Q&A With Street Artist Jalel Ronin on New Project: Let Them Drive

This Fall, we’re excited to have connected local initiative Let Them Drive with local artist, Jalel Ronin on a special and unique installation series. He is partnering with We Block and Tackle to turn a unique canvas (a dumpster!) into a street art masterpiece to raise awareness for the Let Them Drive campaign. We sat down with the artist himself, and learned what inspires him, why he loves using spray paint as his tool of choice, and why being a part of this community project is personal for him.

Artsplosure: So, how did you get started being an artist?

Jalel: Oh, it's a really long story, but the short one is that I got inspired by my mom. She taught me how to draw, she taught me how to do lines and all that stuff, and I fell in love with art. So then I grew up and I discovered street art, and found a place in the world - because with a spray can, I can do whatever I want.

A: Why did you choose spray paint as your main medium?

J: Mostly for the environment that I grew up in. I had to paint fast and I had to do something big to get noticed, and spray paint is the most useful tool to do that. I can do projects or work with pencil, with crayons and all of that, but I prefer spray paint for the facility that it gives.

A: Working with Let Them Drive, and have been working on dumpsters, what was easy and fun about that?

J: So the easy part of that is that I get really involved with the project, because I have a bunch of people that are essential workers, but don't have driver licenses. And that was probably the most fun part about it because I can help a little bit with my art. And for the art itself, the most fun was to do the neon effect that I do, because it's always fun to do it.

A: Did you have to change anything about your process with working on a dumpster as a canvas?

J: This is my first time doing a dumpster itself, but I've been painting on many different surfaces, so it's something new and interesting to do it.

A: And was there anything about this project that was challenging for you, that was hard?

J: The hard part was really... nothing, haha!

A: Nothing?

J: I mean, nothing because I always enjoy creating my art. So that's my environment, that's my sweet place. So there’s nothing “hard” with that.

A: And what is next for you as an artist?

J: Right now in the close future, I get to travel to Miami to paint at Art Basel. And also, I just became a full-time artist and I'm working on my path with that.

A: Is this the first time that you've been able to fully support yourself solely with your art?

J: Right here in the United States, yes.

A: That's amazing, congratulations!

J: Thank you. I did it before in Guatemala, in my country, but here this is probably the first time. Before, I had to have a side job, worked on weekends, then left my regular job to go work on my art. But now I have my full time, so that's cool.

A: And so you were saying that your mother inspired you to become an artist. What inspires you now?

J: My mother is always part of my inspiration, but now I have a beautiful wife, I have my kid, my son. And they are my principal inspiration, but also just the feeling of having a spray paint can in my hands is the most inspiration that I have. I can't explain it because it's something more, not spiritual, but something inside of me that I just enjoy. 

A: I've heard a few artists that say they don't plan what they're going to be creating, it just comes through them. Do you experience that, or do you take time to plan out in advance what you're going to create?

J: Sometimes yes, and sometimes no, because when something really just pops out, it's like, "Okay, what am I going to do?" And just come to the place and start doing something free hand or something like that is fun. But I prefer to have enough time to prepare something when it's a project for a job, where I'm going to get paid for it. So, when it's something from me, just pop out and that's it. When it's something for a job, I want to have the time to research what the customer wants, and work from there.

A: I know we talked about this a little bit, but could you talk a little bit more about what it feels like, that you can now not only support yourself with your art, but that your art is also being used for social missions like Let Them Drive?

J: Okay. So, the kind of impact… This is probably going to sound kooky, but I think that my art always has an impact on people, it doesn't matter if it's something for social stuff, something for work, or something to help other people. I mean, I know that everything that I do, that somebody is going to see, they're going to love it in one way or another. And that it is going to affect their life, because that happened before. So I don't have an exactly answer for that, but it's more like the people just love what I do. And yeah, sounds kooky, but the people tell me that. So I can say that [laughs].

A: So here at Artsplosure, our motto is “art for all.” What does that mean to you?

J: That’s exactly what I do -- I prefer to do something really good and really nice, it doesn't matter, whatever it takes to do it for the people. That's why I prefer murals, so people can just walk every day and see a piece of art in the streets, and that's really good.

A: If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

J: Psychologist.

A: A psychologist? Do you think there's a lot of psychology that goes into art?

J: Yeah, a lot! Because also, all the colors have an effect on people. The psychology affects everything in art, because every single color has a meaning in art. So for example, black has a meaning, blue has another meaning, and all the colors have a psychology behind them. But yeah, look at everything together affecting the people in many ways. 

A: Is there anything else you want to add about who you are as an artist, or about working on the project?

J: I really don't think so, just thank you everybody for looking at my art, I love my job, and please keep supporting me because that's a really big part of this. So, I love you all. 

A: We love you too! And one more question, did the year 2020 impact your vision as an artist or your own personal approach to your work?

J: No, actually it was the opposite, because in 2020 with the pandemic, I achieved more projects, and I did more paintings during the year, or great-scale murals. So it was the opposite because the streets were empty, the places were empty, so it was the perfect time for artists, and go to the places and do something. So for me, no.