His passport stamped with travel destinations including Israel, London, San Francisco and Tulsa, Donald Ross – also known as SCRIBE – has transformed himself from inexperienced Boston street-tagger to Mid-West wall-guru and family man. Incorporating a variety of reoccurring characters and objects including rhinos, bees and toilet plungers, even, SCRIBE gives his humorous murals and characters depth through interpretation. “The rhino has always been a self-portrait. Rhinos are solitary animals and many of their characteristics I identify with.” He relates the struggle of his aggressive and bug-eyed bees with the struggle many face with religion. “I grew up in a Christian home with parents who pastor a church around Boston. The bees are an illustration of peer pressure, a part of a mindless hive mentality [to do what you’re] assigned to do until you die – in the world and in church.” Plungers, on the other hand, simply appeal to the childish side of SCRIBE’s sense of humor. “The plungers are a weapon for the rhino. I grew up on Tom and Jerry frying pan humor. It seemed only fitting.”

SCRIBE’s work has changed with each city he has painted. “Boston is where I got my intro to graffiti. I was drawing what I saw around me – straight forward city styles. Now, I live in Kansas City and my work has changed. Graffiti has spread through out the world, anyone can see that, but I don’t think it is right for people from more remote areas to try to be coastal and copy what they see. Their style and subject should reflect where they are.” With 15 years of wall-work under his belt, SCRIBE reminisces on his first piece in Boston, a simple character he called Bubble Boy, which his mentor EAST had him paint in high contrast colors to help him see definition in the dark. “That was 15 years ago and it changed my life. Graffiti will always be the biggest part of what makes my style what it is today.”

Without a college degree, SCRIBE works hard to turn his passion into a paycheck. “Without formal school it was a very long journey. I worked in sign shops, digital printing and even a candle factory,” says SCRIBE, adding, “I worked my way into learning computers while spending my breaks painting and drawing. Remaining a servant where I could be used changed my job description into doing artwork all the time.” Today, SCRIBE walks the line between urban artist and professional parent of two. He holds down a day job with a local hospital, creating murals to promote wellness amongst the facilities’ patients and juggles a variety of gallery shows. “I enjoy my work at Children’s Mercy Hospital on so many different levels.”

Also the illustrator and co-author of the children’s book, There’s an Octopus Under my Bed, SCRIBE’s recent work could be considered a step away from his urban roots. Still, many find his pieces to hold a deeper meaning aimed at adults. Religious and political undertones are present in his work, although SCRIBE is careful not to push his views on young audiences. “If a kid comes to my show and asks me, then that is cool. In my book and at work, I don’t do it. I’m not here to push my views on them in [an artistic] setting.”

SCRIBE is quick to list his mentors in the graffiti world. EMIT, EAST, SUB, DALEK and RAPES each had a great influence on SCRIBE‘s technique. Still, SCRIBE reps the Mid-West, identifying his experiences in Middle America as “the most tangible effect on my work,” and names Mid-Western artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, Frederic Remington and Walt Disney, even, as further inspiration. No wonder SCRIBE’s diverse body of work takes on a cartoonish vibe, directing itself – intentionally or not – at a market of both children and adults.

More Info: http://www.scribeswalk.com/