First and foremost my name is Hallway and for all that don't know I am a fan of art in all of its mediums. So with this being said I give you ....The Street Sign Artist...illRoots.com: Yo.
Dunn: What up, perfect timing. Bare with me while i get in the house...
illRoots.com: It's cool, I got Lipton sides in the oven, getting my grub on with the Crystal Lite, eating like a king, you know?
Dunn: Yeah. [Laughs]
illRoots.com: Lets getting this interview going, I'm starving. [Laughs]
Dunn: Oh no, thank you for waiting on me.
illRoots.com: First, thank tou. Why did you start doing this?
Dunn: How I started, is my background being in animation. I did a comic strip for like 6 years and a bunch of college newspapers but none of that stuff really panned out. I was doing a base studies for class and i ran out of materials to do them on and stepped outside for a cigarette and low and behold there was a faded no parking sign. So I took it and did one of the studies on it and didn't really think much of it at the time and it just grew on me as time went along. Basically just kind of an accident honestly.
illRoots.com: Whom have you done signs for?
Dunn: Kanye West, Slick Rick....just really big name cats that I either respect or admire in Hip-Hop culture. Grandmaster Flash, Rakim. I actually have picture of Rakim on my myspace. Its actually pretty cool because he sent his manager out to get me before he left because he wanted to meet me before he left the venue. That was kind of cool because just to have someone seek you out for just offering them something. Yea last week I got one to Wyclef when he was in town. That puts me at like 130 total of just random famous people.
illRoots.com: Dope, dope. I saw the Louis Armstrong one, that was dope.
Dunn: Thanks, thanks, its tricky with that one though if you don't see it with a picture next to someone you'd think it was alot smaller but its actually like 6 foot sign.
illRoots.com: Oh, wow.
Dunn: Yeah, it's fucking huge. Its like 3 or 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall.
illRoots.com: So animation?
Dunn: Yea well my degree is in computer animation and I almost got a graphic design degree. I ended up landing a job doing Graphic Design and administrative work at this architecture firm. Thats what pays the bills till money starts coming in from this side grind.
illRoots.com: So you got a day job too?
Dunn: Yeah, I do all the graphic design for an architecture firm and I do kitchen consulting, industrial kitchen type stuff and laundry. I do all their design marketing. We just did Madison Square Gardens and we're working on all the arenas out here in Denver, Coors Field and Ebsco. Its a cool job, its not exactly what I want to be doing but its great for networking.
illRoots.com: What exactly do you use?
Dunn: For the most part its basically just acrylic and a brush usually. Lately I've been using scrap recycled stuff from the city, the actual paint that they use on the signs. I've been adding those back onto the signs. The 3M reflective tape and layer in up and lay on the acrylic. So between the two of them it makes a nice contrast. I'm working on Muhammad Ali that's got painting on it, and reflective tape on it in some areas.
illRoots.com: So this was all an accident.wow. Your favorite One?
Dunn: The first one I did, the Ice Cube one. At first I hated it but it grew on me, and it shows me where I've come from.
illRoots.com: Anything big we can look forward to?
Dunn: I'm doing this event out here called "Artopia". Its like a local bi-weekly newspaper out here. I'm in talks with ESPN about doing some stuff for the Summer X Games. I might be doing a show in Chicago soon so.
illRoots.com: Well thanks man, and check out more of Dunn's masterpieces at his official website.
