src="http://www.woostercollective.com/peace.jpg" WIDTH= "175" ALIGN= "Left"
hspace="5"> A week or so ago, after returning to New York from "http://www.woostercollective.com/2003_01_19_newsarchive.html#90231243">Portland
, we received an email from Adrian
Gaut who runs Portland’s Neon
Gallery.  Adrian’s the guy behind those massive peace signs that you may
have seen.  We thought they were cool and asked Adrian to answer a few questions
for us:

Wooster: How did you get started?

/>Adrian: i guess i got started doing street art fairly recently, i run a
gallery, but started to feel like people needed something to confront them on a
different level then they normally would with “art” (i.e., paintings on a
gallery wall). that, and living in new york for a while i really was into the
sort of community that is created on the streets.

Wooster:
What inspired you to do “peace”?

Adrian: the peace thing came
about because i felt (and still do) totally fed up with the way this country is
being run, but i also didn’t want to beat people over the head with anything
either. plus, the really graphic poster looks much better from far away, since
most of my posters are up high
/>
Wooster: Did you ever get busted while putting up a piece?
/>
Adrian: i’ve never had any problems with the police (knock on
wood), though there have been a few close calls trying to get up fire
escapes.

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire
and why?

Adrian: "http://www.obeygiant.com/index2.html">shepard fairey, "http://www.faile.net">faile, bast, "http://www.buffmonster.com/">buff monster, "http://www.eltono.com/home_eng.php3/">eltono, "http://www.banksy.co.uk/">banksy, the "http://www.mdefeo.com/">flower guy.

Wooster: What’s your
favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
/>
Adrian: nothing can beat new york for me, although the stuff i’ve
seen on the web from amsterdam, rotterdam and some other european cities is
pretty hot. here in portland, there’s a lot of industrial neighborhood’s that
look really great with posters.. although i’m working on some downtown locations
just for visibilities sake.

Wooster: What inspires you now?
/>
Adrian: everything.. plants, music, faile’s cross country tour,
all of the good websites i’ve seen lately, girls, i guess that’s all i can think
of now.

Wooster: Bonus Question: Do your parents know about
all this?

Adrian: yes and no, i try not to tell them about all
the climbing i do, though being old hippies they’re pretty down with the peace
thing.