{"id":236056,"date":"2012-09-24T23:43:39","date_gmt":"2012-09-25T04:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=236056"},"modified":"2022-09-16T10:22:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T15:22:53","slug":"1-on-1-with-artist-parlaitin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/1-on-1-with-artist-parlaitin\/","title":{"rendered":"1 on 1 with Artist PARlaiTin"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are so many forms of expression in art and sneakers. It is a beautiful thing when those two worlds collide, as is the case with wire sculpture artist, pARlaiTin<\/strong>. Using a medium rarely employed in art, he has found a niche in the art world that he plans to expand on in the near future. We had the chance to chat with the budding artist to get an idea of how it all started, and where he plans to take it. Check out what pARlaiTin<\/a> had to say about his wire sculptures.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/strong>: 1 on 1 with Artist Freehand Profit<\/p>\n pARlaiTin showcasing his Reebok Pump wire sculpture\n Snkrs Day: Introduce yourself to the world. Who is pARlaiTin?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: My name is Curtis Anthony. I grew up in Louisville, KY, and I?m still here. My parents allowed me to travel with them, so I saw certain things. I?ve traveled to different places, and I really appreciated high end things. Of course, I couldn?t afford those things but could see quality. To this day, my eye can see quality in everything.<\/p>\n I go by the name pARlaiTin (pronounced par-LAY-in). I selected it during the first social media type thing, the first AOL. From my experiences talking to other people and being social, I understood it to mean ?cool and laid back?. I describe myself in the same way. So, I wanted to choose a (screen) name that didn?t require numbers behind it. I spelled it in a slang-type way – kind of how I would say it. Recently, I found out the correct spelling and meaning of the word. Parlaying means to transform absolutely nothing into something great, and that?s exactly what I?m trying to do.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Do you have a design background? <\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: I don?t. I never thought that I could really amount to anything as far as an artist, designer, or anything like that. At one point, I wanted to be an architect. My major in school was electrical engineering. I grew up in the 80s and 90s. I loved Legos?, puzzles and video games.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Is your passion for building things and putting this together<\/strong> the motivation behind your sculptures? <\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: Exactly. That inspiration and art class when I was in middle school was my loves and my passions. Then, all of a sudden, you have Michael Jordan and his influence on design and art. He was the first person to really get the concept down of being cool and mean it. He not only talked about it, he walked it. As I grew older, the design of shoes was really a staple for me; that and appreciating quality. It was also the colors. Legos? came in color. Sneakers are colorful. Video games come in color. All the color coordination came together perfectly for me.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What are your sculptures composed of?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: They are made out of wire only. I mean, who cares about wire? It?s parlaying. I?m trying to parlay this wire – which is of no value to anybody – into something that?s great. So, I only use wire. My idea has been to use wire for the entire shoe – including the sole – but keep the (original) laces. Snkrs Day: What was your first wire sculpture?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: My first sculpture was back in middle school. It was of Elvis. He was on his knees and had his microphone. It was very basic, but it gave me the ability to find a medium where I was free. No one told me to use that medium. I?ve tried painting. I?ve tried some other things, but wire, for me, seems like a limitless possibility. I feel like I can create anything with this.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What made you want to create sneakers, and which one did you make first?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: The first sneaker I made was a Converse Chuck Taylor that I had laying around. I put it out on Converse?s page on Facebook. At the time (2010), the default on pages was mixed in with fans. You didn?t have to go to another page to see what fans posted. It was all on the same timeline. So, when I posted that Converse on Facebook, there were hundreds of people all over the world, using languages I don?t even know, commenting on this shoe. I had no idea the impact it would have on other people all over the world. It was crazy! I had hundreds of people requesting to be tagged on this shoe. From that, and my love of sneakers, it was a no brainer.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What year was that?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: 2010.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What is your favorite sneaker that you have made? <\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: My latest sneaker is my favorite. The Converse was cool and the Jordan was great, but this one is exactly where I want to be. I have three more sneakers that I need to finish, and they take so long so I try to release them one at a time. This particular one was started in June of last year, and I didn?t finish it until about three weeks ago. It?s a New Balance. I?m trying to keep it chronological, so I have two more (to release) prior to it. I was able to donate one to an NBA player. I have a picture of this player holding the shoe, but it is yet to be released.<\/p>\n pARlaiTin with his Air Jordan 3 Black\/Cement wire sculpture\n Parlaitin: I don?t want be exclusive. That?s the difficult thing. My goal is to make all of the Jordans, of course, but I don?t want to be so exclusive that I can?t venture to other brands. At this point, I?m trying to go down the brands and create the most influential silhouettes of each brand. I want to get all of the brands down, and then double back.<\/p>\n Sneak Peek of pARlaiTin’s Puma wire sculpture\n Snkrs Day: And then knock out all of the Jordans?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: Right. Each form of each shoe is so important. That?s why this latest one is the best. The form replicates the actual form of the shoe.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: So, how are you able to make such detailed replicas? Are there molds or drawings?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: All I need is a couple pictures for the sole, the top, and the back. I make these from a picture. There is no mold. I have a couple where I use my shoes as a guide if I actually possess the shoe, but the majority of the shoes I?ve done, I use a picture. In the process, I don?t do any drawing. In the future, I will resort to more drawing, but thus far I haven?t done any drawing. I just go at it.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Is there a sneaker that you would consider as your ?dream sneaker? to make?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: What I really want to make is a (Nike) MAG. For me, Back to the Future?<\/em>was the greatest movie as far as branding and the inspiration of the future and how it would be. Flying cars? Who thought of that in the 80s and 90s? Not only that, but they were using my birthday to travel through time [Laughs]. So. that shoe is one I would absolutely love to create.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What is the ultimate goal for the sculptures?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: I can?t make 30 in a year. I can?t make 100 in a year. I believe the medium of wire is only medium that can recreate a sneaker in its full form. So, my goal is to be the only source for the highest quality recreation of shoes. These are iconic pieces of art. I am trying to keep it as such. So, that?s my goal. I?m trying to create a movement in design, architecture, and art towards sneakers. Others have tried, but I strongly believe that wire is the only medium that can preserve these shoes the way they are truly constructed and formed. I really believe that.<\/p>\n adidas Superstar wire sculpture\n Snkrs Day: Would you like to be exhibited in art galleries, and\/or have people provide commission for specific pieces?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: I want to be commissioned for different pieces, as well as, colorways. That?s another thing. I?m trying to switch up the colors with each shoe that I make because I want to make each shoe different. I can change colorways. I can change sizes. I can even make a right or a left.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Do you strive to not make any two sneakers the same?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: I can?t [Laughs]. There?s no way. I?m not even sure if I can make a pair. That?s the difficult part. I will try because I have to. As far as making a pair, I would have to make them simultaneously. If I make one, and try to go back and make it again, it?s not going to work.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: How can people get in contact with you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Parlaitin: I?m working on a site. Hopefully, it will be up soon. They can see my work through Facebook. I have a Behance network page<\/a>.?Everything is Parlaitin – Facebook, Twitter<\/a>, instagram?-?it is all the same. I encourage everyone to wait on the new one. It is really nice! I encourage everyone to follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1 on 1 With Wire Sculpture Artist PARlaiTin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4653,"featured_media":236104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1225503],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n Close-up of the Reebok Pump wire sculpture
\n<\/p>\n pARlaiTin with Big K.R.I.T and his Converse Chuck Taylor wire sculpture\n
\nSnkrs Day: You spoke on the amount of time that it takes to create a shoe. What is the process behind selecting which shoe you want to create?<\/strong><\/p>\n