Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Clap Your Hands Now
A brief debriefing after a most excellent movement North:
>>The idea that everybody in New York is an unfriendly crank is an obvious fallacy. Every stranger I talked to was very nice and helpful to me. The first person I talked to was the volunteer map expert in JFK who was practically too helpful and wouldn't let me go until I assured him I knew the address of my destination. He hooked it up with one of the awesome subways maps though, which I unfortunately left behind somewhere. Another rando I stopped along Atlantic avenue lead me to the G train stop I needed, out of her way and at night down some dark streets. People were especially friendly and eager to talk to me when I mentioned I lived in New Orleans. So I dropped that in most conversations too. I recommend you play that card if you can. It helped me secure a bucket of paint for free late at night. (Provisions provided with all due Props to the stranger and the One up Tops!)
>>Say what you will about "hipsters" but I think Williamsburg is great place. Of course I don't know what the place was like before all the boutique shops along Bedford ave existed but I can't apologize for that. (I did pick up a good zine a few weeks ago at the Iron Rail all about BK so I'll look around for that later). I had a really cool conversation with a chic, slightly nerdy, well-educated couple on a rooftop beneath the Williamsburg bridge one night about what a shame I thought it was that there weren't more women into graffiti and street art. And then the very next day after breakfast my friend and I turned the corner only to discover this scene:
>>In the Juxtapoz issue where they interviewed Aiko, there is a sweet full page photo of her standing next to a wall somewhere in NY with a JAM throw-up and a JESUS SAVES tag behind. I've always liked those writers and that photo and by association Aiko. That day in Williamsburg I got to meet her and watch her work. Awesome. How she filled her massive stencil was cool to learn.
>>The trip to NY this August had me thinking back to the fact-finding mission I took up to Chicago around this time last year. There I did the same kind of things, hitting up all my friends to show me around and let me crash on their couch. One day my man Patrick T. took me around Wicker Park. On Milwaukee Ave. I took his photo next to a mural of some busty cartoons holding a stereo and spray cans with the words "B GIRLS!" next to it. It's an awesome photo too. That day in BK I watched as another one of these females was formed before my very eyes. Turns out it was the same artist and that too was awesome. Her name is Shiro, She's my hero.
>>I hit up all these ladies to draw in my sketch book and before leaving town I made sure to leave that book behind somewhere. Dang. There is still hope for it coming back to me sometime, somehow though. I took these photos on my way out of town, the day after Nick and I first came across this collection of artists (they didn't call themselves a crew).
>>Check out my busted luggage. I schlepped my stuff in one of those mardi gras bead bags from the female krewe, Muses. The stereo played A Tribe Called Quest and Black Star ("whad'ju do last night?") as I made my way for the Williamsburg bridge to get to the Essex Station which then took me to Penn Station and finally a train out of town. Here's a picture of the Empire State building I took from the Bridge.
>>The idea that everybody in New York is an unfriendly crank is an obvious fallacy. Every stranger I talked to was very nice and helpful to me. The first person I talked to was the volunteer map expert in JFK who was practically too helpful and wouldn't let me go until I assured him I knew the address of my destination. He hooked it up with one of the awesome subways maps though, which I unfortunately left behind somewhere. Another rando I stopped along Atlantic avenue lead me to the G train stop I needed, out of her way and at night down some dark streets. People were especially friendly and eager to talk to me when I mentioned I lived in New Orleans. So I dropped that in most conversations too. I recommend you play that card if you can. It helped me secure a bucket of paint for free late at night. (Provisions provided with all due Props to the stranger and the One up Tops!)
>>Say what you will about "hipsters" but I think Williamsburg is great place. Of course I don't know what the place was like before all the boutique shops along Bedford ave existed but I can't apologize for that. (I did pick up a good zine a few weeks ago at the Iron Rail all about BK so I'll look around for that later). I had a really cool conversation with a chic, slightly nerdy, well-educated couple on a rooftop beneath the Williamsburg bridge one night about what a shame I thought it was that there weren't more women into graffiti and street art. And then the very next day after breakfast my friend and I turned the corner only to discover this scene:
>>In the Juxtapoz issue where they interviewed Aiko, there is a sweet full page photo of her standing next to a wall somewhere in NY with a JAM throw-up and a JESUS SAVES tag behind. I've always liked those writers and that photo and by association Aiko. That day in Williamsburg I got to meet her and watch her work. Awesome. How she filled her massive stencil was cool to learn.
>>The trip to NY this August had me thinking back to the fact-finding mission I took up to Chicago around this time last year. There I did the same kind of things, hitting up all my friends to show me around and let me crash on their couch. One day my man Patrick T. took me around Wicker Park. On Milwaukee Ave. I took his photo next to a mural of some busty cartoons holding a stereo and spray cans with the words "B GIRLS!" next to it. It's an awesome photo too. That day in BK I watched as another one of these females was formed before my very eyes. Turns out it was the same artist and that too was awesome. Her name is Shiro, She's my hero.
>>I hit up all these ladies to draw in my sketch book and before leaving town I made sure to leave that book behind somewhere. Dang. There is still hope for it coming back to me sometime, somehow though. I took these photos on my way out of town, the day after Nick and I first came across this collection of artists (they didn't call themselves a crew).
>>Check out my busted luggage. I schlepped my stuff in one of those mardi gras bead bags from the female krewe, Muses. The stereo played A Tribe Called Quest and Black Star ("whad'ju do last night?") as I made my way for the Williamsburg bridge to get to the Essex Station which then took me to Penn Station and finally a train out of town. Here's a picture of the Empire State building I took from the Bridge.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Old poems, New cover
Front
Back
Don't know how many people seeing this now ever got to see the second zine anyway. But the other day I found 7 unassembled issues as I began sorting through prints to take North. The original stencil was nowhere to be found so I cut this one up. The old one
Back
Don't know how many people seeing this now ever got to see the second zine anyway. But the other day I found 7 unassembled issues as I began sorting through prints to take North. The original stencil was nowhere to be found so I cut this one up. The old one
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
The Ogden: downtown in the CBD. My favorite museum in the city. Strapped for cash unfortunately, both me and the institution, we never get to see each other much anymore.
But last week Noah hooked it up with some special coupon for the Thursday night shendig and got me in for free. Whoo hoo.
(He's a good guy like that; gave me the shoes I have on my feet too)
Here's one thing I sketched that night. I'll post it again once I've colored it.
Clyde Hollywood's Trinity
But last week Noah hooked it up with some special coupon for the Thursday night shendig and got me in for free. Whoo hoo.
(He's a good guy like that; gave me the shoes I have on my feet too)
Here's one thing I sketched that night. I'll post it again once I've colored it.
Clyde Hollywood's Trinity
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
And here's where I'm living
Unemployment allows me to stay inside the house all day doing the art work I want to do. But to be get it done just how I want to be doing it requires me to have my place set up just so. You understand don't you? So after weeks of pack ratting and gathering furniture Ted and I have arranged the goods in a nice way and winnowed out the extra crap to make space. Here is out front room where we keep our desks and get our respective works on. Desks and fans and chairs still move continuously from room to room and keep the apartment in a state of flux but I'm very pleased so far with the progress and the chaos.
Let it be known that the subtext of this post is this is a subtle invitation for any of my friends living in New Orleans reading this now to come by and visit me here. Come check it out for yourself, Mid City is awesome
Let it be known that the subtext of this post is this is a subtle invitation for any of my friends living in New Orleans reading this now to come by and visit me here. Come check it out for yourself, Mid City is awesome
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
