THE FADER. Number 4. Summer 2000

Eric Strenger Interview.
Summer 2000

You listed teaching as an occupation. What do you teach?
A couple years ago I used to work with the probation department and taught airbrushing to ex-graffiti writers who were on probation. We did festivals where we would go out and airbrush t-shirts and make some money. Off and on, I'll offer art classes. Currently I'm teaching a 12-week class over at Chino Men's Prison.

What's your arsenal?
Mostly acrylic, sometimes I'll use found objects. I'm working on this piece right now that incorporates weed leaves. I'm painting on different textures right now, experimenting.

Why hip-hop?
On one hand, the music has inspired me and on the other, I just wanted to see more visual art represented in hip hop. There's a lot of photography, but I wanted to see more painting and pieces.

What music do you work to?
Whomever I'm painting, that's usually who I'm listening to. I's really inspiring, for example when I'm painting Busta Rhymes, I'm listening to his music. When I'm painting Wu Tang Clan, I'm listening to Wu Tang Clan. I get in this zone.

Did you do the Violator album cover?
The cover for Violator? Ha! No, that wasn't me. Everyone thinks that was me. I do have a similiar painting of Busta Rhymes, but when I saw that cover I was trippin' cause I didn't see it until after I painted my version of Busta. Then I seen his shit and I was like, whoa! He must have use the same photo as reference. But it's all good, now he pushed me to be that much better.

What's the wildest concept that you ever got to execute?
Hard to say, I'd say that what I am most proud of is the calendar of my work. I spent like two to three months locked in my room just painting. In the end I had about 25 paintings. The 12 in the calender were just the final cut.

What artists inspire you?
My old friends from San Francisco, graff writers, caracature artists, illustrators and fine artists.

At what point did you realize this is what you were going to do with your life?
Ever since elementary school I would have parent-teacher meetings because I was supposed to hand in homework sentences, instead I was handing in all my drawings. I may still even have a few.