Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

Soooo, my name is Ethan. I am a multidisciplinary artist and designer currently based in Los Angeles. I grew up in Washington state and have lived all over the west coast. My main mediums are spray paint and film photography. When I was 18 years old I got my first camera, that same year I was introduced to graffiti by one of my good friends and from that point on I have been completely enthralled by both. I moved to San Francisco and received my associates degree in fashion design, while going to school there I was introduced to zine making, since then I have primarily focused on that as my main way to express myself. A few years after living in SF I moved to Portland, Oregon where I started Toxic Fumes Magazine which is what I have spent most of the last 3 years working on. This last year I took a brief hiatus to focus more on painting and zines again. I have just started organizing photos for the 5th issue and look forward to putting it out sometime this year.

Are there any influences that are core to your work?

There are a lot. Since i grew up in a fairly small town in Washington i didn’t have the same experience as if you were to grow up in a big city, so most of my interests i had to view more remotely. I started collecting books and magazines. That became my main source for inspiration. The first two books I bought on graffiti were Subway Art and Freight Train Graffiti. Doesn’t get more proper than that as an introduction to all things graffiti. As I began to move around I was further invited into the culture and educated on the individuals who documented it and lived it. To name some people I would have to say Roger Gastman, Martha Cooper, Dave Schubert, Peter Sutherland, SP One and many many many more. All of those individuals have done so much to make the culture tangible to those unable to see it in person as well as make the temperance of it permanent.

How were you introduced to the mediums that you work with?

I was lucky enough to have my Dad pass me down his Olympus Stylus Zoom, my first point and shoot film camera. From thereon it was my own curiosity that carried me. As far as graffiti i was very aware of it, I just felt like an outsider from my perspective. But one of my good friends growing up got into it and showed me the ways, as you might say. He pretty quickly became uninterested but my obsession continued. Moving to places like San Francisco and Portland I was inevitably meeting people that had more knowledge and eventually helped me progress while my own motivation and interests also carried me.

Is there a moment you look back on as being formative to the work you do?

I wouldn’t say there was one particular moment. But there was certain instances where things I saw inspired me beyond my wildest dreams. Getting a roll of film back and there was a singular photo that perfectly captured something exactly how I saw it. A night of endless memories with good people forever living rent free in my mind.  A book or magazine that spoke to my interests better than the world around me.

How did Punka Press begin? What draws you to the kinds of projects you work on under that umbrella?

After finishing fashion school I was looking for an outlet to create things, it started out as a small clothing “idea” is what i’ll call it. Eventually it turned into a way to promote my zines and services as a zine creator. I’ve kind of shifted away from it recently and have put my focus on Toxic Fumes Magazine. Although I am still creating zines, I’ve just chosen to make them under my name or an alias.

Do you have any favorite zines that you’ve traded for?

I wouldn’t necessarily say these are all trades because I do appreciate supporting every artist if trading is out the window. But I’d say anything from Dave Schubert, Ghetto Fever, Hopping Fences or Blasphemy. As far as magazines i’d say, Life Sucks Die, While You Were Sleeping, Can Control, Hype and Skills. I know I am forgetting some but those are the ones off the top of my head.

How did Toxic Fumes Magazine start? Do you have any favorite memories from working on features or interviews for an issue?

Toxic Fumes is essentially just a continuation of the smaller zines I was making. I got to the point where the zines I was making were hundreds of pages and wanted to figure out a way to make them less pages but also more elaborate. So I came up with the idea to make it more of a magazine format because I could put more photos on a page. Have more freedom on the design and layout of the spreads and add more in such as write ups, interviews, black book sketches and more. To be quite honest the first issue I did where I was able to Dave Schubert was probably one of my favorite memories that brings me profound happiness  but also immense sadness from his passing. To my knowledge I was the last person to interview him and unfortunately days before his passing he had reached out to me regarding a follow up to our initial interview. If it wasn’t for Dave I don’t believe that the golden era of SF/Bay area graffiti would have been so influential. Not only that but his contributions to skate, graffiti and music culture is not comparable to most other people documenting that era and producing physical content for those interested. Besides his contributions to the culture he was such a sweet, talented and genuine individual that anyone who came in contact with him was lucky to be able to experience his presence. I really cherish the time I got to spend interacting and talking to Dave.

Do you have a favorite step in the production process of a new zine or magazine issue?

It would probably have to be the initial organization of all the photos and content and just seeing the entire range of material i have to make a magazine out of. Its really cool to just see that much content in one place.

People talk about social media slowly causing graffiti to shift into a universal style. Do you think this is the case in the US? How does social media affect these changes differently today?

I think we have lost most of our traditional sense of regional styles, but it has led people to research and become more intentional about what they want their graffiti to look like. There is a resurgence of late 90’s and early 00’s styles being pushed all around the country because of individuals that found that style most synonymous with their interests and they made it their own. Then you have the effect of people seeing these styles being pushed on social media, in person, what have you and then the people seeing that begin to be influenced and interested and they begin to follow that same process. I genuinely believe that with all the outlets for consuming graffiti content, in person, online, in books we are going to see a greater range of styles but also see certain things become trendy or copied to greater extents. Graffiti has become more mainstream and accessible to everyone.

 

Are there any writers whose work you’re always excited to see?

Mannnnnn that list is endless but i’ll try and narrow it down to a few. Melske, Blief, Father, Insekt, Phorbe, Clock, Sierm, Erupto, Tocer, Elohs, Pilfer, Sage, Xfile, Trem, Rumy, Yore, Fario, Jtea, Anore, Monday, Toljue and so many more. I’m trying to limit myself.

How does your creative community now compare to your creative community when you were younger?

I guess I would say it’s much broader but also more strategic and intentional. I think things in my world and my community have become more polished to some extent but also have spiraled out of control because there are no rules or gatekeeping anymore….unfortunately.

How do you manage tending to the variety of responsibilities in the work you do? How do you mitigate burnout or exhaustion?

This is very difficult in all honesty. For me what works best is having a balanced life. Sometimes you have to take breaks and step away. Focus on something else for a while, go travel. Or don’t focus on anything at all and truly take a break. Sometimes you have to relax and look at things through a different lens.

Are there any travel experiences that are formative to your work or to you as an individual?

Almost two years ago me and 7 friends hopped trains across the United States over the period of about 2 months. Starting in Oakland we rode all across the United States stopping in Salt Lake City, Denver and Chicago and eventually ending in New York. Then traveling by bus all the way to Philadelphia and Baltimore. It was hands down the best, most exhausting trip of my life. But probably the most enriching and humbling time of my 20’s. Issue 4 of Toxic Fumes documents that trip and what we did. I hope to do it again some day.

What do you collect?

Vintage spray paint, skateboards, t-shirts/jeans , Timbuk2 bags, cameras, action figures/toys, zines, books, hardcopy photos, Tattoo memorabilia, Ed hardy Hats, stickers and just random shit that has some meaning to me haha.

Interviewed by Luca Lotruglio.