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Rob React : About

graffiti art in a private collection, New York

Q: I've heard that back in the day you were kind of surly. Are you still surly?

A: I used to eat surly for breakfast lunch and dinner. Nowadays, I might just have a side of surly with breakfast once or twice a week. I'm embarrassed to say I'm more often than not described as a nice guy.

Oh how the mighty have fallen...

graffiti art in a private collection, New York

Q: When did you start writing?

A: 475 years ago. Give or take a century.

At least it seems that way- especially when one of those young whipper snappers out there on the Internets calls me something like "pops."

Real answer. 1985. REACT since 1987.

That's downright scary.

Not Ringu scary, but scary nonetheless.

Q: Crews?

A: How about the two that matter: IMOK & BSB.

Q: Name the first four artists that come into mind.

A: Jack Kirby. Donald "Dondi" White. Vaughn Bode. Vulcan.

Q: Why those four?

A: That was some free association action, wasn't it? I didn't know there'd be a quiz...

Okay, I'll bite.

Kirby is the King. I'm glad I could clear that up. I'm always thinking about Kirby.

Dondi? His inclusion should got without saying, right? There's like five million dudes living off of his work to this day.

Vaughn Bode? I keep coming back to his art. Year after year I find myself pulling out the Cheech Wizard or Deadbone volumes and just geeking out his style...

Vulcan? I was just looking at Spraycan art and was reminded how blown away I was by his stuff back when I first saw that book. His pieces from the 80s still blow my mind.

Ask me tomorrow and I'd probably come up with a different four. Well, except for maybe Jack Kirby.

graffiti art characters in a private collection, Boston

Q: What about your art?

A: What about it?

Q: Got anything to say about it?

A: I hope that it doesn't suck?

Q: Is that really all you've got to say?

A: Yeah. Honestly, with the work I've been doing recently I've been trying to create reasonably accessible images, so if I need to explain what it is I'm all about I'm screwing up in a big way.

I'm also not sure I could even explain the thought process behind these paintings anyway as they're basically just one big internal mash-up. I'd start rambling about Russian poster art or 60s Psychadelia and then everyone's eyes would start to glaze over. We don't want that.

Can I got back to being an idiot now?

Q: Sure. Been in any shows?

Yes. These:

Q: What's up with all the paintings on this page?

A: These are some style paintings that I've done that are in people's collections here and there. Right now there's no other place for images like these so I stuck them in here...

Very exciting.

graffiti art in a private collection, New York

© Rob Larsen. Terms