me to put some ideas together for our stop in Detroit and at the 1xRun headquarters. He wanted to introduce me to the guys and help push getting me to release a print. Because things were hectic before leaving I wasn’t able to get anything together. By the time I got to Chicago I still didn’t have anything. Rime, Mason and I had been through a few cities by then and were pretty tired. The night before our stop in Chicago we were in Nebraska. Nebraska was fucking nasty as all hell. It is where we hit a patch of black ice and did 4 huge 360 spins down the highway with semi trucks barreling down the highway behind us. All I could get out of my mouth was “Put it in the ditch man”! That became the quote for the rest of the trip.
Fortunately for us Mason is from Canada and he is use to driving in that sort of weather. He got us out of it. Nebraska is also the place where we painted in a 6 degree snow storm. I painted a Wane piece for my friend in New York City. I nearly froze my finger off. I had a blister the size of a dime for the rest of the trip and we were only half way through it.
When we got to the Super Vision headquarters in Chicago where Pose MSK, Omens and KC Ortiz work out of we caught up over some good food and drinks. When we got back to the studio it was late. Everyone was getting ready to crash for the night. Rime leans over to me and says. “Dave. Our next stop is Detroit and you don’t have anything to show 1xRun.” That only meant one thing. I’ve got to paint something tonight. So while everyone went home and was tucked away in their beds I stayed up all night painting. The next morning Pose showed up to the studio and I was just wrapping it up. He couldn’t believe that I painting this in one session. Usually something like this would take a week or so to finish.
Later that morning we went to paint a wall. Everyone was rested but there I was after painting all night, after almost losing my finger and almost getting flatted on the icy Nebraskan highway we headed out to paint a wall. I was so fucking tired I was delirious. I painted this strange Persue piece that consisted of a gay sailor “E” with a gapping mouth smoking a cigarette. I was worked!
1xRun: How long did the piece take?
Persue: 7-8 hours straight…no break.
1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Persue: It tells the story of our travels up to our Chicago stop.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Persue: I don’t know. Because I am a pioneer of this sort of art?
1xRun: Describe this print in one gut reaction word.
Persue: Butts.
1xRun: When did you first start making art? What was your first piece?
Persue: When I was a kid. Professionally around 1991. I started writing graffiti in San Diego in 1988. My first piece? It was probably something Snoopy or Star Wars related.
1xRun: What artists inspired you early on? What artists inspire you now?
Persue: Early on it was Jim Henson, Schiele, Klimt, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Suess and Charles Schultz to name a few. As for now, all the above mentioned still inspire me, but there are almost too many to mention, but off the top of my head Bode, Nychos, COD crew, MSK, Transcend, the Seventh Letter, Kwest, Mike Giant, Dave Kinsey, Tris, Dabs n Myla, Revok, Rime, Wane, 9 Lives, TV, Sergio Hernandez, Miss Van, Shepard Fairy, Futura, Ghost…..and the list goes on and on…
1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what?
Persue: Yes, Music would be probably my biggest inspiration. It really depends on my mood…mostly these days it is between Little Dragon and Joy Division.
1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why? Any deceased artists?
Persue: Mark Bode. I want to do a sex scene that includes his characters and my Bunny Kitty characters. That would be fun. For the latter it would be Jim Henson because we both have vivid imaginations that involve bringing fantasy to life. If he was not available it would be my friend Tony Peng. He showed me a lot of techniques when I was a young artist. He also brought me all around San Diego to paint and meet other aspiring graffiti artist. Plus I never got to say goodbye.
1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it? The last?
Persue: The first was a Sergio Hernandez piece and yes I still have it. The last was a Fuzz one from New York City.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Persue: Website / Blog – SoundCloud – Instagram @persue1
-1xRUN