By Brian Beavers
www.projectgalvanize.com
BombingScience: How do you sketch up an initial piece before putting it in paint? Tell me about your creative process.
Swear: I don’t sketch much at the moment, most of my work is freestyled right on the spot and then it all depends on whom I paint with and how I’m feeling.
BombingScience: Where are you from?
Swear: CALI; the central valley to be exact. A place full of fields and freights! GTL “going thru life” and ANT “all nation team”
BombingScience: What’s the graffiti and street art scene like there?
Swear: The scene here is not big at all. There are only a few local graffiti artists that claim to be doing shit but no one really is; I guess it’s time for me to step up to the plate, right? Who knows what I’ll bring to the table!
BombingScience: Does anyone important in your life know what you like to do?
What are their thoughts on it?
Swear: The most important ones: my wife and daughter, they know what I do. I get pure support even when it takes time away from them. All they want is for me to be happy so I can make them happy.
BombingScience: Who or what is your biggest source of inspiration?
Swear: I have to say myself because I didn’t grow up around graffiti or artists in general. Also my whole lifestyle is just crazy; if you only knew what I go through day-in, day-out. I am a real self motivated human; when I want to do something, I do it. RAOS tells me that I can be a little hard-headed sometimes!
BombingScience: Are there any major people or pieces that got you into this scene initially?
Swear: I’ll blame my high school art teacher, Mr. Perry. I can still remember in 2004, I was in his class working on a project and I started making a unique font. From there I started tagging the streets and bombing freeways until I met my big homie KNISTT in 2007 then I joined GTL. And finally in 2009, RAOS and I started ANT.
BombingScience: As artists and creatives, we can often get “writer’s block” and get hung up on a new piece. What helps you shake off the cobwebs to get back to work?
Swear: I have this bad habit of getting comfortable with my work from time-to-time. It took me a few years to figure it out, but these days I try to have the idea down before I execute the piece. It’s always something different, whether the colors or letters change or in my approach to painting.
BombingScience: Which do you like more: freight or static, and why?
Swear: I’m 100 % freights for a few reasons: I live in a city that’s in between LA and SF. There is no city scene here, just a bunch of toys! I am in love with the idea of knowing that you can paint a train tonight and never see it again, but that people in other cities will is awesome. The freights travel to places I never will. Besides, trains stay up longer than city walls and you catch a lot more fame!
BombingScience: What are your weapons of mass creation?
Swear: When it comes to getting up, the two things I like to do most are I catch a tag on every freight that’s in the yard that night to maintain my presence on the lines. Second, I like doing a lot of throw ups just because they’re so easy and fast to do. I did a lot of that in 2008 before I got into doing pieces.
BombingScience: Any sage advice you could give the readers out there?
Swear: Just to keep it real on the steel and never let the old school generations put you down. Also to my generation and future generations, please do your homework before you step into a train yard. People like myself only hope that the scene will change for the better!
BombingScience: Do you ever team up with other artists? If so, what’s that process like for you and the others?
Swear: I can honestly say I’ve only had one partner. It’s not all about graffiti for me. I trust my boy with my life. I’ve known him before he even painted, so when we teamed up in 2008, we got up and became well-known through freights. It’s always a challenge to scheme on some colors or take on a certain concept or font. It’s also a challenge to share real criticism when it comes to telling your partner what you think about their work. I can tell you this: my boy RAOS knows damn well I’ll let him know when I think something is weak or toy. That’s a real partner and more importantly a sign of respect, because I will never let my boy roll out dirty!
