Brenden (Boe) Ostbo isn’t just a dedicated Seattle DJ, local nightlife lover, or part-time meme expert. He’s also a skilled artist in the exotic practice of body painting. More widely known by the title THIQ JAMES, Boe and I recently met at an EDM event in Seattle. Over a few drinks, we got to talking about music and art. Soon enough he was painting me a mental picture of his past life as a graffiti tagger, and how it led him to be the artist he is today.
After swiping through a gallery of pictures from his most recent paint session, I knew I wanted to find out more about Boe and his story. Discovering new and interesting artists is one of my favorite things to do, and Seattle has never failed to bring about its share of creative talent. Take a look through the gallery above to see THIQ JAMES’ latest paint session, shot by Zoe Visuals, and stay tuned for an interview to come!
“I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger. I started doing graffiti when I was twelve and eventually ended up catching a felony for it when I turned eighteen. That was when I knew I had to turn my artistic abilities toward something else. So, I started doing body painting just as a goof at parties, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. Art has saved my life. I wouldn’t even be here now if it wasn’t for this.”
