SALISBURY — The street artist Abstract Dissent, also known by his real name Shane Pierce, added a spray paint shop to his studio in downtown Salisbury earlier this month in hopes of providing quality spray paint for artists in the community.

When Pierce first started doing street art he was using hardware store spray paint, but once he got his hands on quality paint he noticed his art getting much better.

Pierce said another reason he wanted to start selling graffiti paint is to give people a closer option. Before, he would have to travel to Greensboro or Charlotte for quality paint.

“It’s just giving people an option. From Salisbury, it’s 43 miles to Charlotte to get graffiti paint, or it’s 49 miles to Greensboro. So there’s over a 90-mile gap where you can’t get paint for murals and that type of graffiti paint which you need if you’re going to do street art or murals,” Pierce said.

Pierce is selling cans of Montana 94 Spray Paint for $6.75 and spray can caps for 40 cents at his studio, Abstract Dissent Studio & Gallery, which is above the Touch of Grey Tattoo & Piercing Studio.

“It’s just about being a part of the scene, helping support the scene and giving people options. It just goes with the culture of being a street artist,” Pierce said.