James (QinkArt LTD) FRESH PAINT

Q1:What do you write , how long have you been writing for (year started), and why did you get involved in it ?A. Sorry i don't speak on that, but my name is James, and i've been running OinkArtLtd.com , Oink Ink, Fresh Paint since i founded the company in 2006.

Q2:How did you get your name? A. to relate this to OAL, why did we start the company? we had love for the scene but supplies were super expensive, shipping was expensive and took forever. so we decided we could make a positive impact with better pricing, better service, cheaper and faster shipping

Q3: Who were your biggest influences and why? A . my favorite historical writers would include…. JA (NYC), Sekto (Dallas), WWL (SF), and others.

Q4: Whats your Favorite type of graffiti? A. ILLEGAL. street bombing and transit graffiti without question

Q5: Do you consider graffiti Hip Hop? and if not where did you pick it up from and what group do you think it falls in? A. yes absolutely. i also accept that graffiti is beyond just being a part of hip hop, if anyone ever thought it was. Of my friends who are writers, more are straight edge and listen to hardcore music than hip hop. that wasn't true in 2006

Q6: Whats your favorite type of music? A. for me, drug dealing rap music. haha sorry just who i am

Q7: Whats the difference to you between Graffiti and Gang graffiti to you?. A. i think, complexity, letter structure, spots. Gang graffiti is usually done with no practice, no interest in improving the work. Graffiti on the other hand is evolving constantly, even for those not trying to be piecers, be it in the cleanliness of their throw up, etc.

Q8: Fruity pebbles or coco pebbles? A. fruity pebbles for sure. coco pebbles jam also though

Q9: Are you in your prime as of right now? and if not when do you think your prime was? A. i think i'm evolving and growing as a business owner, worker and writer. i think i'm still doing well, staying active, my most active period was in past, but questionably the stuff i'm doing now is more important. so I'm satisfied

Q10: Whats your favorite city that you have painted and why is it your favorite? A. dallas will always have a special place in my heart, the majority of work i've done was there. SF is sick. i've enjoyed a number of cities i've painted in, and sometimes the most difficult ones make for the best memories. i do my best to paint in any big city i travel to, and have enjoyed them all

Q11: What do you think of people getting jail time for graffiti ? A. i think it's part of the illegal graffiti game. i do think that felonies for graff are out of control, especially if leading to sentences in excess of 1 year incarceration.

Q12: Do you still drink 40’s and if so whats your favorite brand to drink? A. haha i don't drink alcohol but i'm not anti booze. if i were to drink a 40, it would be OE or cobra haha

Q13: How do you feel about the graffiti trend and as well as being used for everything now a days (clothing,lunch boxes , hats , etc…..) A. it's good and bad, one good part would be that that commercial use of it is shifting towards street art more than traditional letter based graffiti, so that's encouraging. i think it's weak in most cases, although the opportunities it's created for some respectable writers is cool

Q14: Do you have a chase story that people would like to hear one that you almost shit your self during? A. the first time i was arrested for graffiti was in the bahamas. it was a pretty wild experience. in the area i was staying, it was basically the nice hotel for all the foreigners and if you crossed this big bridge you got into the local area where the locals lived, ate, worked. so i was doing street side fill ins in the locals area and having a blast, all went well. after 2 successful nights of this, the end of second night i got too comfortable and walking back over the bridge to where the foreigners hang out i was rallying tags down the wall. a random van stopped and the lady literally stopped on the very busy street (cars going 40+ mph) and started asking me why i was writing on the wall. i said it's not your business and ignored her and kept going. she said she was a taxi driver (although it was not a marked car at all) and was going to get the police. whatever i replied, and basically kept going. as she peeled off i put the cans up and kept walking. it was a long walk back to the foreigner side and after a while, here comes the van again. i tried to ignore it. like before, the van pulls up, stops in traffic, but this time two guys jump out wearing mens' club jackets, no police uniforms, riding in the civilians' car. they start yelling at me "why you write on the wall? why you write on the wall?" i denied it and the guy said "i'll give you one chance to tell the truth". a local had told me before, it was a "Christian country and if caught, tell the truth". i assumed these were civilians so i kept lying. they then told me they were police and grabbed me and pulled me over the railing and into the van. at that point i'm not sure if i'm getting kidnapped or what and demand to see ID, they show me some, and i said why are ya'll wearing jackets? they said "because it's so cold" - it was like in the mid 80's, which i guess is cold there. anyway, they took me to one of the most decrepit jails on the western hemisphere. i made bail. at court it was literally like a two story old run down house with roaches coming out of the floor paneling and shit. before i was up, a man was in there with his son and tells the judge, "he won't quit smoking crack, he needs to go to jail". the judge said "does he have any pending charges?" the father said "no". the son was a grown man, not some young kid. the judge said "what do you want me to do?" the father said "put him in jail". "ok, 60 days remanded to custody" the judge replied and they took him off. i was thinking what the fuck is going on, what kind of fucking place am i in. then they got me up there, i told the truth, plead guilty, they said $800 fine or do 8 months in jail. i said cool paid the 800, left the country the next day and 100% intend on never going back haha

Q15: Any last Shout outs? A. shout out to everyone out doing it! keep rocking. the scene only survives because of your hard work. continue to stand up for what you believe in. shout out to Gusalen WKT for the opportunity.