The corner of Oak and 1st Street in the city of Wyandotte is looking much more vibrant these days thanks to a recently painted mural that is the creation of a well-known local graffiti artist.
The artist known to the public only as Fel3000ft, was commissioned by the city of Wyandotte and the Detroit Institute of Arts to paint the mural as part of the museum’s PIPA program, which stands for “partners in public art.”
The program, first launched in 2018, is a collaboration between the DIA and local communities to co-create community-driven, highly visible public works of art.
It was only natural for those in charge of the program to commission Fel3000ft because the lifelong artist, 51, is a resident of Wyandotte who is a strong advocate for all of the good things happening the the city.
“The DIA actually reached out to me initially asking me if I would be interested
in being part of PIPA project, which is a partnership with cities to tell the story of the city and its community, and just try to reach into the essence of those areas to speak their identity,” Fel3000ft said.
He said he had heard about the PIPA project before, but he wasn’t aware that anyone at the DIA was familiar with his work, most of which has been graffiti and street art that he’s created throughout metropolitan Detroit for 41 years.
“I think the reason why they thought of using me as an artist is because I’ve done a couple of pieces prior in the area,” he said. “I did work at Grandad’s Bar. I think they found out about my work there and I also did work at Wyandotte Bistro as well, so I think word was getting around that I lived in the area.”
The mural, which took about a month to create, was painted primarily using aerosol spray paint. Featured on the work are some of the things that make Wyandotte the unique Downriver gem that it is.
“(Aerosol paint) has a UV protectant in it and it has longevity,” he said. “Spray paint is a great option because I can use a straight edge to get things how I like them.”
When it’s time to paint, Fel3000ft said he is relentless and will work hours at a time and in just about any weather, until the work is perfect in his eyes.
“The bear itself took me three days, and it was 90 degrees out the whole time,” he said. “I’d get out there at 4 or 5 in the morning and I would be there until 2 a.m. the following day. It didn’t let up, and that’s a thing about me. I’m obsessive in that way.”
He said he knew his work would leave a lasting impression on residents and businesses in the city, which lends to his obsession with getting things right.
“I know the people of Wyandotte got the very best out of me, and that’s what they deserve,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that everything was absolutely precise and to the liking of the people who are giving me this gift of allowing me to do the work.”
Growing up in metropolitan Detroit, Fel3000ft started his painting career around the age of 10.
“It was about 1982 or 1983; I was one of the first documented graffiti artists ever to paint graffiti in Detroit,” he said. “I used to live in Detroit proper, and I have lived in Wyandotte now for the past seven years.”
Fel3000ft said he was influenced at a young age to be an artist, and he recalls some of his first drawings were doodles he made while on vacation with his father, who played a major role in his decision to make art his career.
“I was on a vacation with him, I think I was 9, and we were in the middle of the Smokey Mountains at some weird hotel, and they had these tabletop books on how to draw,” he said. “I was drawing these horses and stuff out of the books, and my dad was like: ‘Oh my god. Did you do that? That is amazin.’ And so after that, it really kind of took off.”
Afterward, he said, he initially was interested in graffiti and street art after being influenced by people who moved to his neighborhood in Detroit from the Bronx in New York City.
“These kids moved into my neighborhood from the Bronx and I was just enamored with their accent, who they were as people, all of this wealth of hip-hop culture that they were bringing to the table, and they would go back home to visit their family in the summer but they would stay in Detroit, and they would go to school here,” he said. “When they would go back to visit, they’d come back with all of this really amazing graffiti art, pictures on Polaroids, and they’d have all this hip-hop music they would record on cassette tapes, and I just dove in. I just loved that.”
While working on the mural in Wyandotte, Fel3000ft said the response from the community was all positive, and that he had people come up to him on numerous occasions and tell him how great the mural looks.
“It was nonstop, the entire time I worked,” he said. “There were all of these amazing people who would come up, and the community is amazing, and I’m not saying that because I live there, I’m saying it because it’s true. Not one person had a negative thing to say about it. They were all super stoked and very impressed and very excited about the DIA and the city telling this story about their hometown.”
One thing particularly touching for Fel3000ft to witness during his working hours was when parents would bring their children to see the new mural. As a father of two sons, he understands the important role parents play in the lives of children.
“One of the best things is when people bring their kids by who are aspiring artists,” he said. “I like to pull the parents aside and say, ‘Your voice can change this kid’s life.’”
If a parent supports a budding artist and pushes them to keep trying, he said, “they’re gonna try harder.”
“If I can give those kids an opportunity to see what I’m doing, and I can tell them how my dad and mom believed in me, and pushed me a little harder, and I practiced, and that none of this is talent, it’s all work and effort and you can do it, too. I’ll always take that opportunity.”
Although graffiti artists sometimes get a bad reputation, he said, the work they do is vitally important to the communities they paint in.
“If you place art and street art in a community, it’s always going to benefit a community,” he said. “With Wyandotte, this is just the beginning. There’s a lot of talk of other artists coming in. Seeing these artists in and around these areas, and knowing what it’s going to do for the community, it’s just going to make these places must-see areas.”
For more on Fel3000ft’s work, visit fel3000ft.com.
