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Hollars and Dollars Presents: An Interview with The Kid Belo

by Crème Fresh on May 31, 2010

Here is an interview with TKB; The Kid Belo. I know many of you know him, or at least heard of him cause he’s done so much great work and plays a big part in the art scene all over. He is such a dope artist and a dope guy.
Read on as Mista Kay Himself catches up with the man himself.

When did you start painting?

I started painting in 1998, April 22 to be exact. It was at the beginning of the year in the spring time that my friend Shortop took me out to rock under a bridge.

Who did you look up to when you first started painting?

When I first started painting I looked up to the guys in my city. I was a late bloomer and lived on the outskirts of the city, missing a lot of what writers get up to when they are young. I was busy rhymin’ and causin’ trouble and liking girls before the can ever hit my hand. I guess the guys I really looked up to were Dabs, Plas and Qwit, back then.

What was the most memorable work/collaboration you had the chance to work on?

The most memorable work graffiti related was in the summer of 2008 with Tobin out in Kelowna. I believe I painted like 7 pieces in 7 days or something like that and just hung out and got loose. It was dope because I just painted. I didn’t think about a thing except paint on a wall. I rocked so many different letter structures that summer. Next to that was the collabo’s with Tim Okamura in 2007 with our first show, Brooklyn Mythology. We’ve been rockin’ together ever since.

Your opinion on the city’s art scene. Has the scene changed in Calgary since you started?

Am I allowed an opinion? Shit, well, the art scene I have heard is alive and well but if you ask me, from a perspective of a colorful person, this city sure does look drab and the conservative aspect makes the public art so damn mild, man. As for graffiti, well, except for the old guys who have put in more than a decade, very few paint like its 2010. Most kids have sloppy, old-lookin’ tags and it’s just gone to shit. You can be up here cause the only thing you’re trying to beat here isn’t style, but the buff. Plus, you have all these kids growing up on the internet and that makes for less committed time, more exposure and overall style biting from all over the planet. It’s a shitty situation we are in at times.

Its easy for people to see just the glamorous side of things…what are some of the hardships you have faced in your career as an artist?

Glamor? I guess, huh? That makes me laugh because at first it seems glamorous with all these new faces, ladies, opportunities and parties you go to. After a while, you see it as a distraction to keep you from moving ahead. I think the hardship in it all is making it, persevering through the droughts and continuing what you love to do while you are always in the midst of change, critique and competition. Shit, that’s hard enough bro! I love what I do and what I’ve been through, all of it! It’s made me who I am and there is a lot of glamor involved and it ain’t all bad! It’s sometimes real good! HA!

No matter what route you take, your always gonna have haters. Stay in the street scene too long and people say “it’s already been done.” Leave the scene and people say “you ain’t underground no more” or “you ain’t keep’n it real.” What’s a good way to balance your path as an artist?

If someone uses the word “KEEPIN’ IT REAL”, they’ve already kept it wrong! That has got to be the worst term out there. I know what you’re saying with it all and it stands true. People are individuals with individual opinions and thought and the most hardened little minds that are so hardcore into graffiti will bark and bark until they are old enough to see what things really look like. Balance comes with maturity and time, as in all things. Emotions run strong in all, and in me, still. I think it’s best to make art, create things and balance by taking inspiration form your environment, heart, mind and surroundings and not so much other writers (artists) all the time. Make good art. Make art from who you are and then apply that art to what the standard is, and if it’s good enough, keep at it. Honestly man, this art world is a weird place to be in!

Innovation vs. Consistancy. In your opinion, is it better to be always about the new new or to consistently pump out good material?

Hmmm. Good question. Well, lots and lots of kids can pump out the new new and do it as good as the old old, nowadays! It’s unreal, just like in snowboarding with kids riding for 3 years winning heavy comps and all. Things have just sped up a lot. Consistency, I would say is key to any artist’s success and innovation, if it is pure or close to pure, comes out of consistency and commitment. There are very few I know that are innovative. Most have been in the game for a long, long time.

Your direction in 2010?

I want to start using less graffiti in my work on canvas, yet remain using heavy ideas of color and letters to bring about mood and feeling. There has been a lot of transition going on in my life and my work. Maybe I’ll find myself a nice lady one of these days, maybe I’ll get to seeing Europe or Asia and paint there or start actually getting active as a writer again?!?! I dunno the direction of this Kid yet, but I keep moving!

Last words?

Thank you.

Hollar your 5′s

First 5 things you do when you wake up?

1.Rub my eyes
2. Wake my iMac
3. Take a piss
4. Wash my hands
5. Grab some cereal and eat

Top 5 things you can’t live without

1. My heart
2. My family
3. My closest friends
4. My studio
5. My quiet time (space)

5 dope things about Calgary

Are you kidding me? Really? There are too many! This city is beautiful. Fit for an artist, well that’s another story, but I love it cause it’s home.

Top 5 places to chill/Eat in Calgary

1. Caffe Beano
2. Shikiji
3. Tubby Dog
4. Hifi
5. Habitat (again, a few more would suffice!)

5 things your thankful for

1. The gift and ability to paint
2. The gift and ability to speak
3. My parents, brothers and sister who support me
4. My massive support group and fan base!
5. And the fact I’m still breathing and able to enter your world somehow!!!

Thank you!

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