1 post tagged Omega

“I started painting in ‘86. 
I was a skater girl. Well, I still am, you won’t find me riding ramps and pools anymore, but you still might catch me skating Venice. 
Some of my skater friends were taggers and it caught the ‘mischevious’ and attention in me. Back then, my nickname was ‘Fire’. Even all my teachers called me that. So you could say I already had a ‘tag name’. 
My mom couldn’t quite jump on that one, but she thought it was cool though.
Then one day, I was cruising through Westwood on the bus, looking at all the college houses and then I saw an Omega sign and right then I knew that would be my name…That’s me.”

“Besides my lil’ stint of being my one girl crew I am UTI and will always and only be UTI! I am VERY old school on this. So I hope I don’t offend anybody but this is MY philo! I don’t preach it, I just live it.
I love my crew and I believe in having only one crew. I believe that scattering yourself all over the place just lowers a loyalty level. I am extremely loyal to my family and friends.”

“When the UTI’s asked me in the crew I was surprised. I appreciated that they saw my talent. (And I got in the crew on my art, NOT my ass!)
Skilly, Snap, Seltic, Master, Smurf, Ghost, Dash 2000 were some of the main guys then and of course, yes of course…. Pester.  I say that because he was the only one against me being in the crew strictly because I was a girl. 
The guys told me later, he was like ‘No girls in UTI’ and walked out. But he was outvoted and I ‘secretly’ began to rock harder to prove to that him that I was a true UTI. He made me push myself. I thank him for that and totally love him for it, but we laugh about it now.”

“Even when I was figuring out my tag style back in the day I was thinking ‘flow’ and ‘dynamics’, like the way a sick rif in a song moves you. 
I am a letter bender. I do characters too, but I see letters and they transform in my mind. Like a roller coaster, taking you all over the place, making you feel safe at times and then.. KAPOW! The big ups and downs.”

“I want to move and shock people with my art, make them think and try to figure out what the hell they are seeing.  And when they figure it out…it’s like an ‘ooooohhhh’ moment.”

“My name was EVERYWHERE in the valley. And before I knew better, I wrote over people. I didn’t tell anybody that I was Omega though. And then I’d be hanging out with my skater/tagger friends and they were going to town about this ‘Fucking Omega’ that was mobbing and tagging over them. It is so funny to me now, I had no idea it was such a huge diss! So I was like ‘Uh yeah, I heard Omega was this big super buff guy that doesn’t care who he kills or writes over!’
That was so funny. Especially when I finally told them it was me.”

Describe your most favorite bomb or piece that you’ve done. Why was it your favorite?
My all time favorite bomb was my piece with Skate CBS at the Sanborn yard because it is sentimental to me. We did a fish theme. I did letters, he did a chill fish. It was so fun painting with him. We were very good, dear friends.  I can honestly say that I loved him as my friend. He died very shortly after that. I miss him very much.

“My style is very definitive.  Again, I think ‘outside’ the box. 
I developed the ‘honeycomb’ style. It is very flattering to see other people do it. 
That came from the Ankh that I was very into for a minute. My pieces are vibrant, contrasting, they move and take you to a different place.  As far as being ‘girly’ or not, sometimes I use a heart for my ‘O’ or whatever, but that’s not simply because I’m a girl. My style is me.  You will always know an ‘OMEGA’ piece. And going back to the old school philo… THAT’S WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE!”

Who are your inspirations?
“Besides my amazing UTIsters. I love Mando’s work, Mear and Vyal. They definitely think outside the box and that’s what captures me.
Do something different and make it DOPE! 
Back in the day I loved AM7, he doesn’t go by it anymore, but KRENZ was and is still…SICK! I loved the way they’d to billboard takeovers! Banksy is also an artist I admire too for that reason.  Also, and sadly to say, the late and truly artistically great Dash 2000 UTI. I loved his work. Again, my dear friend. We’d come up with ALL kinds of crazy ideas for walls that lit up or moved when you walked by. But you still have to keep it graff and not commercial…..crazy ass Dash.  I miss him too. 
I also like female graff artist Asia.  She has a mad letter style. I like it!”

How do you feel as a female in a majorly male dominated culture?
“The fact is, us females have to do at least 10 SICK AS HELL pieces to get the same accolades and respect as a guy who does one. I used to always hear the guys behind me talking, ‘That’s dope for a girl…” But then it turned into, “That’s dope!’
That felt good.”

What are your views on graffiti art being displayed in galleries? Do you think this legitimizes graff, or commercializes it?
“I think you have to decide personally what you want to do with your art.  As kids we were all renegade. Racking, bombing, mobbing.  As adults, we go….oh damn…..can’t (shouldn’t) do that anymore. How can I make a living off of what I love?  Is that not what other people do?  There is nothing wrong with that. Rock your world!  The underground culture of hip hop, graff, breaking, DJ, and rhyme will always continue!  But when was the last time love put food on your table and paid your rent? OK!”

Tell us a random fact about you. 
“I’ve been training in the martial arts for almost four years now. I’m a green belt - very close to brown, in American Kenpo. I train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I also train in Eskrima and FMA which is sticks (which represent baseball bats, clubs, crow bars), knives and gun disarms. Me and my husband own a martial arts school, Kenpo Karate Evolution.  We also teach a teen girls’ and woman’s self defense class free on the first Sunday of each month. And besides all that ninja stuff….I’m a Zumba instructor!  Oh, yaaaaaaa!

I am also married to most amazing man of all time! He is everything I could even have imagined and more than I ever thought could be. I do a LOT of things! And he ‘gets’ me on all of it! Especially my graff.  That’s a deal breaker for me if that doesn’t happen! I cannot tell you how much that means to me. FINALLY someone who can understand that I am feminine and love to get dolled up and has a successful career (I was in PR and marketing for entertainment/red carpet events, etc.) and be wined and dined AND, hold up…….wait for it……….. totally bust a spray can and get rough too! VERY important to me! My husband rocks!”

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
“Yes, There is some guy in the bay area writing Omega. He contacted me about three years ago on MySpace with the most STUPID intro I have EVER seen…‘Hey what’s up Omega, we’re putting work in for the same name…. blah, blah…freakin..blah!’  I replied to this guy to do his damn homework!  You cannot just take someone’s name! 

Let’s all start bombing ‘SKILL’ or ‘DAZE’, or how about we all start breaking and call ourselves ‘CRAZY LEGS’, and popppin’ and start callin’ ourselves ‘Mr. Wiggles?!’
Hey, there’s an idea! So, yes, I called him out. I will battle him ANY DAY! He is NOT OMEGA, and never will be! Come to L.A. and FIND OUT WHO OMEGA UTI IS!”