Rocket01 - Graffiti Artist Interview

September 2008

Interview with UK graffiti artist Rocket01, member of the Trans Pennine Nomads more commonly known as the TPN Crew.

How old are you?

I am 28.

Where are you based?

I am based on the edge of Sheffield in a small rural town in the countryside.

How long have you been painting / writing?

I have been drawing and painting all my life and have been tagging and doodling for many years but I class the start of my graffiti from the first piece I did which in around 1994.

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

I got into graffiti while sat in the classroom and tagging all over my school books, we would have little competitions to see who could rock the best outline before the end of the lesson. I wanted to go a step further than my class mates so one day I bought some paint, found a trackside wall and painted my first piece.

As well as this I remember catching the train with my mother to Sheffield when being very young and dashing past mad colours and twisted looking characters… graffiti seemed a bit weird and a bit scary to me at the time as I had never been close up to any graffiti, there was no graff where I lived.

Where did you do your first piece?

It was on a newly built local wall which was trackside and was totally clean of tags. With one train every hour I had nothing to worry about and even when the train did go past I wasn't that bothered because sometimes I even got a wave off the driver or occasionally a toot of his horn, either in support or disaproval!

How did you choose the name Rocket01?

The reasons for choosing Rocket01 are many because I used to write SWOB or SWAB which was a cool name but for me it sounded too slow and I couldnt do much with it on paper. I have always focused on piecing rather than any other form of graff because bombing wasnt really an option for me living in a small rural town, I would have been the only tag up and would have stood out too much. I wanted a name I could really work with, something I could add lots of flicks and arrows to, just a word with a lot more to play with and I also felt my name must in some way reflect the type of styles I was into.

Do you write under any other names?

Not really. Sometimes I might go and paint a motor way bridge or something and I will just pick a word at random and put that up, some of them include:

• DOG
• WOLF
• TOPCAT
• MEAT
• LOUT
• DYNAMO

Somtimes I might just paint a symbol or throw up character.

Do you write with any crews and if so which ones?

Yes, I write with the TPN Crew, founded by Pryme in Burnley. I have written with this crew now since around 2003 TPN stands for Trans Pennine Nomads and as a crew we are all based around the foothills of the Pennines in towns and cities. For those that dont know the 'Pennines' are a ridge of small mountains that run up the backbone of Northern England, we move in and around these hills painting our work in various places.

What are your feelings about the UK graffiti scene at present?

The UK graff scene is always getting better and there are lots of writers out there doing their thing. I look towards Europe for my inspiration and compared with this I think we're pretty weak! UK graff writers never really seem able to push themselves to that next level, don't get me wrong there has been and are writers doing this in the UK but compared with the rest of Europe I think we are behind a little. UK graff seemed to fall off a bit in the 90's where as European graff was really evolving which is probably why we are behind.

UK graff is a bit different, I think, to the rest of Europe in that it seems less tolerated and harder to get legal walls and as well as this the weather is a major factor in my opinion.

One of the best things in recent years for UK graff has been the boom in 'street art' - even though it's almost a different form of graff it's really boomed and in some ways more traditional graff styles like letters and characters are riding on the back of this and profiting in the form of a wider acceptance to graffiti, the possibility of more legal walls, more commisions, more folk buying canvas and so on!

Have you done many collaborations with artists overseas or travelled abroad for your art and if where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

I love meeting foreign writers, they always come at graff with a different angle that might throw your whole way of thinking about graffiti into a new light.

Rocket01

Yeah, I have travelled a few places:

• Poland
• Germany
• Belgium
• Australia
• Greece
• Bulgaria

I enjoyed them all but Bulgaria stands out the most though as I hope to live there in the future so have been trying to build up contacts and knowledge of their graff scene.

I love meeting foreign writers, they always come at graff with a different angle that might throw your whole way of thinking about graffiti into a new light. I love the open attitudes towards graff in Europe and the laid back friendly approach to things. For example you might get a EURO style guy rockin' a production with some 3D guy, this integration of graff styles happens less in the UK. There seems less boundries in Europe than what I am used to in the UK.

What I dont like about painting abroad is the fact I never really pull off that burner piece I had wished for due to the fact I am so used to having all my correct nozzles and perfect fading colours, it's hard and expensive to match your paint stash back home. Also painting 3D or realism means I need a very 'specific' set of painting materials, so when a Bulgarian thows a fat cap and two shades of colour at me then I suddenly feel stumped and like some spoilt picky westener!

Has graffiti become a full-time career for you now and if so was it a long journey to get to this stage?

Graffiti is a full-time 7 day a week thing for me. I do paint workshops 9am to 4pm, 4 days a week and the rest of the time is either spent sketching, painting canvas or piecing. I pretty much went straight into teaching workshops as soon as I had left college - kind of by accident and before I was ready really.

I painted a lot of murals while travelling in Australia in 2001 and this made me think I might well be able to make a career out of painting.

Many people have said to me that 'they wouldn't be able to have graffiti as a job' and I can understand that, but for me graff is always on my mind and I love painting. I would much rather make money for myself than for someone else and if it's doing something i enjoy thats even better. I would like to make more of a living through painting canvas and commision work someday though, rather than graffiti arts work shops.

Is there any one point in your career you would class as 'your big break'?

No not really, I wouldnt say I have had any but it would be nice to have some sort of recognition or something someday. Where I live I am pretty far away from any of the bigger graffiti scenes of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield and most of my work is rarely seen or found by writers or members of the public so the chances of exposure to any one who might offer me some sort of 'big break' are less likely. However I am in it for the long run and will always be painting graff whether or not I get any sort of recognition… I enjoy it too much.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

Errrm, don't know really - for years I have tried to learn 'photo realsim' and 3D lettering and I feel I have kind of done this now, so in my own private way I am kind of celebrating and trying out all sorts of exciting new ideas I have.

There is a very old rule in art that says 'before you can abstract with something, you must first learn to paint it as it stands before you' so now I have learned photo realism to a degree I am happy with I plan to try and go abstract with it - adding my own flare into it.

What are your thoughts on grafitti being just a likely to be found in a gallery as on the streets these days?

I think it's great. I spent a long time thinking about it and I came to the conclusion that graffiti is not some club you join where you must stick to specific rules, instead graffiti has its roots deep underground but its branches trail the sky. You can't box graffiti up and say it's this and only this, graffiti acts upon the artist and he in turn then uses it in any creative way he likes - if that writer wants to bomb a train or throw splats at a canvas then let him. We should just let graff go where it wants, the core of it will always remain!

…graffiti is not some club you join where you must stick to specific rules, instead graffiti has its roots deep underground but its branches trail the sky.

Rocket01

Have you had your work displayed in a galleries and if so is there any one exhibition that stands out from all the rest?

No, I have had less than a handfull of exhibitions and none of them stand out. There aren't too many galleries near me and I would jump at any opportunities to display my work so if anyone has some then please get in touch! (Contact Rocket01)

There seems to be a very fine line between those who view graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

Graffit is an art form, a form of art or however you want to put it… the concept is simple. Graffiti is a big word that covers many things. In todays art world 'tying your shoe lace' is an art form, so yeah… etching your name into a bus window with acid still counts as art to me!

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

I dont like to talk about graffiti as legal or illegal, where I live this line has always been very blurred. 90% of my graff is illegal if you talk to a member of the public, but ask another writer and he'll say it's legal. Where I live I have no legal walls and I would never be given permission for one so instead I paint derelect buildings or walls in the middle of nowhere because that's all I have. Most of the places I paint do involve a little commando style tactics to get into! Sure I could travel to the nearest legal wall but I wouldn't be able to spend a day or two painting it as it would just get ruined and would last less than a day.

I have grown to love spending all day alone in some abandoned building where I know I can work in peace. Often I will fill a factory with pieces, then move on and find somewhere else because I am bored with the place or the place has come to the end of it's life and is going to be knocked down… or I have been warned off or found out or something! You kind of get used to your environment and the places you grow up painting, they become home to you!

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art?

Yes, last year. I was painting a huge smooth concrete wall on an old abandoned rail track called the 'Trans Pennine Trail', I planned to fill it all, had aleady completed a two day piece on it and was starting another next to it along with my girlfriend "Faunagraphic" - who also paints. The spot was away from any houses and surrounded by trees but was a popular walk way for dog walkers, cyclists and horseriders. I have painted places like this before that were busy with walkers and stuff but you just have to get it done and make a good job of it, most of the time they like it. However this one time some stuck up woman on a horse rode past and she called the police on her moblie after she passed us, about 15 minutes later they came and arrested me and the missus.

We spent 8 hours in a cell while they took my keys and raided my house without me knowing. They investigated it for 3 months and after realising my tag hadn't caused any problems in the past I was let off with a 3 month caution and ordered to paint over my work, which I did, but left half the characters face and watered down the emulsion so it was real pissy and basically made it look a mess. They liked what I painted but said it wasn't the right place for it.

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

Yeah definatly, I like to let the artwork speak rather than the personality. People can sometimes form opinions or view your work differently once they have met or seen you, plus there is always some wannabe vigilante who will have you given the chance.

Do you see yourself as an artist or a graffiti writer?

Both!

Which other artists work do you admire?

I like lots of artist work and that changes all the time. In the past it was people like:

• Part 2
• Astek
• Eron
• Toast
• Daim
• Peeta

More recently:

• Maclaim
• Belin

At the moment I really love French 3D styles. I also admire the work of Boris Vallejo.

Which other graffiti artists would you most like to work with if given the chance?

I would like to paint with Peeta and One HP from Italy, the C3P Crew from France and XENZ!

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Molotow Premium and I like to use an "On The Run" ink pen.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Hmm, hard question. I like a lot of things I have painted, it's like trying to pick your favourite son or daughter. I tend not really to care too much about things I have painted in the past, I feel I always need to be moving forward and my newest stuff is always my most favorite but within a month or two it's old and I am into something different.

What kind of music are you into?

All sorts, I have a large variety of music in my collection and it's allways changing. At the moment it's reggae, dance hall and dub - it all depends what mood I am in.

What is the last album you bought?

"Father Of Dubb" - King Tubby, a three CD box set for a fiver… Bargain!

What are you working on currently and what plans do you have for the future?

I am currently working hard on getting new work on to canvas and trying to sell it and I am also renovating a house in Bulgaria with my girlfriend. I want to really push the canvas work as it would be nice to eventually make a living from it by selling work on the internet, should I ever move abroad.

I have other ideas as well but mostly to get some exhibitions, keep painting every week, working on characters, letters, canvas, practicing my styles and trying to move forward.

Anything else you would like to add?

Yeah… no matter what type or style of graff we paint shake the hand of the next man, understand and appreciete what he's doing and do your thing.

For further information about Rocket01 please visit:

www.rocket01.co.uk