DROP x Bigfoot LTD Gloves

Inspired by nature, 70s-era comics, graffiti and the legendary rock band, KISS, Bigfoot is a New Jersey native now living in Brooklyn by way of Northern California. Bigfoot is somewhat of an enigma to the art scene. You'd be hard-pressed to find a picture of his face, much like his mythical counterpart. But there's no denying the skill of this artist and collaboration king. Besides his latest collab with DROP MFG gloves, Bigfoot has made an appearance working with The North Face, Wahoo's and more. BNQT caught up to see what's good with Bigfoot...

BNQT - Being notorious for ingenious wall murals and even making an appearance in Tony Hawks Underground 2, what inspired your latest venture to make the Bigfoot x DROP collab snowboard gloves? How did the project come about?

Bigfoot - My friend Seth Neary, a designer, told me about this really cool snowboard glove company and that they were looking for an artist to collaborate with on a new glove made from eco-friendly materials. Working on an environmentally safe product is always inspiring for me, plus I really love gloves and wear them all the time.
The North Face x Bigfoot Gear
BNQT - How did it make you feel when you found out that DROP chose you to be the next artist in their DPI Series, following in the footsteps of a legend like Mark Gonzales who kicked off the project last year?

Bigfoot - It's crazy just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Mark Gonzales! It seems like yesterday when I was a young teen mimicking things he did such as drawing on my griptape with paint pens and wearing Vision Street Wear. To me, his spirit is similar to the likes of Picasso and Bob Dylan.

Bigfoot's KISS inspired piece
BNQT - The juxtaposition of nature and urban life is a heavy theme in your work. Why is that?

Bigfoot - That's basically all there is on Earth; constant struggles between nature and man. Humanity is always trying to conquer nature. I'm rooting for nature. I try to do my part by painting Bigfoot characters helping to multiply and protect trees, all while yelling at civilization's structures, systems and facades that have done so much to separate us from the magic of nature.

A few Bigfoot custom skate decks
BNQT - How does your design process differ when designing for apparel as opposed to other mediums?

Bigfoot - My design process is about the same for everything; murals, t-shirts, paintings, skate decks and posters. It all starts with a Bigfoot character in a composition, the difference is the mediums used. For apparel I start with black ink on paper and spend time cleaning it up until it's ready to be scanned. It's funny how I can paint a 15-foot tall Bigfoot in about half the time it takes me to draw one on an 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper.

Wahoo's x Bigfoot Mural in Costa Mesa
BNQT - Some may or may not know you co-founded IPATH Footwear with pro skater Matt Field. When / how did that come about?

Bigfoot - At the end of 1998, Matt Field met a guy who wanted to invest in a project. Me and Matt came up with the name together, and I drew out the logo. The first tradeshow was at ASR in early 1999. I chose to stop working with IPATH in November 2007.

BNQT - Finally, the generic "what's next" question. Aside from a recent wall mural at Wahoo's, what else is in the works for Bigfoot right now?

Bigfoot - Right now I'm working on sketches for some vinyl figures, some t-shirt designs, and taking it easy. Also look for some t-shirts and other goodness I'm doing with Hurley for Fall 2010.