Steve Powers is blowing up. A Philadelphia native, in the early 90s Powers did enough graffiti to get a felony indictment against him. After pleading out, he moved his art from the city streets to inside a studio and is now one of the most celebrated graffiti-inflected artists in the world. He has shows all over the world. His latest work is a collection of paint on metal pieces in the book, First & Fifteenth.
Buy First & Fifteenth: Pop Art Short Stories
Daniel Robert Epstein: Whats going on today?
Steve Powers: Today I am painting a truck of all things.
DRE: Whos truck?
SP: A lady that runs a flea market on Broadway. Im putting a fresh coat of paint on it. I
DRE: Were all the pieces in the new book large paintings first?
SP: Yeah, they started out as paintings then I wanted to tell a story over a course of eight to 20 paintings.
DRE: Did you figure out the story first?
SP: I did. Most of the stories center around a character named Superfeen. Hes a lazy, drunken superhero thats going to save the day, but hes got to go see somebody first if you know what I mean.
DRE: Are you basically the superhero?
SP: Oh no. No chance. I couldnt compete. I know people that get close to him.
DRE: Is the order that the paintings are in the book how they were set up in the gallery?
SP: Yeah but they were set up in different ways. A few of the stories were created and installed in a couple different places. Theyre created and are meant to be signs that you see on the street. Theyre painted with the same paint and on the same material, aluminum. Theyre really meant to be outside until they get faded, a little bird shit on them or whatever. Some of them are just shown in galleries. I tried to make it as far from comics as possible. Its figurative. Its drawing people. Its a hybrid of a couple things but its not done in any traditional comic way. I used sign enamel on metal. Each panel is like 24 by 48. Some of them are 36 by 60.
DRE: Obviously youre a comic book fan too. Youve got Action Comics No. 1 in one of the paintings.
SP: Yeah but Im also lax with it too. I havent read comics in years. Its only in the course of doing this book that I snuck back and looked at things again.
DRE: Are any of the names in the book real people?
SP: No, theyre all fake. For years that I was writing graffiti-like names as graffiti. Ive accumulated names that resonate. The two names that are real, Mark and Earl, are from my brother named Mark and my fathers name is Earl.
DRE: Were any of the characters or images, ones that you used to put on the street?
SP: Only now am I getting them out on the street. Theyve been locked away in galleries.
DRE: Is it weird to be making money off this stuff or is this common for the best graffiti artists?
SP: Its not even part of the equation. Its kind of like the money comes or it doesnt. I try and do interesting projects and so far, so good. I get just enough money to keep it going and keep the dream alive. Im talking to you from a sixth floor tenement walk up that really needs to be cleaned.
DRE: What made you switch from the streets to a studio?
SP: I just was getting really tired of graffiti. Id been painting for 15 years at that point and I was past 30. Then the cops came. So not only was I starting to get bored but the criminal prosecution began to mount.
DRE: You ever bumped into any of the cops who used to mess with you?
SP: Just once.
DRE: What happened?
SP: They came in here and took five bags of so-called evidence out of here. They even went through my sock draw looking for evidence of crimes. But there was nothing in here. There wasnt even a roach in the ashtray. Then when it came time to arrest me, they had to decide to either go with the firecrackers that they found or the brass knuckles that I had on my wall. So they took the brass knuckles and charged me with possession of a weapon. Whatever.
DRE: Did you end up saying that the brass knuckles were a part of your artwork?
SP: Hell yeah. What was crazy about that was I got so much work as a result. This generated a lot of attention and brass knuckles were my work for the next year and a half. Every time I painted something I would stick in a pair of brass knuckles. It became a regular motif and it was pretty great.
DRE: How did you come upon the medium of enamel on metal?
SP: I was just looking outside thinking, Wow. Signs are really cool. It looks close to what Im trying to do. It was a natural and smooth transition from spray paint to that stuff.
DRE: How was it when you started getting a lot of attention for your work?
SP: It was back and forth. It was kind of cool but fame without money doesnt really do much for you. It doesnt get you free food. People arent really falling over themselves to do anything for you. Its the kind of thing where people point at you on the street. If I can use it to get other projects done, then great. When the attention started coming, I just tried to leverage it and get more projects going. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do with all the attention. It worked out pretty good.
DRE: The artwork feels very American. You have shows in Europe, what do they think of it?
SP: The vibe is between completely jaded and completely ravished. I think the Americaphilia that they had is kind of slacking since the war. Were going to have to wait and see. Hopefully theyll love it. Itll remind them of the better points of America, the bed of life, drugs, crime, street fighting, its all there. Were still great. Come see us. Were still wonderful.
DRE: Over what period of time did you create the paintings that are in the book?
SP: From 98 to February of this year.
DRE: Thats a long time, are you over this character and period?
SP: Yeah, Im fully over it.
DRE: What are working on now?
SP: Im working on paintings but theyre just a little weirder. Theyre a little more like spray paintings of the emotional sort. Taking it all the way back to the essence of graffiti so the way to spray paint is to paint it like a bunch of guys chasing a buffalo, you have to spear him. I paint men and women screwing each other over and the fucked up things they do to each other in the course of loving and seeing one other.
DRE: Are you using the same paint?
SP: Same paint. Same kind of format. Everything is really similar but just a little different.
DRE: What do you think of graffiti now?
SP: Its serving its purpose man. Its a great way to transition from being a teenager to an adult. Id recommend it for anybody who doesnt feel good about themselves.
DRE: Do you think its more dangerous out there for them?
SP: Yeah, I do. But so what, get out there and write on something.
DRE: What do you know about SuicideGirls?
SP: Oh dude. I married a SuicideGirl-like girl. She was punk rock, leather wearing girl that I feel in love with over the Internet. If I didnt have her I would be all over SuicideGirls.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Buy First & Fifteenth: Pop Art Short Stories
Daniel Robert Epstein: Whats going on today?
Steve Powers: Today I am painting a truck of all things.
DRE: Whos truck?
SP: A lady that runs a flea market on Broadway. Im putting a fresh coat of paint on it. I
DRE: Were all the pieces in the new book large paintings first?
SP: Yeah, they started out as paintings then I wanted to tell a story over a course of eight to 20 paintings.
DRE: Did you figure out the story first?
SP: I did. Most of the stories center around a character named Superfeen. Hes a lazy, drunken superhero thats going to save the day, but hes got to go see somebody first if you know what I mean.
DRE: Are you basically the superhero?
SP: Oh no. No chance. I couldnt compete. I know people that get close to him.
DRE: Is the order that the paintings are in the book how they were set up in the gallery?
SP: Yeah but they were set up in different ways. A few of the stories were created and installed in a couple different places. Theyre created and are meant to be signs that you see on the street. Theyre painted with the same paint and on the same material, aluminum. Theyre really meant to be outside until they get faded, a little bird shit on them or whatever. Some of them are just shown in galleries. I tried to make it as far from comics as possible. Its figurative. Its drawing people. Its a hybrid of a couple things but its not done in any traditional comic way. I used sign enamel on metal. Each panel is like 24 by 48. Some of them are 36 by 60.
DRE: Obviously youre a comic book fan too. Youve got Action Comics No. 1 in one of the paintings.
SP: Yeah but Im also lax with it too. I havent read comics in years. Its only in the course of doing this book that I snuck back and looked at things again.
DRE: Are any of the names in the book real people?
SP: No, theyre all fake. For years that I was writing graffiti-like names as graffiti. Ive accumulated names that resonate. The two names that are real, Mark and Earl, are from my brother named Mark and my fathers name is Earl.
DRE: Were any of the characters or images, ones that you used to put on the street?
SP: Only now am I getting them out on the street. Theyve been locked away in galleries.
DRE: Is it weird to be making money off this stuff or is this common for the best graffiti artists?
SP: Its not even part of the equation. Its kind of like the money comes or it doesnt. I try and do interesting projects and so far, so good. I get just enough money to keep it going and keep the dream alive. Im talking to you from a sixth floor tenement walk up that really needs to be cleaned.
DRE: What made you switch from the streets to a studio?
SP: I just was getting really tired of graffiti. Id been painting for 15 years at that point and I was past 30. Then the cops came. So not only was I starting to get bored but the criminal prosecution began to mount.
DRE: You ever bumped into any of the cops who used to mess with you?
SP: Just once.
DRE: What happened?
SP: They came in here and took five bags of so-called evidence out of here. They even went through my sock draw looking for evidence of crimes. But there was nothing in here. There wasnt even a roach in the ashtray. Then when it came time to arrest me, they had to decide to either go with the firecrackers that they found or the brass knuckles that I had on my wall. So they took the brass knuckles and charged me with possession of a weapon. Whatever.
DRE: Did you end up saying that the brass knuckles were a part of your artwork?
SP: Hell yeah. What was crazy about that was I got so much work as a result. This generated a lot of attention and brass knuckles were my work for the next year and a half. Every time I painted something I would stick in a pair of brass knuckles. It became a regular motif and it was pretty great.
DRE: How did you come upon the medium of enamel on metal?
SP: I was just looking outside thinking, Wow. Signs are really cool. It looks close to what Im trying to do. It was a natural and smooth transition from spray paint to that stuff.
DRE: How was it when you started getting a lot of attention for your work?
SP: It was back and forth. It was kind of cool but fame without money doesnt really do much for you. It doesnt get you free food. People arent really falling over themselves to do anything for you. Its the kind of thing where people point at you on the street. If I can use it to get other projects done, then great. When the attention started coming, I just tried to leverage it and get more projects going. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do with all the attention. It worked out pretty good.
DRE: The artwork feels very American. You have shows in Europe, what do they think of it?
SP: The vibe is between completely jaded and completely ravished. I think the Americaphilia that they had is kind of slacking since the war. Were going to have to wait and see. Hopefully theyll love it. Itll remind them of the better points of America, the bed of life, drugs, crime, street fighting, its all there. Were still great. Come see us. Were still wonderful.
DRE: Over what period of time did you create the paintings that are in the book?
SP: From 98 to February of this year.
DRE: Thats a long time, are you over this character and period?
SP: Yeah, Im fully over it.
DRE: What are working on now?
SP: Im working on paintings but theyre just a little weirder. Theyre a little more like spray paintings of the emotional sort. Taking it all the way back to the essence of graffiti so the way to spray paint is to paint it like a bunch of guys chasing a buffalo, you have to spear him. I paint men and women screwing each other over and the fucked up things they do to each other in the course of loving and seeing one other.
DRE: Are you using the same paint?
SP: Same paint. Same kind of format. Everything is really similar but just a little different.
DRE: What do you think of graffiti now?
SP: Its serving its purpose man. Its a great way to transition from being a teenager to an adult. Id recommend it for anybody who doesnt feel good about themselves.
DRE: Do you think its more dangerous out there for them?
SP: Yeah, I do. But so what, get out there and write on something.
DRE: What do you know about SuicideGirls?
SP: Oh dude. I married a SuicideGirl-like girl. She was punk rock, leather wearing girl that I feel in love with over the Internet. If I didnt have her I would be all over SuicideGirls.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
courtneyriot:
Steve Powers is blowing up. A Philadelphia native, in the early 90s Powers did enough graffiti to get a felony indictment against him. After pleading out, he moved his art from the city streets to inside a studio and is now one of the most celebrated graffiti-inflected artists in the world. He has...