Wet One - Graffiti Artist Interview

November 2008

Interview with Boston based graffiti artist Wet One, who paints with many crews including EDA Crew, Run Crew, TRA Crew and old school Boston collective the Fat Crew.

How old are you?

28 I think… yeah 28.

Where are you based?

East Coast Boston, USA.

How long have you been painting / writing?

I've been writing off and on since 1992.

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

I was always into art growing up and I would see graff around where I grew up. There was some really dope stuff at that time from this dude from around the way who wrote "Faze One" and he was my first real influence to start writing. Soon after I found out it was also a kid I looked up to skateboarding, so it was extra cool.

How would you describe your style?

This is always a hard question for me to answer… I think of it as traditional "hip-hop" style but my letters are bending in space so it more of a "distorted hip-hop" I guess.

Do you write under any other names?

Yes I do but they are top secret.

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

EDA Crew is my main crew and a lot of those dudes are like family. I also push:

• RUN Crew (RUNoticing)
• TRA Crew (The Rebel Alliance)
• 5.10
• FAT Crew (Fuck All Toys) - an old school Boston crew

Has you graffiti ever been used in any commercial work?

I've done a lot of stuff for RedBull in the past.

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

It's a "catch 22" situation… I think it's great to see graffiti art in galleries and what not, but that's not graffiti, the whole idea goes against what graffiti stands for. That's why it's a double-edged sword. It's cool though.

There seems to have been a sudden surge of interest in graffiti and street art recently, why do you think this is?

Plan and simple, graffiti is the biggest art movement of all time and the masses are now realizing and trying to profit from it.

graffiti is the biggest art movement of all time and the masses are now realizing and trying to profit from it.

Wet One

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

Normally I would say illegal, but I have a kid now so it's not just my neck on the line you know? I obviously still paint illegal spots but the chiller the better.

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

Too many times man, I got some bad luck! About 5 or 6 times now I think. I had a bad habit of bombing with drunk people back in the day… ha ha!

The idea behind graffiti artists "getting up" and putting their mark everywhere is an interesting one, I wanted to ask you if infamy within the scene was a frustrating thing sometimes because often there is a need to keep your identity secret due to the illegal aspect? At what point did you feel you were able to stand up and say "I did that"?

That's a good question because I am a artist and a graffiti artist. I want to be like "yo, check out this painting and check out the wall behind us too"… you know? But I can't and it does suck… but whatever.

Do you still try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

No doubt!

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

An artist… because a graffiti writer is a artist but not all artists are graff writers… you know?

Which other artists work do you admire?

• Jon Foster
• Simon Bisley
• Egon Schiele
• Ashley Wood
• Mucha
• The dudes in my crew

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

Damn, I don't know.

• Mode2
• Serval
• Revok
• Virus
• Maclaim
• ATT
• MSK

There are a lot people out there I respect.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Spray paint is preferred but I get busy with pens and markers too. I would like to say oil paint or something like that but I'll leave that Beond and Syte.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

I do actually. I rocked a piece for a graffiti jam in Upstate New York that came out real dope but the character next to it wasn't up to par… but whatever.

What kind of music are you into?

Damn man, everything… I'll go from Yak Balls to In Flames, from Roy Ayers to Johnny Cash… you know? I really like Siah and Yeshua The Poed a lot. I listen to mostly metal lately though.

What is the last album you bought?

"Redeemer" - Norma Jean

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

Right now I've been sketching a lot and working on graphics for a skateboard company I'm starting with a couple of my homeboys so hopefully that takes off.

Anything else you would like to add?

What's up Beond, Syte, Above, Aker, Eazy 83 and the rest of peoples… EDA Crew. My wife and son. James… what up! RIP Child and Teaze. Thanks man.

For more of Wet One's graffiti please visit:

Wet One - Photobucket page