My Portrait Entries

These are my portrait entries for the 2013 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and the call for entries is Sept.1- Oct 31, 2011. I appreciate the sitters who agreed to participate. Jo Ann, Venus and baby, and Jeremy are my subjects and they all have something to offer the viewer. This is why I love portraits. It is improvisational to photograph someone. The subjects have an important role in the project. There is always an energy that happens between the subject and the person behind the lens. It can be magical. These were shot with a Hasselblad 1984 with Portra 120 400S film. The backgrounds are never my concern the backgrounds are my enhancers.

Margaret Kilgallen

Margaret Kilgallen was a central figure in the SF street artists, skateboarders, surfers, and musicians who were part of a unique creative culture. She was inspired by walking around the Mission District in SF and seeing handmade vs. neon signs. Her work had its roots in American folk art, traditional typography, shop signs, street murals, underground comics and beat poetry. She was known as the artist that put together words and images into a rhythmic visual narrative. Her work has a nostalgic feel to it. She worked as a book conservator in the SF Library. She played the banjo and her street art was all done by hand without sketchbooks or masking tape. Margaret was one of my favorite artists and I really enjoyed seeing her use of random colors. She would get her paint for free from a recycling center where surplus paint was mixed and she creatively used these mixtures that other artists might cast aside. We lost her in 2001 and her work will continue to live forever.

Bansky

                                 

When Bansky is asked about his technique, he states, " I use whatever it takes." Bansky is a sought after artist from Bristol, England. His art demonstrates satirical pieces on the subjects of culture, ethics, and politics. I am a fan. The more I view the image of the girl on the stool with the rat looking up at her I bust out laughing and realize I must be one of those twisted art appreciators, because I find his work innovative, funny and profound. He has recently branched out into cinema and television. His first film, Exit Through The Gift Shop was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and he has done introductory works for the Simpsons. His images are complex and he uses stenciling technique to convey his art. His work is controversial. This does not bother me a bit.

Fab 5 Freddy

                   

           

                             




                         


            

One of NYC's most active train writers from the late 70s and early 80s is the one and only  Fred Brathwaite aka Fab 5 Freddy. He assisted Charlie Ahearn in the making of Wild Style, and was  instrumental  in bringing graffiti into the art gallery scene. He was born in Brooklyn and was also into hip-hop, and the punk rock scene. The film Wild Style showcased the cultural scene of the Bronx. When I saw a clip of Fab 5 Freddy speaking at the Geffen for the opening of Art in the Streets he was charismatic and inspirational to young artists starting out on their future art quests. Fab Freddy is the man.

Os Gemeos

Os Gemeos are twin brothers from Sao Paulo, Brazil known for their fantastic murals. Their bright yellow characters with thin little legs are unforgettable. At 7 years old, the twins discovered hip-hop. Hip-hop was  popular in Brazil in the 80s. In their neighborhood, a rough industrial area, people would dance in the streets. The twins learned to dance hip-hop, rap, DJ, and write. They have fought hard to preserve graffiti in Brazil. The twins painted and did sculptures for galleries before they became street writers. They make it clear that the gallery world is totally different than the world of street writing. One thing that street art and gallery showings have in common is the ability for people to view art and experience interaction. Dan and I enjoyed interacting with their work. The interaction was enjoyable.

NECK FACE

What I remember about Neck Face at the MOCA Art in the Streets show was his alleyway creation for recreation. He says that fear is his specialty and to walk through the alleyways was as scary as I could only imagine this to be in NYC and walking deep into the streets after dark. He states that there are some cities in the world that haven't had their spines touched by his name. He is known for the high visibility that he gets in the NYC skyline. In some of the graffiti he writes, the words  "born to lose" and "out to lunch". You can see his inspiration by heavy metal. He is a N. Calif boy and he resides in NYC and Australia. Not my favorite, but definitely a force to not mess with.  Dan loved Neck Face.

Who is Andre?

 

ANDRE is a graffiti artist from France. He began tagging the streets of Paris as a teenager, eventually becoming one of the best street artists in France. He has a boutique in Paris that houses some of his famous designs. He also owns multiple restaurants and hotels around the world. He was born in Sweden and at thirteen he became interested in writing graffiti. He began writing his name and at the time there was not a large demand for this kind of art. In France the guys did not paint trains the way they did in NY. The trains were cleaned too quickly to sustain the art. They used to paint the train stations, trucks and walls in Paris. The Paris style is interesting to me because for one, you can read it. It is simple and sustainable. He developed the stick figure above called Mr. A and it was a character that stuck with people and they could really relate to it. Andre felt that kids and grandmas could see it and this is the beauty of Andre. He wants to include others to view the art. He also started writing his girlfriend's name and other guys girlfriend's names. What started out as a joke between he and his girlfriend became future jobs for Andre. I love his stuff.

CHOLO GRAFFITI

                   

                          

One of the original Cholo Graffiti Artists is Chaz Bojorquez. His large canvas is the grey monster behind the Keith Haring car. Chaz was a hippie who started out putting names on the walls to define identity, Latino identity. This was the foundation of the Cholo Graffiti. When he saw a tag he saw a complaint and when he saw bunch of tags in the neighborhood he saw a petition. His work is fascinating and if you delve into it, you begin to understand the significance of understanding culture. He can tell you about the symbols, lettering, fonts, and the script of Teen Angel style used for drawings and tattoos. He grew up writing beautiful script letters on the side and back windows of low rider cars. Before he tagged he was taking art classes. He went to Chouinard School of Art in 67 and like the Warhol scene and the Ferus Gallery guys, Chaz did not see any Latino artists in the spotlight. Then he worked hard to develop his style, his art. He developed an image called Senor Suerte that has a lot of different styles from the 60s, the skull is Mexican, the hat on the skull represents the Black Civil Rights Movement. At the core of the work of Chaz Bojorques is cultural pride and strength.

CRASH the Godfather of Graffiti

                                                              

              

                         

                                                             

John Matos took the name CRASH and began writing graffiti on the Bronx subway lines. He joined fellow artists DONDI and FUTURA and other artists where they painted on canvas for The New Museum of Contemporary Art in Manhattan. He has traveled to Europe to paint murals. His distinctive style brings together  graffiti lettering and portraiture with Pop art, comic book backgrounds. He has done special work for Eric Clapton painting Fender Stratocaster guitars and Fender has commissioned CRASH to design his own line of guitars, the Crashocasters.

Mr. Cartoon

Mr. Cartoon's fun incredible ice cream truck was featured in the Art In The Streets LA Museum Show. Mark Machado, aka Mr. Cartoon, grew up in San Pedro, Ca. Mark Machado is a famous tattoo artist and graffiti artist who is known by the local cholo graffiti artists and the NY street artists.  He initially wrote under the name FLAME and was known for his portraiture and character paintings. Under the name Mr. Cartoon, he began painting designs on low rider cars and trucks, designing logos for album covers, and designing for the fashion industry. Producer Brian Grazer is currently planning a movie based on Mr. Cartoon. And for the record, he got his first paid job as an artist at the age of 8.

KENNY SCHARF

Kenny Scarf's cartoonish renditions of the Jetsons and Flintstones characters are often painted on huge, wall sized canvases. He has also put his magic on clothing, toys, and album covers for pop groups such as the B-52s. He recently put his art on the streets of NYC in a mural at the corner of Houston Street and the Bowery- a wall he first painted with other FUN Gallery artists in the early 80s. Kenny was highlighted as one of the greats in the  ART IN THE STREETS graffiti art show.

One of Dan's Favorite Street Artists

                  

                                                      
                    

                                          

Lee Quinones was born in Puerto Rico and became known in the graffiti world in 1976 when he and his Fab Five Crew painted a 10 car NYC subway train. Then Lee moved on to painting a handball court in his Lower East Side Neighborhood. He then moved on to works on canvas and was noticed by the European Graffiti Art Scene. His work has been featured in documentaries and he starred in Charlie Ahearn's Wild Style, playing a fictionalized version of himself and painted many of the film's backdrops. He continues to paint and collaborates in the fashion and advertising world. After studying up on Lee, I can understand Dan's interest in his work.