LIVE PAINTING: GIL SCOT-HERON (RIP)

This past May I was asked to perform a live painting at UCLA'S annual Jazz Reggae Fest.  Although I was not allowed to use aerosol, I decided to honor the life of poet/musician Gil Scot-Heron who had just recently passed away with an all acrylic brush painted portrait.



Here's a little timelapse video of the painting:


View more pics on the slideshow below or on my Flickr page:

DERRY BRIDGE NIGHT

Some quick action in Derry under the bridge walls.

My piece dedicated to my twin boys on their bday.

This was the last night we painted in Derry got some great shots of the River Foyle.

Pics of the rest of the homies on the slideshow below or click onto my Flickr:

ROCKING DERRY CENTER

Production we painted in the city center of Derry with TAIO (Scotland), S.Joag (NY), El Pablo (Oaktown), YIN ONE (Scotland), EASI (Derry) 2011


My character:




Locals giving us the thumbs up!



Dedicated this piece to me ma' on her Bday:


Check out the rest of the production in the slideshow below or click on my Flickr link:

DERRY SKATEPARK PAINTING

We had a quick midnight paint session at the local skatepark, Rosy Skate and Surf, the other nite.
Rocked a little piece with the fellas, here are some pics thanks to our local
latino Mr. Melvin!



Mr. Pablizzle...


Derry's most notorious...


Me and Melvin, boy he's tall!...


My final shot...


The local homies...


Signing off...


More pics here click here.

Slideshow:


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FREE DERRY WALL

Background:
"In January 1969 a local activist, John "Caker" Casey, painted a sign on a gable wall stating: "You are now entering Free Derry". When the British Home Secretary, Jim Callaghan, visited Derry in August 1969, the "Free Derry" wall was painted white and the "You are now entering Free Derry" sign was professionally re-painted in black lettering.[1] The houses on Lecky road and Fahan Street were subsequently demolished, but the wall was retained. It has been repainted at frequent intervals." -Wikipedia (more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Derry_Corner)

We were honored to be given a unique opportunity to re-paint and re-interpret our idea of freedom and civil rights on the surface of one of the most iconic landmarks in North Ireland: The Free Derry Wall. This wall is an international symbol in the fight for civil rights. We were given some boundaries for example we had to retain the slogan "You are now entering Free Derry", although we could alter the font if we so desired but it will only be up for about 2 weeks.

After getting daily doses of education about the local politics since we've arrived, we thought of a concept to shake things up a bit and force people to view the world differently through the power of art. Most murals in Derry are painted with political significance first and foremost. The aesthetic and artistic value of murals seem to be secondary and sometimes not even significant. We decided to flip that idea about murals for them. Although this wall had been temporarily painted before, the context of the wall has never really been altered. We decided to create a piece of art that would elevate this local monument and give it universal appeal and to help broaden its important message.

Below are pics of what we did.  The mural pissed off a bunch of older headstrong folk, including some older local artists who called us "VANDALS!".  I guess they felt threatened by our approach and skills with the can or just upset that we were intruding on their monopoly of the area.  I guess its not really as "FREE" a corner as they claim. At the same time it was well received by the younger generations of artists and citizens. We were able to modernize and re-contextualize a static wall into a "step in the right direction" (per national tv news station BBC).

Here's our statement:
"The theme of the newly painted wall is NEBULA, the Latin for ‘cloud’ which contextualizes the Free Derry wall and the decades long struggle for civil rights it represents in terms of universality, interconnectedness and re-creation. The intention behind adding this imagery and color to the wall is to encourage the young people of Derry to reimagine their history and present in broader, less limited terms; to take ownership over their public space; and to be the architects of a constructive future empowered rather than debilitated by the legacy of conflict and reconciliation."

American and International artists:

Man One (LA)

Pablo Cristi (SF/Bay Area)

Ernel Martinez (Philly)

Sidd Joag (NY)

Local artists:
Sean, Ray, Conner and Karl 

*Btw people in town and this part of the world haven't stopped talking about it since we completed it.

Mission accomplished.

More pics of the process and the mural on my Flickr

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SO FAR IN DERRY, NORTH IRELAND

We've been in the paper almost everyday... 

Met the mayor of Derry...

Saw some crazy murals on both sides of the river (always political)...

Drinking too much Guiness..

Managed to piss off some local artists since we got permission to repaint a local landmark...

As NWA said Fork the police...

More updates coming up...

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MY RESIDENCY IN DERRY, NORTH IRELAND

I've been invited to produce a series of workshops and murals in Derry, Northern Ireland by the the Playhouse International Culture Arts Network (ICAN) and What IF? Project.


The idea is to utilize graffiti as a tool for social change. 
I am collaborating with 3 other superb artists:

Pablo Cristi (SF/Bay Area)

Ernel Martinez (Philly)

Sidd Joag (NY)

We just completed the first week of leading a master class at the Playhouse

and a repaint of the infamous Free Derry wall. Today we are starting our 

youth workshops where we will each be working within 4 different communities

to create murals throughout the city.

My workshop consists of about a dozen local youth 16+ who will be designing

and painting the mural in the city center.

Next week the workshops will also incorporate djing, parkour, and graffiti.

Heres the official info:

This August, the Playhouse International Culture Arts Network (ICAN) and What IF? Project will bring international graffiti & mural artists to the North West. These artists will collaborate with local graffiti artists, share their expertise with local practitioners and work with young people living in interface communities of Derry-Londonderry and Moville, County Donegal.

Adult Masterclass - Graffiti & Mural Art

3^rd – 5^th August 1pm – 5pm

The international artists Man One, Pablo Cristi, Ernel Martinez and Sidd Joag will lead a master-class in Graffiti & Mural Art on Wednesday 3^rd, Thursday 4^th and Friday 5^th August 1pm – 5pm. The masterclass participants will have the opportunity to paint Free Derry Corner on Friday August 5. This class is open to all including artists, facilitators, educationalists and activists who are interested in learning graffiti skills at the same time as developing ways of using art for positive social change. This master-class is free.

Youth Art Week – Graffiti, DJing & Parkour

15th – 19^th August 11am – 3pm

The final week of the Urban Arts Project 15th – 19^th August 11am – 3pm will enable young people to participate in graffiti workshops as well as DJing and parkour. This week will be youth-led, giving the young people the opportunity to collaborate with an international and local team of artists.

If you want to participate in either the master class (Wednesday 3, Thursday 4 and Friday 5 August, 1-5pm) or the Youth Art Project, (from Monday 15 to Friday 19 August, 11am-3pm) or further information contact Elaine Forde on  02871 268027 or elaine@derryplayhouse.co.uk.

ICAN is a three year project which has been part-financed by the European Union’s Regional Development fund through EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE III) managed through Special EU Programmes Body.

More info about the project on their website:

Playhouse International Culture Arts Network

Slideshows:

1st Workshop: Master Class

More pics on my Flickr

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NEW MURAL FOR DICKIESGIRL

 I painted this 200 foot long mural in East LA last month. It was sponsored by DickiesGirl on one of their buildings and I was given pretty open range to create. I decided to create a giant MAN piece across the front with Pinky and the Brain characters standing off to one side. On the parking lot side is the second much smaller mural of about 15' x 45' with a similar theme but this time Pinky and the Brain are on the moon, "Continuing Our Invasion".

Check out the video and some pics below:

More pics here on Flickr.