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Graf

I found this article today. Some of you might be interested in it. It's a good read.

The graffiti wall at Fifth and Cecil B. Moore is an underground icon, a “permission wall” where property owners give graffiti writers free reign to display their talent.

The wall itself is really three continuous walls: a half-block of Fifth north of Cecil B. Moore, the entire block of Cecil B. between Fifth and Germantown, and a half-block of Germantown north of Cecil B. It’s been painted continually since the ’80s, changing constantly as one mural piece eventually gets swallowed by another.

That’s about to change. The property was recently sold to a developer, who plans to build townhouses on the site.




At 8 a.m. on a foggy gray Saturday a graffiti crew gathers at the wall. This is one of the last times it’ll get painted. There’s a slight breeze to cut the already muggy heat. The shredded plastic bags that cling to the coils of razor wire topping the wall sway along with it. The sidewalk along the wall is covered in spilled paint and scrawled names. The crew pulls tall weeds sprouting from the wall’s base, tossing them in mounting piles at the curb.

The writing on the wall isn’t careless doodles made while one eye watches for cops. These paintings are mural-sized and fully realized. Much of the work, done in DayGlo abstraction, resembles ancient Mayan glyphs, while other pieces look more like cartoon panels. Some of the portraits are so stunningly realistic they land on the eye like a punch, sometimes even clogging up afternoon traffic on Fifth Street as drivers slow to get a closer look.

Off to the side of some of the more accomplished work are the names that identify the artists: “TAME ONE,” “BOOM SKWAD,” “SHAO LINZ FINEST” and “NIGHT LIFE SUPERHEROES.”

For a while after the wall is freshly painted it stays pristine, though it’s hard to say for exactly how long.

After somebody breaks this invisible seal with a squiggled magic marker tag, another tag soon appears, and then another after that. Within days the entire wall is covered in scribbles that swarm the larger conceptual pieces.

The truly supreme work is the last to get touched. The artists behind these pieces are well known—even revered—so their work lasts the longest.

“Those are the little kids,” says crew leader XSR of the scribblers with the magic markers. “They want to get their name up on the wall next to someone well known. It’s a way to build your reputation up. They don’t mean any disrespect.”

XSR (who, like all the graffiti artists here, wants to keep his real name a secret from cops or anyone else who might take issue with what he does) is a rough-looking 26-year-old from Kensington who now lives in the Northeast. Most of his boys are from the Northeast as well, and are similarly rugged.

XSR’s arms are covered in tattoos that express affiliation with the local hardcore scene. He wears a black Dropkick Murphys T-shirt, black New Balance trainers and paint-spattered brown pants. Though he’s been painting walls for nearly 12 years, he’s never painted on the one at Cecil B. Moore before.

He says Philadelphia writers sometimes cross out work by artists from other cities. The wall has featured work by artists from New York, New Jersey and Delaware. Even the famed Seventh Letter Crew—as in the seventh letter in the alphabet, or “G” for graffiti—came all the way from Los Angeles to paint here.

XSR’s stated mission in repainting the wall is to fill it with native Philadelphia artists exclusively. Though XSR expresses respect for visiting artists, he wants to bring the wall back to Philly for a final encore before it disappears for good.

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The rest of the article is here: link. It also includes some photos.
 
^
I'm loving this one, linked from the above:


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source
 
some dope ass fucking videos!

first, this man is the illest korean on planet earth!
read all about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Choe
Whales & Orgies is an intimate portrayal of Dave Choe, a Los Angeles graffiti artist. The documentary exposes the artist's talent, philosophies, and excitement for graffiti art. Viewed as "destructive" and a "nuisance" by mainstream society, graffiti art and its significance are demonstrated and explained through Dave Choe's perspective from the underground.
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http://www.ifilm.com/video/974448

2nd, this man writes the sickest name on planet earth, neckface!

Neck Face is a graffiti artist born in 1984 in Stockton, California. He is known for his clear and uniquely frightening drawing style. His artistic values and style of working is often compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat
read more about this fascinating individual @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_Face then watch this..... http://www.vbs.tv/player.php?bctid=687000855&bccl=NDEyNDcwMTU1X19FVEM

and last, LA legend ZES, getting down on the urban gymnastic tip crushing LA l
http://www.knowngallery.com/blog/post/the-seventh-day-project-zeser

<3
 
Chicago66 said:
toy is more than just being unskilled. toy can be doing stupid things too....like painting a church or a house is a pretty toy-ish thing to do.
i would almost say that (at least in chicago) being a toy is more about doing stupid shit than it is about your general skill...and i say this because there are plenty of people who just aren't that good at graf but they still go out every night and bomb with the best of them. and the more up you get the better you get. it just takes practice.
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yeah thats what i thought toy was mainly about. More so disrespecting the art and scene itself that toys do to make true graffers look bad.

This is my 3rd piece. I wasn't going to post it cos it's not very good but i posted my 1st one and that was utter shit and it's better than that one but just not as good as my 2nd so why not :p

DSC02334.jpg


I used cheap paints so theres a bit of running and i didnt give myself enough room, the swirl isnt round enough and i outlined my background and not my letters and i just see so many mistakes in it but i tried a different style and two tone colours but my 4th piece is going to be one in this style but improved from all the fuck ups i can see so clearly in this one.

Thanks for all your imputs on this topic guys :)
 
This is my 4th piece that i did on the weekend. Not as good as no 2 but better than no 3 i guess. I had a hissy fit while painting this one and threw the can on the ground saying "It's not working! I quit!" haha

DSC02798.jpg
 
Just wanted to share my others...

no 5...

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no 6...

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my 1st production with my fella and a few mates...

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ie my 7th one...

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^^ highlights and keyline were done by my man however (I was pretty pissed at him for just finishing it cos it was a piece we were doing together - i know i wouldnt have done a good job like he did but i still wanted to finish it myself) ugh

no 8...

DSC03278.jpg


^^ I think i found my own style finally... well sorta kinda maybe... i don't know... I did this with no help at all and think it's very "me"

wheres everyone elses? i wanna see more!! =D
 
you're progressing quite nicely! even in the first and second pics, theres a lot of improvement. someones been practicing! you're lucky to have someone so close to you who knows what they're doing.

i'll post a bunch of pics from peices i my area soon. i like documenting them as they come and go. i'm too paranoid to reveal myself however, they've been upping patrols around here lately. i'm still toy status so yer not missing much.

delta_9 said:
I don't like "tagging" and I never have, but I think there's a difference between "tagging" and true graffiti art. I've seen some pretty amazing pieces around my city.
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Tagging is an essential part of "true" graffiti art. It's all self advertisement/property reclamation/whatever meaning you instill. It's the same exact thing....except the amount of effort.

And for you people whining about how people have to paint over it, you should realize whole companies are formed around the concept of graffiti removal. Without graff a lot of people lose jobs. Read the article in the last Rolling Stone about how the FBI is manufacturing fear and think about whether or not I write my name or a message on a wall is really an issue.


I do however respect private property. I won't write on someones house, or even a wall dividing their house from a main road. Property owned by conglomerates, international companies, etc are fair game.
 
I forgot to keep my promise.

I went out today, camera in hand, ready to shoot all the new stuff that's been up since the vandal squad came and painted a fresh canvas for everyone, only to remember some asshole swiped my memory card. :(

anyway, these were all taken almost a year ago:
I think rans is the dopest writer around here, every one of his pieces he busts out this completely new style, and they're all pretty.
rans.jpg


shucks, if i ever catch that boxer fuck hes gonna get it. i'm pretty sure he's the same fuck that goes around spraying bright green lines all the way across a bunch of peices, it pisses me off.
shucks.jpg


rifle
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havek
havek.jpg


eksam/exam
eksam.jpg


char.jpg


shmuk
eggggg.jpg


some character
dude.jpg




if i ever get another memory card i'll put more up. there's some wicked ones out there right now. i love having a free art gallery as a back yard.=D
 
didnt know there was a graff section on bluelight. but im glad i found it! its nice to see some fellow writers and people who appreciate it.
 
Post pics man. You know you want the attention! Forget this PM nonsense. Enquiring minds need to see... and hate Myspace with a passion :)
 
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