GETS or AQUIRE

August 18, 2020

What is your What is your name and where did it come from?/ what was the first names you wrote and why?

GETS. I took on the name GETS in 2004 after needing to replace an old alias due to heat building in the city.The E.T. and S. are all plucked from a prior name, that should answer all your questions haha

Who were your first influences?

The Burque OG's like, Casket, Dial, Jolt, Kema, Dzek, Bozo, Banks, Sug, Bael... Just to name a few

Have you studied Art in any way, or did you pick it all up in the streets?

I took art in highschool, but it was mainly a spot to kick it and draw. The homie Value H2 even used to come kick it and draw in art class too.. and he wasn't even in school at the time haha

I also took a couple classes in college, but never seriously pursued it. Definitely wouldn't say I've studied art.. More like I always doodled when I should of been studying

Have you travelled much for Graffiti? If so where have you been and where is your favorite place to spraycation?

Not nearly as much as I would like to. In my earlier years I did a lot of painting in El Paso, I always got love for all my El Paso brethren! NOLA was an experience, I look forward to going back. Also, LA is always a treat kicking it with all the homies out West

Does music play a role in your art? What’s in your headphones these days?

I almost always have a song or at least some lyrics or catch prase stuck in my head that I seem to chant until the next sound moves in haha human juke box style. Those trapped saying/sounds usually play a small roll in what I'm painting/doing/feeling...

I listen to everything from the Animals to Gucci mane.

Currently I’ve been bumping some older Rectangle joints! Sometimes you gotta take it back..

How important is the legibility of letters?

To me It's everything. Letters above all need to feel right. The weight, movement, balance and legibility is how you develop style. Your eyes know when something's done correctly... weather it can actually make sense or if it just appears to be "cool looking"

Being from a small city do you feel it is important to travel and get to bomb other cities ? what is your favorite spot to go to?

Yeah for sure. Although I think it’s important to paint your city regardless of size. Peace to Release! Portland was live, just about all forms of graffiti thrive out there... I'm pretty happy to travel and paint just about anywhere new tho

Are you a part of any art collectives, crews, or teams?

Heavy Hitters, Rebels Til Death, Etcetera

Boo Yah, Iron Giants

why do you think trains are so popular in 2020?

Instagram

What do you think you are best known for, and how would you describe your style?

Shit I don't know... Synonyms? haha. I love letters and I hate painting the same thing twice… maybe that shows in my work?

Do you get involved with any other kind of art besides graffiti?

I do some design/printing and mural work from time to time

What’s your favorite brand of spray paint to paint with and why?

"Rusto's a must yo!" Reliability. Although lately I’ve been really digging Loop paint

What are your favorite colors or are there colors you find yourself using often?

The homie Soaper swears I ALWAYS use apple green haha...

Blue fills with pink background seem to occur most often tho, the fall back scheme if you will..

What kind of nozzles do you tend to use?

Bostons on adapters

Any decent chase stories?

Too many… One of the craziest ones ended with Value and myself sleeping up in the support rafters under a barrack/bungalow. We hit a freeway spot and afterwards when we were approaching the whip we were hit with a spotlight, it was on! Fucker peeled out towards us and we break up a big ass hill. We must’ve hopped 20 fucken razor wired fences that night. Jakes swarmed in with the Calvary; chopper, dogs and all. We thought it was a wrap, luckily the spot we eventually chose to creep into while they were closing in had an older couple living inside with their own German Sheppard. As we watched from underneath hiding up in the building so the spotlights shining under wouldn’t see us, the man living inside goes out with his dog and talks to the cops explaining it’s just him, his wife and his dog inside. Shitting bricks we watched as they left the yard to continue the search in nearby properties… The funny thing about that whole story is if that overzealous cop would’ve waited just seconds longer we would’ve been sitting ducks in the car with all the evidence trying to drive away… haha

ACAB for life.

Favorite surface to put your paint on and why?

Metal: Rigs, freight or otherwise. For some reason no matter how old I get I always epitomize graff with painted metal surfaces.

If someone asked you why you write graffiti, what would your answer be?

It’s my therapy. Something I passionately chose to invest time and energy towards.

What motivates you to keep getting up day after day?

Family first and foremost and lots of coffee

What kind of project gets you most excited (i.e. Legal walls, crew productions, wholecars, freight bombing)

A well done end to end. Roller whole cars. Street bombing. I think it’s just that sense of accomplishment from pushing a little bit harder that just painting in general.

In an age of social media, with cameras everywhere, and police using technology to crack down on graffiti artists, how do you feel about the importance of protecting your personal identity?

It’s pretty important to limit what you put out into the digital world in general. People don’t realize while they’re keeping it real posting every damn thing they do they’ve built their own case against themselves. All people have to do is connect the dots… limit them dots.

Where do you think an artist should be able to paint in terms of street art or graffiti? What spaces are “off limits” to you?

I’ve always been baffled as to why they buff tunnels… no one who’s wandering through a tunnel should be surprised or offended to find graffiti, if so stay the fuck out haha. Churches are off limits. Respect those that have passed on.

Can you speak on the importance of letters and can control in an era of hipster graff and street art?

I trip out on the amount of people purposely making their shit look sloppy as a trend. More power to ‘em I guess. It’s not for me. I think when you truly appreciate letters there’s only so far you can push it before they lose their essence.

What do you think of instagram and what impact has it had on you as a graffiti artist?

It’s great to be able to follow the OG’s and see what they’re up to. I even like that it brings lots of dudes out of retirement seeing they still have fans or a place in the game or whatever. It just sucks that so many people think if you’re not posting you’re not painting and feel they most participate. At least personally it’s usually the opposite haha

Do you have any big projects we should be looking out for?

There’s always multiple projects going... prints coming soon! Stay tuned.

Do you have any of your art for sale?

Not currently, but I got a couple commissions underway.

where do you see your art or graff career going? are they the same or do you separate them?

I don’t see myself ever not painting. If too much time passes between sprays I tend to become irritable. There’s a career and there’s graffiti. I like not mixing the two.