Artist Interview with Sielo DTC

1.What is your graff name and how did you come up with that name?

my name is Sielo , it originally came from a nickname my Granny used to call me “mi cielo or cielito “ which's mean my sky or my heaven in Spanish I just switched it up a bit cause I like the flow of an S better.

2. Where are you from?

born and raised in San Jo 

3. What is one of the most epic bombing stories from your graffiti career

I once painted this truck with the homie Difer from Lords and Violet, got to like our fill in but Police caught us slipping. I booked it and forgot my phone in the car we came in. Ended up having to walk to public transit about 15 miles and wait for the trains to start running at 6am. Only to find out later the cop let them go cause the truck owner didn’t wanna press charges lol. Apparently since we filled white over black tags that were on the truck already the truck owner considered it us buffing the truck for them.

4. What, if anything, is different about the graft scene from when you first started bombing?

Definitely a lot easier to paint now ,like I been writing since 2006. When I started San Jose and SF weren’t even partially as grilled as they are today because they both had a task force, Oakland def didn’t get hit the way it does now but I remember Veks and Diar being up during that time in Oakland and kinda setting shit off that might me being bias tho lol. Girafa was one of the few during that era getting spots but after he got caught shit kinda died down until Oakland popped off which was like a graffiti vacation for us. SF got lit after the techies started to move out post covid and less people will call the cops on grafff when there’s a dude on fent overdosing.

 5. What advice would you give to graffiti artists who are just starting out? Sketch sketch sketch 

like you need to have your  tags and your throw ups so down that you can do them blindfolded, it also helps you paint faster, like it trips me out when I see how slow some people paint lol.

6. Who have been your main influences over the years as far as your graffiti art?

Diar influenced me to bomb different like hitting straights were foos are doing throw ups cause he painted fast, Puzl def another big influence his throw ups were always dope af, and Twist for his hand styles but shout out to Buens from San Jo he kinda gamed me up in the black books. 

Dtc kyt twb have always been major influence because I saw graffiti as something bigger than just bombing your home city , get up and travel or hit trains and see your name travel all while

Being original af. 

7. Where do you land in the debate between illegal bombing and permissio walls? If you have an opinion at all?

I think graffiti is meant to be illegal , I think everything else is kinda like watered down because I’m literally risking everything for my name when it’s illegal, however I don’t mind legal walls because sometimes you just wanna paint something pretty or practice. I just hate when permission  wall writers try to speak for graffiti like bro if you ain’t bombín shut the fuck up with that art isn’t a crime bullshit.

8. Are there any crews or homies you want to shout out? 
Shout out to big bro Chris , Benny Diar and the rest of my Clout fam. 

Interview by Skaz One please follow our blog and follow @derp_taggz3 on Instagram to support the fight against my accounts being removed for no reason or possibly specific discrimination. Thanks to Sielo for the interview and anyone who reads it!