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| Stenciled from a photograph I took of Tom Thomson Lake, Algonquin Park. |
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| A portrait for someone special. |
Christmas gifts
Like a lot of artists and craftspeople I have a tendency to make things as gifts for people around Christmas. Here are a couple prints from this year:
The Best of Photoist 2011
The good folks over at Torontoist have put together their picks for the year's 50 best photos from their daily user-submitted Photoist feature. I was pleased to see #33, a shot by Vic Gedris of the "Some conditions apply" stencil on Bloor West near the Railpath.
To see the other excellent photos, visit The Best of Photoist 2011.
Thanks to Vic and Torontoist. 2012 should be a great year (aside from the Mayan apocalypse).
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| Photo by Vic Gedris |
To see the other excellent photos, visit The Best of Photoist 2011.
Thanks to Vic and Torontoist. 2012 should be a great year (aside from the Mayan apocalypse).
Occupy stencils
Sean Martindale and Pascal Paquette recently invited me to paint something on the wall they secured as part of their upcoming show at the AGO's Toronto Now gallery (running from from January 21st to April 1st, 2012).
It was a bit of a stretch to fill an entire wall myself just before the holidays, and I'm not super happy with the overall result; as always, it was an experiment. But I am quite happy with the way these new stencils turned out:
They are based on photos of Occupy Toronto protesters and their signs taken by the esteemed Martin Reis. Here are some details:
The wall has already been buffed to make way for the next artist, which is probably for the best. Still, it was fun to try out painting on a legal wall. Thanks to Pascal and Sean for the opportunity and the help!
It was a bit of a stretch to fill an entire wall myself just before the holidays, and I'm not super happy with the overall result; as always, it was an experiment. But I am quite happy with the way these new stencils turned out:
They are based on photos of Occupy Toronto protesters and their signs taken by the esteemed Martin Reis. Here are some details:
The wall has already been buffed to make way for the next artist, which is probably for the best. Still, it was fun to try out painting on a legal wall. Thanks to Pascal and Sean for the opportunity and the help!
Happy holidays
Hi folks,
With the holidays upon us, things have gotten a bit quiet in this corner. I will have some new prints and public art to share after Christmas has passed, but until then, happy holidays!
things
With the holidays upon us, things have gotten a bit quiet in this corner. I will have some new prints and public art to share after Christmas has passed, but until then, happy holidays!
things
ANARCHY IN THE UK
London, UK, dec. 2011
London, UK, dec. 2011
October 2007, a girl named Dora from POW contacted me cause she wanted to get some
paintings of mine for a London show but I was just moving to New York and we didn t do it.
4 years later, the collaboration with Pictures on walls started and I m really excited to work
with the POW crew, Dora, "printer" Sam, Simon, "ex-curly" Sam and their mysterious boss.
We already did 2 prints and some special neon editions, they invited me to be part of their
Christmas show together with Evol, Paul Insect, Dran, Jimmy Cauty, Bill Barminski and Banksy
and they did their best to help me painting this big wall (16 x 8m) at Village Underground that
represent the Union Jack made of the lyrics from Anarchy in the UK. I use to listen to the Sex
Pistols when I was a 15 years old skateboarder cause my uncle was a french punk at that time ...
Thanks to my men, Kool.T and Big Addict
Photos: ©BigAddict
paintings of mine for a London show but I was just moving to New York and we didn t do it.
4 years later, the collaboration with Pictures on walls started and I m really excited to work
with the POW crew, Dora, "printer" Sam, Simon, "ex-curly" Sam and their mysterious boss.
We already did 2 prints and some special neon editions, they invited me to be part of their
Christmas show together with Evol, Paul Insect, Dran, Jimmy Cauty, Bill Barminski and Banksy
and they did their best to help me painting this big wall (16 x 8m) at Village Underground that
represent the Union Jack made of the lyrics from Anarchy in the UK. I use to listen to the Sex
Pistols when I was a 15 years old skateboarder cause my uncle was a french punk at that time ...
Thanks to my men, Kool.T and Big Addict
Photos: ©BigAddict
Graffiti in the news
Things have been a bit quiet from this corner because I've been working on a new project. Details to follow soon. But for now, the news...
First off, some local news:
The Globe and Mail: Almost all snow-clearing to be contracted out, as city hires three people to fight graffiti
"As well as the job cuts, talk of three new jobs gained attention during Tuesday's budget talks, as news surfaced that the city was hiring three people as part of its plans to fight graffiti - a campaign pledge of the mayor and a key policy since he took office.
The three positions, two project leaders and one manager, come with salaries of between $70,000 and $100,000 and were posted in late October."
Do I smell gravy? Next up, from Grand Forks, B.C.:
CBC News: RCMP admit to monitoring B.C. graffiti artist
"Dion Nordick found two surveillance cameras hidden in trees near his trailer home in June. He took them down and found pictures of himself and friends coming and going from his home.
Nordick also found hundreds of pictures of drug busts, suicides and assaults that hadn't been erased from the internal memory card."
And finally, a fun general interest piece from south of the 49th parallel (may require login?):
The New York Times: Who Made That? The Origin of Spray Paint
"Early nonradiator-painting devotees tended to split into two camps: protestors and vandals. While it is impossible to determine the first student or activist to aim an aerosol paint can at cardboard or buildings, forefathers of the latter include Cornbread and Julio 204, the Philadelphia- and New York-based artist-defacers, who took advantage of the technology to make their tags (né names) well known in the '60s and '70s. Spray paint, after all, was the ideal medium for this form of branding."
First off, some local news:
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| The Rob Ford stencil from an alley on Queen West. |
The Globe and Mail: Almost all snow-clearing to be contracted out, as city hires three people to fight graffiti
"As well as the job cuts, talk of three new jobs gained attention during Tuesday's budget talks, as news surfaced that the city was hiring three people as part of its plans to fight graffiti - a campaign pledge of the mayor and a key policy since he took office.
The three positions, two project leaders and one manager, come with salaries of between $70,000 and $100,000 and were posted in late October."
Do I smell gravy? Next up, from Grand Forks, B.C.:
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| Photo by CBC News |
CBC News: RCMP admit to monitoring B.C. graffiti artist
"Dion Nordick found two surveillance cameras hidden in trees near his trailer home in June. He took them down and found pictures of himself and friends coming and going from his home.
Nordick also found hundreds of pictures of drug busts, suicides and assaults that hadn't been erased from the internal memory card."
And finally, a fun general interest piece from south of the 49th parallel (may require login?):
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| Photo by Jens Mortensen / New York Times |
The New York Times: Who Made That? The Origin of Spray Paint
"Early nonradiator-painting devotees tended to split into two camps: protestors and vandals. While it is impossible to determine the first student or activist to aim an aerosol paint can at cardboard or buildings, forefathers of the latter include Cornbread and Julio 204, the Philadelphia- and New York-based artist-defacers, who took advantage of the technology to make their tags (né names) well known in the '60s and '70s. Spray paint, after all, was the ideal medium for this form of branding."
OFF THE WALL
Singapore, nov. 2011
Singapore, nov. 2011
This Singapore exhibition with 18 local and french artists at HELUTRANS Artspace in november 2011
was curated by WallWorks gallery from Paris, Fortune cookies projects from Singapore and Claire Piton.
I decide to go to Hong Kong before to see my friend Ceet and do some paintings in the streets before going
to a country where you can go to jail and get beat with a stick only for a single tag on a wall. We did a piece
with Uncle a local Hong Kong writer and some throw ups.
Then we flew with Kongo and Ceet to Singapore where the rest of the crew joined us, Alex, Lazoo, Fenx,
Gilbert, Colorz and Sonic from New York.
The day after the opening we gat a chance to paint with prisoners in one of the biggest jail of Singapore.
Some of the guys who were there gat 20 years to stay in that place and to see their eyes when they were painting
on a wall with people coming from outside,was really intense. That was for sure, my best Singapore experience ...
was curated by WallWorks gallery from Paris, Fortune cookies projects from Singapore and Claire Piton.
I decide to go to Hong Kong before to see my friend Ceet and do some paintings in the streets before going
to a country where you can go to jail and get beat with a stick only for a single tag on a wall. We did a piece
with Uncle a local Hong Kong writer and some throw ups.
Then we flew with Kongo and Ceet to Singapore where the rest of the crew joined us, Alex, Lazoo, Fenx,
Gilbert, Colorz and Sonic from New York.
The day after the opening we gat a chance to paint with prisoners in one of the biggest jail of Singapore.
Some of the guys who were there gat 20 years to stay in that place and to see their eyes when they were painting
on a wall with people coming from outside,was really intense. That was for sure, my best Singapore experience ...
It's a bird, it's a plane...
Look up, wayyyy up, at the corner of Lansdowne and Bloor:
The stencil goes over an old ALFA roller piece that was recently buffed. ALFA's untimely death in 2005 really struck a nerve with graffiti artists near and far; it was the first time a local writer had died on the job.
I tried to write "RIP ALFA" to the side of Super Grover, but my freehand lettering still kind of sucks, so I buffed it out. A shitty tribute is no tribute at all, am I right? I invite anyone with better skills to climb up there and do it right. In the meantime, I will keep working on mine.
RIP ALFA, Bardia Bryan Zargham.
Affordable housing
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This one probably deserves a [subtle] tag, but anyway, here's a new stencil I placed on some condo billboards downtown.
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| Bay and St. Mary |
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| Queen and Dovercourt |
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| King and Tecumseth |
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| Howard Park and Roncesvalles |
Graffiti in the news
Toronto edition...
BlogTO - DIY funhouse revitalizes Toronto phone booth
"Spotted yesterday on Christie just north of Dupont, this DIY mini-funhouse, complete with wacky mirrors, proved quite the lure for those passing by."
Torontoist - Off The Wall: Tapr
"Tapr is to graffiti art what a brawler is to the sweet science of boxing. Pound for pound, brawlers may lack the grace of swift-footed pugilists, but they make up for it with a swarm of rock solid punches.
What Tapr lacks artistically, he makes up for with the graffiti equivalent of a swift jab: the tag."
Some funny comments on that article. For the record, I think tagging is just fine.
Senses Lost - Sizeo Interview
"As an outsider to the Toronto scene I get to see the good and bad of our city. Graffiti is alive and very well here, even with the newly elected slob's eradication plan, we have style masters pushing boundaries, on walls and freights, transit gets done, the streets get some serious love. Comparing Toronto to other cities is little shitty; like I said it's not where you're from it's where you're at!"
Amen to that.
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| Photo courtesy of BlogTO |
BlogTO - DIY funhouse revitalizes Toronto phone booth
"Spotted yesterday on Christie just north of Dupont, this DIY mini-funhouse, complete with wacky mirrors, proved quite the lure for those passing by."
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| Photo by Tapr / Torontoist |
Torontoist - Off The Wall: Tapr
"Tapr is to graffiti art what a brawler is to the sweet science of boxing. Pound for pound, brawlers may lack the grace of swift-footed pugilists, but they make up for it with a swarm of rock solid punches.
What Tapr lacks artistically, he makes up for with the graffiti equivalent of a swift jab: the tag."
Some funny comments on that article. For the record, I think tagging is just fine.
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| Photo courtesy of Senses Lost |
Senses Lost - Sizeo Interview
"As an outsider to the Toronto scene I get to see the good and bad of our city. Graffiti is alive and very well here, even with the newly elected slob's eradication plan, we have style masters pushing boundaries, on walls and freights, transit gets done, the streets get some serious love. Comparing Toronto to other cities is little shitty; like I said it's not where you're from it's where you're at!"
Amen to that.
Super Grover III
Martin Reis recently took some great photos of the third Super Grover up at Ossington and Davenport.
Here are a few highlights:
He also got some nice close-ups of the first Super Grover at Dundas and Sorauren:
Love to see how that wall is filling up again.
And with all of these photos piling up, Martin created a 'THINGS' set on Flickr to gather everything he has shot in one place. Right now there are 45 photos stretching back 6.5 years. Much obliged.
Here are a few highlights:
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
He also got some nice close-ups of the first Super Grover at Dundas and Sorauren:
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
Love to see how that wall is filling up again.
And with all of these photos piling up, Martin created a 'THINGS' set on Flickr to gather everything he has shot in one place. Right now there are 45 photos stretching back 6.5 years. Much obliged.
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