Saturday, November 4, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT SaTurDay eT aL in BiSBee, aRiZoNa! - Saturday, November 4, 2017

Hello there street art lovers,

Yes, yes, I know it's been a while since I last checked in with you, but a lot has been going on. Check this out:

Artist unattributed, EXIT ONLY, paint on standing wall in Bisbee, Arizona



I recently took a trip to Arizona and made a point to visit a tiny little town built on a hill called Bisbee. I found these evidences of countercultural street art on stray walls therein. Here's a colorful wall. You go through the EXIT ONLY door and you see the other side:

Artist unattributed, When the Doors of Perception _ensed Thre Are No Limits, paint on remnant wall.


















We got there in the morning so the light was playing havoc with the camera, but you do what you can.

Artist unattributed, BLUE LAND OF MAGIC AND PEACE, paint on retaining wall.














It's not all about psychedelic experience there. Here's a peaceful, meditative scene in blue. We have an enlightened being, a butterfly, a mage, an elf fiddler, a sky god, and assorted others enjoying life somewhere under the rainbow.

Artist unattributed, Alley Windows, paint on brick wall.























And the good folk of this building found that if you can't plant and place flowers in the windows off your alley, just paint them on.

It's not all John McCain, conservative politics, and free and EZ gun shops in Arizona. You can ride your motorcycle with your hair blowin' in the wind if you so choose. The whole state was a literal breath of fresh air for this claustrophobic and cynical Angeleno.

I got more to throw up on the wall here along with sarcastic commentary, but I'll save something for another day or two. Just thought I'd offer something for those still bothering to check in now and then...

God bless you and God damn the bad, evil stuff (but Evel Knieval was OK).

Love,
Pops





Thursday, March 30, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWood! w/Malibu Evening Pic of the Day - Thursday, 3/30/2017

Dear Friends and Street Art Lovers,

I got your Best Girl for this week ... ready for her?

Artist Evan Mendel, Yellow Imagination Break-Out on Western, paint on GNC building.
















You cannot miss this dreamy adolescent girl as you traverse up Western Avenue, just off 2nd Street. She apparently lives in a gray, monochromatic underworld, but her mind explodes in brightness and color. So what do you see in those shapes in the torrent of yellow, red, and blue? Be careful of what you say ... probably says more about you than it does about her.

I was back visiting my old parking lot space at the campus of "Malibu Community College." Could not help snapping off a seascape for old time's sake to share:

























I was there to hear a lecture by Niall Ferguson who was guest lecturing on the application of history to our current political state. The primary takeaway for me was beware of false historical analogies that  a man's political enemies would propose. If we were in a true fascist regime (as many seem to believe we are), the two federal judges who struck down those controversial executive orders would be dead now. And if I were the tyrant, I'd make sure their times of death coincided, just to make a point.

I'm glad to see the check-and-balance clockwork that the Founders put together, actually works. In my lifetime I've seen the impeachment mechanism fired up and set in motion, and each time we marveled, "Hey, it works!" So, relax. As long as everybody does their job and follows the script, it'll be OK. Maybe other business doesn't get done, but at least we don't go over the deep end.

Have a wonderful rest of your Thursday people.

Love,
Pops



Friday, March 24, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! Friday, March 24, 2017 (belated)

Dear Street Art Lovers,

Today we wander outside of East Hollywood over into Hollywood Proper, just because I have something nice to show you from our "Out of Bounds Gallery."

Artist "colombia," Two-Faced Sun, paint on burrito shack.
A few weeks ago a was traveling along Santa Monica on my way to Malibu one morning and traffic stopped me alongside this burrito shack about at Highland. I looked to the right and saw such a pleasant "sun" greeting me with the rise, that I had to pull over and take the shot.

We've got the maker's mark there, signed "colombia."

These roadside eateries are all open window, so muralists who paint them basically have to fill up little panels that below and beside large wall openings, and that goodness for us that they do!

This shack is sunshine yellow overall and you can help but feeling all warm and new and like it's a fresh beginning when you are here taking it all in. The guy was cleaning and not ready for business, otherwise I would have tried buying something to eat. Guess I'll have to go back later.

There are five shots overall in this set. Hope you enjoy them.





























































The duality of sun and moon is in everything here although we seem to be in the kingdom of the sun for the most part (bright yellow). All of the flora vibrates with energy. A perfect bouquet from a street artist to usher in our first week of spring in Angel City.

Take care of yourselves because I love you.

Peace,
Pops




Thursday, March 9, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! Thursday, March 9, 2017

Dear Street Art Lovers,

Today I'd like to present a set of four smaller-focus works. Notice I said "focus." These are all pretty big, size wise, but they don't have quite as much development as other things that I tend to throw up on the wall here.

Artist unattributed, Lord Is My Shield, paint on storage building.




























This one is found on Heliotrope Drive, on the side of a shed that has been a bike shop, a gift store, a storage place, and many other things over the years. It's one of those works that are 50% poetry and 50% visual, rather like Chinese scroll paintings that have poetry on them. A limited palette here, as you will see on the others as well.

Artist Kim Do?, Monochrome Aquarium, paint on beauty supply outlet.













This here is to be found on a beauty supply store in nearby K-Town. We've got an artist's mark there, as well as a phone number. (The family name looks like Kim to me, but I think there's maybe one stroke too many for that to be the case.) Apologies... This here is entire store front in just plain black and white--it's quite striking to walk past it on a bright sunny day as I did. It's a ink-splashy aquarium of a sort.












Artist Heck2Late, My Name, paint on riot doors.











Here on Hollywood Blvd. we've got more adornment of a commercial building. This is name art on roll-up steel riot doors. Limited palatte of brown and gold. Us Old-School Long Beach State alums relate to these colors (used to be our athletic colors). There's other name art facing this parking lot, but this is the most expertly executed of them all.
































And here's a reprise of a work on Melrose that I presented before, but when I drove by this last weekend I noticed they got rid of the iron fence they previously had in front of it. So here is Spy vs. Spy by Jerkface once again, unimpeded.  Again a near monochromatic palette.

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful week as we wind down to the end. I've got a band concert to play this Sunday afternoon. I'd invite you, but nobody ever comes. Unfortunately when the ol' bassoon goes into the case afterward, it's going to stay there for several months (or possibly years) as I have to spend time other projects of life that must be dealt with. It's been fun finding my "fagotto soul" over the last decade and a half, but you learn that episodes, interests, and even people in your live have a season, and you must know when something else calls you to its attention.

We'll see you next week with more art God willing and the crick don' rise...

Love,
Pops














Thursday, March 2, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! Thursday, March 2, 2017

Dear Street Art Lovers, as well as those who love other things:

Since we just moved off Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, let's move on to some art in a tradition that is contemplative, but wants to get you away from all that "downer" bad stuff [and the "upper" good stuff too, cuz that apparently causes suffering eventually too ...].

Artist Amanda Giacomini, 10,000 Buddhas, paint on old building.






































Join the crowd of enlightened beings and let's get past all this suffering. There's a meditation center around the corner from my house which I have mentioned before. There used to be a memorial portrait of a dead member named Curtis on this wall, but I suppose he's been memorialized enough and art is a river in this part of town, especially street art. It all passes by, so enjoy it while you've got it.



Didn't take much digging to find out that this is part of a larger project by this artist to paint 10,000 Buddhas. If figure on this wall, she's gotten about maybe, 340 toward goal? See her website.

If you're thinking the term "10,000 Buddhas" sounds vaguely familiar, there are monasteries in Hong
Kong and Ukiah, California, a pagoda, and a cave in China with old wall paintings that all sport this name. What they all have in common is, you guessed it, a lot of representations of the Buddha in one place.

But why "10,000?" If you know some Asian languages, 10,000 is the term that stands in culturally for the concept "really big," kind of like "million" does it for us Americans. Hence: "I feel like a million bucks!" "Thanks a million!" I guess there's been less inflation in Asian countries...

Anyway, here's to that artist's meeting her ambition of painting 10K, cuz ambition and the celebration of excess are primary Buddhist virtues right?

Anyway, gotta go and pay the rent.

Love,
Pops



Friday, February 24, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! Thursday, February 23, 2017

Hello Street Art Lovers and assorted hangers on,

You thought this blog died didn't you? Admit it. Well frankly it's been a bit dead since I've been ill and also on vacation at times. Well, I'm putting it on life support and let's see how it goes shall we?

Since I was last here ringing in the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Chicken (or Rooster for the andro-centric among you) has come and gone. But it's a good segue into today's mural sharings:

Artist: Conical Chicken Master or Atlas, Year of the Chickens and Cats, paint on laundromat (2016).

























We've seen this guy's stuff before. He did the pizza parlor nearby. He also did some of those massive two-storey murals down at the Willowbrook shopping mall/swap meet. These happy cats and blank-faced chickens are his trademark. I think this is is the maker's mark, Atlas, but I like to call him "The Conical Chicken  Master." It fits, no?

These are all found on the laundromat down the street from my house at Edgemont and Melrose. I keep tellin' you, that corner is just awash with wall art. Ya gotta get there sometime, really.


























More chickens! What the hell are they a-lookin' at?


























Another chicken! Another cat!  These three panels are all paint-overs of pics I've shown you before. In fact, just dial backward to the previous post and you'll what used to be here.

But hey, it's not all felicitous cats and stoic chickens here in East Hollywood. We are a community of religion and prayer too. Witness these devotional hands, with rosary, and a lucky number 7 thereon as well.

I smell the influence of master painter and engraver Albrecht Durer, don't you?  I mean look at the hand in the back, and the color even...

It's all good. In art, you should always steal from the best.


For those of you who wondered where I've been on vacation, I took a pilgrimage trip to the Holy Land. It's so cliche to say, but it was a religious experience--yeah, kinda self-evident, no?  I mean, if it weren't, I should ask for my money back right?

I won't bore you with pics today, but just wanted to drop in, say hello, and give you some art only a day late. How's that? Glad to see you too.

Have a wonderful weekend kids.

Love,
Pops


Hey, I almost forgot this last piece on the wall in the parking lot. Enjoy!










Thursday, January 5, 2017

iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! Thursday, January 5, 2017

Hello Street Art Lovers,

Yeah, it's been a month. Been on vacation, chronically ill, preoccupied with work and family issues, blah, blah. But we're starting off another year of looking at the street art of East Hollywood and its adjacent environs.

Artist "Birdman of East Holly," Birds with Geometric Pattern, paint on laundromat (one of four panels)

























There's this one muralist who must be a local because I see his signature conical bird characters everywhere. I've had his stuff up on this blog at least 3 times. I'm going to call him the "Birdman of East Holly" (never signs his name).

Just two blocks from where I live is a laundromat on the corner. It's on old Art Deco style commercial building of modest pretension that has been purposed for many businesses since I was a kid through my turning into an old man. It has four segregated panel areas which makes it irresistible as a
"quadriptych" to an artist.

The images that I show here no longer exist. The Birdman has painted over them with new content which I will share at a later date, but these colorful, symbolic, almost mystical images had been there for years.



























Here we have a torn background, swirls of color, and a 3-D Star of David.































Four more of these crazy birds, the geometric pattern, the torn background continues and framing lines here and there.







































And people in a cityscape of high-rises... By the way, the leaves are not part of mural.






























A close-up detail of the citizens. This is obviously a happy town, or we've caught them on a good day.

I think Birdman is something of a neo-Cubist, don't you? I'll trundle on down, snap a few pics, and show you what's there now, maybe next week? We'll see how the schedule shapes up.

Until then, hang in there.

Love,
Pops