Name: 2Flash
Crew: RTR & CI
City/Country: Auckland, New Zealand & Melbourne, Australia
When did you start writing? 1998

What’s graffiti for you?
Graffiti to me is an outlet to escape the pressures of day to day life. Something I can do alone or with friends.

Influences?
My influences have always been traditional N.Y. letter styles, along with my crew mates.

Tell us about your city, how is life and graffiti there?
Right now Melbourne is where I’m at. It’s a great city to live in for both lifestyle and painting. Always opportunities to hang out and paint new spots. Auckland is where I’m from and visit regularly. It was great growing up there with a healthy scene. After it suffered a major all city buff during the rugby world cup, the street scene really died off apart from a few major players. In recent trips back there it seems to be bouncing back. Lots of people doing great things.

What keeps you still writing?
I think what keeps me writing is the fact that I don’t feel like I’ve really achieved all that much. Still a lot of goals I’d like to reach.

What first made you interested in graffiti and how did you end up on that track?
It was just something that I saw around and wondered how it was done. I knew some older kids doing it and followed in their footsteps.

What trends are you seeing now in the graffiti world that you don’t like?
There’s definitely things I don’t like in graffiti. One of them is how a lot of people seem to be revealing their faces like it’s nothing. Each to their own though I guess.

What do you do when you’re not painting?
There are lots of things I like to do outside of painting… Most of them I’m pretty shit at so I won’t go into it.

How would you describe your style?
A 19 year struggle. In my head it’s classic graffiti but looking back, there’s been a whole lot of toy pieces. Persistence is key.

Can you remember the first piece you did?
There’s a few but I’m not sure which was first. All done with shitty watery paint.

Future plans?
Nothing set in stone right now. Travel is always something I dream of.

Do you adapt your pieces and tags to the spot/surface?
Yes definitely. I rarely even sketch so majority of my work is planned on the spot. All apart from colours. I always plan the scheme.

What do you think about the new generation of writers in your city?
There’s always new kids going all out in Melbourne. It’s great.

What writers have inspired you?
Too many to name.

Can you ever feel tired of graffiti?
I’ll take a break to focus on other aspects of life and work every now and then.

What do you hope people will think and feel when they see your stuff?
Inspiration to get out and paint.

FIVE FAVORITES
Spray Paint: Loop
City: Melbourne
Markers/pens: Mops
Surface: Virgin
Cap: Which ever will get the job done

Instagram: @1ndecentexposure

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Name: Stray
Crew: RTR
City/Country: Auckland, New Zealand

When did you start writing? I messed around tagging with my buddies in my school years, then pieces came early 2000’s.

What’s graffiti for you? Manipulated letters applied to a surface of your choice

Influences? Anything and everything can be influential – from vintage cartoons to a label on a bottle of beer

Tell us about your city, how is life and graffiti there? Auckland is home, It’s a fast growing city. The scene is not what it was five or six years ago. Almost everything got buffed and the council stayed on top of it. It was sad to see history get wiped out. Things are ticking along nicely now, people still stay busy and we have a good community here.

What keeps you still writing? Graffiti provides an escape from the grind of the boring/stressful everyday life. Painting graffiti takes you to places you would usually never go to and puts you in unique situations. No matter what the situation – I find it relaxing.

What first made you interested in graffiti and how did you end up on that track? For as long as I can remember I was totally intrigued with graffiti. I guess it all started seeing my friends’ get up. There were a couple of dudes at my school Ryvs and Romes when we were about 10 or 11 who were actually pretty up considering their age. Seeing regular new stuff in my area from the likes of Agent, Addict and Phat One helped. About the same time we had a group of older dudes come and paint some walls at our school as part of a youth program or something along those lines. It’s a bit faded but if memory serves me correctly Merk was involved and maybe Some of THC’s, a couple of years on and most of my buddies had tag names.

What trends are you seeing now in the graffiti world that you don’t like? I don’t necessarily dislike anything, it’s easy to see when things are forced and you can tell when people stick to their natural progression.

What do you do when you’re not painting? I tattoo for a living and hang with my lovely lady.

Is it important that people see your stuff and you get recognition? Graffiti is all about getting people to see it, so yes I like my stuff to be seen. The recognition is nice I guess but it’s not the reason behind my painting.

How would you describe your style? I like to try keep things traditional yet a little loose at the same time. Also I try too strip things back and have nothing unnecessary ….although I get carried away at times.

Can you remember the first piece you did? Yes. I painted hunched over in a tiny tunnel some of it may still be there. I remember having to paint almost entirely with my thumb because my index finger would cramp up.

Future plans? Keep on keeping on and represent to the fullest.

Instagram: @strayim
Tumblr: rtrcrew.tumblr.com

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