Greg Lamarche, also known as SP.ONE, is a man of re-invention. Coming up in Queens, NY, Lamarche has been a respected graffiti writer since the early 80′s. His self produced magazine SKILLS was testament to his love of graffiti and street culture. Now, long after his beginnings as a writer, Greg has switched gears. His work has evolved, showcasing his love for letterforms in a completely different medium. Lamarche’s collage pieces are beautiful compositions of typography and color, often making use of found materials, yet still heavily influenced by his roots in the graffiti.
You started writing graffiti in the early 80′s. Was there ever a defining moment for you that prompted you to start?
I can’t really say there was one thing that got me into graffiti. I grew up in a time when it was everywhere and you saw it wherever you went. In grade school the playground was destroyed. It was never buffed. I remember on the roof of the auditorium written crudely in white spray paint it said: “we don’t need ladders”. Eventually I started to emulate what I was seeing on the walls. At first it was more like doodling on notebooks and inside textbooks, mostly rock band names. Once I did my first piece I was hooked.
You were also publishing a small magazine back then, SKILLS, that got pretty well known. What was that like for you?
I published Skills between 1992 and 1995. Looking back it was quite amazing that a small graffiti magazine could reach so far in a time before anyone had the Internet.
I read that you kind of laid your name, SP.ONE, to rest (via Mass Appeal interview). When was that and why did you decide to stop?
You don’t really ever stop, I mean I don’t run around like I used to but it is part of me forever. I have focused my energies on my artwork which is in many ways is an extension and in some ways a continuation of what I was doing before. I have also made an effort to use my name because I am more than just my tag. Being a purist about graffiti I never really had any interest in turning SP.1 into a brand.
Letters in Progress
Graffiti is no doubt a big part of your work, no matter what medium you work in, but over the years, it seems like your focus shifted heavily to your collage work. When/ how did collaging start coming into the mix for you?
I made my first collage sometime around the same time I started writing graffiti but they never had anything to do wit h each other. It was when I was making Skills years later that I made a collage cover for issue # 5 and it was the first time I ever put the two together. A few years later I started to consciously infuse the two to create my own style.
Your collages have a very clean & refined feel to them. Where/ how do you get the letters for your pieces? Do you generally draw your own characters or do you recycle from found materials?
I cut out my own letters and also use pre-printed letters but I usually use them separately.
Can you give us a rundown of how you approach a project? (i.e. how you go about choosing and collecting characters/ do you brainstorm before to come up with your piece or do you generally let things flow, etc.)
Ideas are something that I don’t have a problem with, I have many different themes that run through my work and at any given time I will be working on multiple ideas/projects simultaneously. Lately I have been more focused and I am working on only a couple of things at a time. I am also starting to make bigger works and it takes more time just to complete one piece so I have been adjusting my schedule accordingly.
One of many stacks of potential materials and starting points
As a viewer, I notice you work in two very prominent styles; tags and collage. Is there a distinction to you?
Yes, both inform each other visually but that’s where it ends. Tagging and hand-style has always been important to me. When I started writing it was always impressed upon me by older writers to practice and get your shit tight then go out and take over the neighborhood.
Collage is what I do in the studio and it builds upon my love for graffiti and type. Earlier last year I did make an installation of cut out paper tags one for every year I have been writing.
Coming from a graffiti background, your work consistently shows a real appreciation for typography and letterforms. Is there anything that makes (or doesn’t make) make a good letter to you?
Symmetry is one of the most important things to me when creating letters. Shape and colors are both close seconds, but balance is a must. When you look at some letters and they appear not to be quite right, it’s mostly because they are not composed correctly and that screams out at you…Hi, I’m wack!
Hustle Sketch
Hustle Sketch
'H' Sketch
Works in progress
