Leif McIlwaine was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. At 12 years old, Leif caught his first glimpse of good graffiti while in Barcelona. After seeing such amazing colors, characters, and text, Leif decided that this was what he would devote his life to. He has been improving and testing his skills ever since and his explosive style and surprisingly simple technique continues to be a crowd favorite. Leif is also known for opening Brooklyn’s only a graffiti art supply store and gallery, AlphaBeta, in 2008.