Peace

 Posted by on March 31, 2014
Mar 312014
 

154 McAllister Street
Civic Center

Peace by Reka

 

According to Reka’s own website:

James Reka – Melbourne, Australia

Self-taught artist

James Reka is a young contemporary Australian artist based in Berlin, Germany. His origins lie in the alleyways and train lines of Melbourne’s inner-suburbs where he spent over a decade refining his now-emblematic aesthetic. His character work has come to represent the beginnings of a new style of street art: clean, unique and not necessarily on the street (much to his mother’s joy). With influences in pop culture, cartoons and illustration, Reka’s style has become known for its fusion of high and low art. This style emerged from his Pop-Art-influenced logo design background, featuring simple but striking lines and colour ways. Over time, the logos and symbols he created for clients evolved into more structured, animated forms and embraced variances of the different media he began experimenting with.

This is Reka’s art: a paradox between sharp design and graffiti, held together with a fuse of passion and spray paint.

Reka

 

This installation was a result of Reka’s show at White Walls Gallery titled 3am Femmes.  The show ran October 12 – November 2, 2013.

Os Gemeos, Bode and The Warfield

 Posted by on January 27, 2014
Jan 272014
 

Taylor and Turk
The Tenderloin

Os Gemeos and Mark Bode

This fun mural was finished in September of 2013.  It is a collaboration between Os Gemeos and Mark Bode, both whom have been in this site before.

This whimsical piece sits on the back of the Warfield Theater on Market street.  The two cousins from Brazil and San Francisco artist Mark Bode  painted this mural which includes one of Os Gemeos’ characters and the iconic comic character “Cheech Wizard” created by Mark’s father Vaughn Bodé in 1957.

Cheech WizaardCheech Wizard

The wall was organized by the Luggage Store Gallery and Wallspace SF.

Os Gemeos and Mark Bode Collaborate at the Warfield in San Francisco

A Peacock Awes the Tenderloin

 Posted by on May 20, 2013
May 202013
 

Geary and Leavenworth
The Tenderloin

Peacock on Leavenworth

This phenomenal peacock is by Satyr-1, who has been in this website many times. Satyr-1 is a professional artist who has long since left the ideas of “tagging” behind for commissioned projects in defined spaces with the support of building owners.  His work made a difficult transition, but it mirrors the challenges faced by many other artists in todays street art culture.

Peacock by Satyr on Leavenworth

*

Peacock mural on Leavenworth

Live Life Love

 Posted by on May 13, 2013
May 132013
 

6th and Natoma
SOMA

Live Love Life by Rattlecan Blaster

Live Life Love is by Laser Punch and the Rattlecan Blasters, who have been on this website before. Laserpunch and the Rattlecan Blasters consists of 2 graffiti artists, Camer1 from San Francisco, CA and Fasm from Modesto, CA. The Duo teams up frequently to paint church youth rooms and do art shows.

The mural is covered in sayings such as:

Love is Kind
Love is Patient
It does not Boast

Love does not Envy
Love rejoices in the truth, it always protects
Love always perseveres

rattlecan blasters on 6th street

Mid Market Sees Black and White

 Posted by on April 8, 2013
Apr 082013
 

1125 Market Street
Mid Market Area

Feral Child by Cannon Dill

This piece is a collaboration of Cannon Dill and Feral Child. Cannon Dill is from Mill Valley and presently lives in Oakland. Feral Child is a California based artist who has been working in the streets for the past five years. Influenced by folk art, activism, and the geometry within nature.

These two have been collaborating around the bay area lately with a artist well known to this website, Zio Ziegler.

DSC_1970

Strong Roots, Healthy Tree

 Posted by on January 25, 2013
Jan 252013
 

Olive and Polk
The Tenderloin

Strong Roots Healthy Tree

This mural was done in 1989.  It is titled Strong Roots, Healthy Tree and is by Johanna Poethig who intertwined images from Laotian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian cultures.  Johanna is responsible for numerous pieces of public art around San Francisco

Johanna Poethig*

Southeast Refugee Resettlement*

Mural at Olive and Polk in San Francisco

Since the 1970s, a growing number of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian immigrants have settled in the Tenderloin. The first large migration of Vietnamese into the United States came in the 1970s with elites who fled their home country after the fall of Saigon in 1975. The second wave of immigrants to enter the city in the 1970s consisted of a group of people who have been labeled the “boat people.” Most of these Vietnamese immigrants are ethnic Chinese. These immigrants were attracted to the Tenderloin area by its low rents and high rates of tenant turnover. The influx of Vietnamese, as well as Cambodian and Laotian families to this district has added a family element to the area, with children and youth making up a growing proportion of a community with few open spaces. It has also led to an increase in nonprofit agencies serving a wide range of the community’s needs.

The mural was funded by private donations and sits on the back of the building that once housed the Southeast Refugee Resettlement organization.  It is 40 X 60 ‘

Old Time Fun

 Posted by on January 24, 2013
Jan 242013
 

Frank Norris Street (aka as Austin) and Polk
The Tenderloin

The Carnaval by Mike Shine

Mike Shine is an artist who lives and paints in Bolinas, California. With no formal art school training, his background instead includes fine woodworking, furniture and cabinet making: skills that often appear in his artwork. He typically creates using driftwood and found objects, and many of his works invite (and even require) the observer to handle and operate them, something he considers contrary to the sterile “please donʼt touch” world of museums and galleries.

For the last few years Mike has used painting to explore the metaphor of a childhood deal with the devil, recalled only through driftwood artifacts that he collects on the beach. In between surf sessions, Mike gathers this driftwood and slowly pieces together a dark memory. As a successful artist and family man, Mike suspects that the clown-devil of his childhood might be waiting to collect on an ancient pact. Drawing from mythological characters, nautical themes, and unconventional portraiture, Mike unfolds the memory of an event that may have foretold his adult life.

Mike Shine’s website is very unique and well worth a visit.

Mike Shine at White Walls*

Accordian Player on Frank Norris Street*

Old Time mural on Frank Norris

 

 

Taking Life Lying Down

 Posted by on January 23, 2013
Jan 232013
 

100 Block of Hemlock
The Tenderloin

Spencer Keeton Cunningham

This Native American is by Spencer Keeton Cuningham. Cunningham is responsible for another  Native American mural in the tenderloin.

Cunningham is a member of the Indigenous Arts Coalition, a Bay Area organization started in 2008 that advocates for Native American artists.

Spencer Keeton Cunningham

Spencer Keeton Cunningham (Nez Perce) is originally from Portland, Oregon and along with drawing and painting, he shoots experimental and documentary films. He graduated from SFAI with a BFA in Printmaking in May 2010. Spencer currently works at White Walls Gallery in Central San Francisco. Since 2010, Spencer has shown his prints and drawings internationally in Canada, and most recently Japan, all the while collaborating with Internationally recognized artists such as ROA and Ben Eine.

Nico Berry on York Street

 Posted by on January 22, 2013
Jan 222013
 

1354 York Street
Mission/Potrero

Mural at 1354 York Street in San Francisco

This mural is part of the San Francisco StreetSmARTS program and was done by Nico Berry.

Nico Berry’s cultural perspective is shaped by his encounters with hip-hop, skateboarding, and urban youth culture while growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Over the years he has also become interested in exploring the role of culture, community, class, and religion, especially in the context of urban life. Aesthetically, Nico’s prolific experience in graphic design is extremely evident. Lettering, patterns, and the appropriation of pop and religious symbolism dominate his work. The media he works with include spray-paint, collage, sculptural elements, and acrylic paints as well as digital designing.

Nico worked as art director for Thrasher skateboard magazine from 1996-2001, then traveled the world creating murals on five different continents. From 2002-2007 Nico created fine art and worked as a freelance graphic designer in Brooklyn, New York. He contributed to a wide range of companies, from Timberland boots and apparel to The Source hip-hop magazine to Fermilab’s high-energy physics facility. In 2007 he relocated to San Francisco where he continues to do murals, design work, and fine art. Most recently he has focused his attention on writing and illustrating children’s books.

Car Mural on York Street

 

 

Shapes and Letters

 Posted by on January 21, 2013
Jan 212013
 

751 and 780 Valencia at 19th
The Mission

Jonathan Matas

This mural, consisting of shapes, numbers and letters, is by 24 year old SF resident, Jonathan Matas. In 2012 Jonathan did an interview with a group in Atlanta while participating in a show called Living Walls.

Here is a few interesting excerpts from the article:

I have been painting all my life. Like all kids, I made art, but I kept on going, nonstop. It has always been my passion. The only time in my life that I stopped was last year for about six months, that was an excellent break and I came back with renewed energy and focus.

I got into graffiti around 1999. I don’t remember the term “street art” being used much. It was just straight up graffiti… tags, throw-ups, pieces, streets, freights… I started to notice the graffiti around my neighborhood in Seattle. I switched high schools in 10th grade to the NOVA Project (an alternative high school in Seattle’s Central District), where I started meeting writers from all parts of the city.

Shapes and Letters by Matas

I’m definitley not able to see the completed image in my head before beginning. I have a naturally-occurring tendency toward detail. I enjoy art that can sink in over time, with many layers of meaning and depth to explore. For example, from a distance or up close, or the whole piece as a macrocosm containing microcosmic worlds.

As any artist will tell you, knowing when to stop is difficult. All projects are different. Usually, when I arrive at a point when I’m looking for stuff to add rather than doing what jumps out as needing doing, it is time to stop. If you go further, it is acting out of impulsivity or even greed. Intuitively knowing it’s time to stop but continuing is madness. There are no clear dogmatic rules to this though.

Mural at 780 Valencia in San Francisco

 

750 Mission

Jonathan Matas

 

*

Faces at 780 Valencia Mural780 Mission

 

2 Bears in the Haight

 Posted by on January 7, 2013
Jan 072013
 

226 Filmore between Haight and Waller
The Haight

Ericailcane 2 Bears in the Filmore

These two bears are by Bologna based, Italian artist Ericailcane, whose website is so delightful it is worth a visit. Ericailcane makes etchings, graphic art, street art (most notably in collaboration with street artist Blu), animations, sculptures, installations, tattoos and loads of drawings. Inspired by Victorian children’s illustrations, the works are often macabre but never sad. They depict animals dressed like humans in surreal situations

Rattlecan Blasters go back in Time

 Posted by on January 3, 2013
Jan 032013
 

1340 York Street
Mission District

This mural is part of the SF StreetSmARTS program.  Painted by Rattlecan Blasters in 2011. Rattlecan Blasters consists of graffiti artists, Cameron Moberg (aka Camer1 from San Francisco) and Aaron Vickery (aka Fasm from Modesto). The duo teams up frequently to paint church youth rooms and exhibit in art shows. They have traveled to several states to use their rattlecan skills on commissioned murals.  They have several other murals around San Francisco.

In this are JW for Justin Werely, a friend of Camer1 whose name is on the right.  The blue letters above say AMP which is the graffiti name of the third painter Buddy Raymonds.

I asked Cameron why the dinosaurs, he said that he had been reading a lot about them to his son and just likes them.

Zoe Ani and the SF StreetSmARTS program

 Posted by on January 2, 2013
Jan 022013
 

2840 San Bruno
Excelsior District

M.K. Zoe Ani’s work ranges from representational to abstract landscapes. Her perspective is enriched by her Hawaiian and American Indian heritage. Her experience is one of a dichotomy of two cultures separated not only by a vast ocean, but also a mindset that is reflective of the dissemination of each indigenous group. She developed her skills in drawing during her travels and forged a unique art education by pursuing opportunities to learn and work in alternative settings.

Zoe began drawing as a teenager in southern Oregon. She began painting at The Art Students League in New York City from 1998 – 2002. She worked primarily in oil. She continued to pursue her craft in her tiny studio in Brooklyn, NY. In 2005 she transitioned from working in oil to encaustic painting after attending a workshop at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.

The transition from oil to beeswax required more space to breathe. The natural inclination for expansion and a shift in perspective brought her full circle back to the west coast after twelve years in New York City. She has immersed herself in her new surroundings working out of a bigger studio located in the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco, CA.

This is part of the SF StreetSmARTS program. 

Wes Wong and the Phoenix Hotel

 Posted by on December 31, 2012
Dec 312012
 

601 Eddy
The Tenderloin

This long series is part of the San Francisco StreetSmARTS program.  The artist is Wes Wong, he is part of the Fresh Paint Crew.

Fresh Paint, a San Francisco Mural painting crew aims to defy assumptions of what is possible with a spray can. The group is comprised of and collaborates with some of the best aerosol painters from the Bay Area and beyond, creating innovative murals in San Francisco. Concepts vary in aesthetic tone from photorealistic to illustrative, utilizing the large pool of artistic backgrounds within the crew. They produce murals that fit with their environment and are easily digestible for everyone from blue-collar workers to aerosol art fanatics.

Wes Wong is a visual problem solver living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works in various aspects of the web by day: branding, user experience, user interface design, web marketing and front end; while painting big murals by night. His background in graphic design has brought a unique approach to mural work, striving to build a strong visual concept that relates to the space or client’s vision, often times finding a mixture of the two.

He quit the typical aerosol life years ago to start a family and focus on professional work. The spray paint itch was hard to kick, so Wes shifted his focus to persuing walls where he can produce large scale murals.

The wall is part of the Hotel Phoenix, the neighborhood is rough and the graffiti prolific.  The purpose of StreetSmARTS is to help prevent graffiti by having property owners hire select artists to paint a surface that has been vandalized in the past, in hopes to prevent further vandalism.

*

*

*

Beautification of a Utility Box by Malik Seneferu

 Posted by on December 28, 2012
Dec 282012
 

3rd and Oakdale
Bayview

This utility box was painted by Malik Seneferu.

Malik is a self-taught and extremely prolific African-American artist that has created more than 1,000 different pieces of artwork, including paintings, murals, and mixed media projects in the past 25 years. Despite the fact that he has no formal college training, Malik’s art has hung in many different professional arenas throughout the world, such as galleries, museums, magazines, and newspapers.

While growing up in the 1970s and 80s, Malik saw his peers going to jail and getting killed. Living a life of crime did not appeal to him, so he chose to follow his dreams and began creating art. His interest in art became a pursuit for spiritual, mental, and physical elevation. In addition to creating original art pieces, Malik works with communities that have seen hardship.

This piece was sponsored by the SF Housing Development Corporation with support by the Bayview Opera House,  4800 Home Owners Association and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center.

RESPECT

 Posted by on December 21, 2012
Dec 212012
 

1601 Lane
Bayview/Hunters Point

Respect

This mural is on the side of the YMCA in the Bayview.  It was funded by SF StreetSmARTS program and was done by Senay Dennis, also known as Refa One.

Refa’s website had this to say about his calligraphy murals.

Style

1: a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech).

Characteristics or elements combined and expressed in a particular (often unique) and consistent manner. Derived from ‘stylus,’ the Latin word for a sharp instrument for making relatively permanent marks.
Style Writing is the art form and culture I am MOST passionate about. Writing exemplifies the highest expression of my creative abilities. If there was a single body of work I had to use to represent my being,it would be the “Wild Style”. When I’m doing a Burner, my spirit is in it’s most active and peaceful state.

Leaping Lizards

 Posted by on November 16, 2012
Nov 162012
 

Myrtle and Larkin
The Tenderloin

 This piece is by Satyr.  Satyr has some other murals in the Haight.

Satyr is known for his quality murals in San Francisco. He was brought up by The Master Piece Creators, one of the original aerosol art crews to bring concept walls to the city. Years into his graffiti career, Satyr became formally trained in illustration.

Meggs in The Tenderloin

 Posted by on October 31, 2012
Oct 312012
 

Myrtle Alley
The Tenderloin

 

This piece is by Meggs. Growing up in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, David ‘Meggs’ Hooke, immersed himself in the worlds of drawing, cartoons, sci-fi films and skateboarding. In 2000, Meggs graduated from University with a Bachelor of Design and soon after became recognized for stencils and poster art on the streets of Melbourne. In 2004, Meggs became a founding member of the renowned Everfresh Studio a respected and unique collective of street artists known for large amounts of collaborative street work and aerosol murals.

Sirron Norris Paints Calumet

 Posted by on October 22, 2012
Oct 222012
 

*

As you can see, this piece by Sirron Norris is huge.

This is what Sirron had to say about the piece before it began.  (The scaffolding came down on August 31st).

This mural will be funded by Calumet and will be a collaboration with Precita Eyes (www.precitaeyes.org)and the 3.9 art collective (www.threepointninecollective.com).

My hope with this project, is to reach out to other artists and arts organizations in my community through collaboration. I also want to inspire my interns and give them one of the biggest challenges in their artistic life. On a personal note: this will be one for the books and will push my talent and experience to it’s fullest. I know the team I have at the gallery and the invaluable experience Precita eyes has, will help accomplish this massive undertaking. Keep posted for updates as we move closer to starting.

MURAL UPDATE: SF master muralists Jet Martinez & Apex will join us on the Calumet mural project!

Sirron Norris was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  After graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Sirron traveled extensively through out the United States, eventually settling down in San Francisco in 1997.  Initially, Sirron worked as a production artist in the video game industry while he perfected his skill set as a fine artist.  In 1999, Sirron quickly gained notoriety from his first showing at The Luggage Store, a well-known leader in the “mission school “ art movement.   Shortly thereafter, Sirron received his first artist in residence from the De Young Museum.   That year, Sirron’s career propelled into the limelight and today is known as one of San Francisco’s most notable artists.

Here is a great video of Sirron and this particular piece.

 

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Few and Far Paint Clinton Park

 Posted by on October 15, 2012
Oct 152012
 

 

As you turn onto Clinton Park from Valencia the first piece you are greeted with is the beauty by Amanda Lynn.  Few and Far  have covered the walls of Clinton Park to the delight of all that wonder down this very short alley.

 

*

*

*

*

*

*

 

And a little further down Valencia at Duboce, you will find another by Mags and Amanda Lynn

*

Evan Bissell captures Artists on the Streets of SF

 Posted by on September 1, 2012
Sep 012012
 

Folsom and 17th
Mission District

“I write to organize my thoughts.
I spit poems because it feels empowering
to know there is a room full of people there to listen.”

This is Luara Venturi, a local spoken word poet, as depicted by Evan Bissell.

The Intersection for the Arts’ show “Somewhere in Advance of Nowhere* youth, imagination and transformation” took place in 2008. Bissell’s paintings of young artists from Youth Speaks were put around the city as a teaser for the show.  The site for each was chosen by the subject, the location being one with some personal meaning to the poet. In this case, Venturi chose the former address of Youth Speaks which used to be housed nearby.

Evan has other pieces around San Francisco depicting fellow artists. Bissell is a 2005 graduate of Wesleyan University with a double major in Painting and American Studies with an Ethnic Studies concentration.  He was trained in 2011 as a circle keeper by Sujatha Baliga.

If you would like to hear Luara read her poem, you can do so at this webpage.

Parisian Street Artist Tags the Asian Art Museum

 Posted by on August 29, 2012
Aug 292012
 

McAllister and Hyde
Wall of the Asian Art Museum
Civic Center

 

UPDATE: The artist on this is actually an artist from Iowa that goes by TheUpside.

 

Apparently the UpTown Almanac and I spotted this one at the same time.  Here is what they wrote:

Tim Hallman, the Asian Art Museum’s Communications Director, dropped us a line about the beautiful piece:

I think the Asian Art Museum got “tagged” by this famous Parisian street artist. No confirmation from the artist yet, though. It appeared overnight on the McAllister Street side of the building, near Hyde. We didn’t hire her, but we like it.

The artist in question is Mademoiselle Maurice, who has been lighting up the streets of Paris, Hong Kong, and Vietnam with her rainbow-patterned origami art for the past few months.

 

American Indian Occupation in the Tenderloin

 Posted by on July 16, 2012
Jul 162012
 
The Tenderloin/Polk Gulch
Austin at Polk
*
American Indian Occupation by Jaque Fragua and Spencer Keaton Cunningham
Jaque Fragua is an acclaimed multi-media artist from New Mexico. From his cultural background, he has developed a yearning for creativity and for the intrinsic process that is Art. Experimenting with various mediums, such as aerosol, found-objects, earthworks, poetry, & music, messages of civil unrest, social justice, emotional introspection, and personal healing have heartened his unique perspective on life through art. Fragua has studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and in turn, has taught many community-based workshops, such as mural projects/public-art studies, and studio classes for figure drawing & painting. Fragua has worked with fine establishments such as Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Institute of American Indian Arts, & Museum of Indian Arts & Culture to produce progressive/innovative exhibits concerning the plight of Native America.
Spencer Keeton Cunningham (Nez Perce) is originally from Portland, Oregon and along with drawing and painting, he shoots experimental and documentary films. He graduated from SFAI with a BFA in Printmaking in May 2010. Spencer currently works at White Walls Gallery in Central San Francisco. Since 2010, Spencer has shown his prints and drawings internationally in Canada, and most recently Japan, all the while collaborating with Internationally recognized artists as ROA and Ben Eine.

SOMA’s Fun Creatures

 Posted by on December 19, 2011
Dec 192011
 
354 5th Street

This work is by Sirron Norris. Born in Cleveland, Ohio he graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, eventually settling down in San Francisco in 1997. Sirron worked as a production artist in the video game industry while he perfected his skill set as a fine artist.  In 1999, Sirron quickly gained notoriety from his first showing at The Luggage Store.

Sirron was the recipient of the prestigious Wattis Artist in Residence from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2002.  It was during that residency that he coined the term “Cartoon Literalism” as a description of his work.  The term emphasizes the use of cartoons as a vehicle to express life.

His rather extensive body of work, and a complete bio can be found on his website.

 

20th and Bryant Streets
San Francisco

November 2014 update – The garage on 5th street has been painted over – it now has just a remnant of Norris’ work and looks like this…
DSC_4627

Dan Plasma in the Mission

 Posted by on October 18, 2011
Oct 182011
 
Mission District
15th and Valencia
This is the side wall of restaurant Pica Pica.  Dan Plasma had originally painted a tiger mural on this wall, then over the course of a few days other aerosol muralists covered it over with their work.  This made Mr. Plasma rather angry, so when he took the wall back he commemorated the little war with this piece.

 

 

Mission Super Heroes

 Posted by on September 3, 2011
Sep 032011
 
Mission District – San Francisco
19th and Mission Street
This wonderfully whimsical wall is on the 19th Street side of a grocery at 2290 Mission Street.  It was done by three artists, you can see their names in “bubble” style.  KEB, WAND and BUTR.  The skill in which they have recreated the various super heroes is really rather impressive.  All in all, you can not help but smile when walking by this little gem.

Chor Boogie

 Posted by on August 28, 2011
Aug 282011
 
Mid Market – San Francisco
2174 Market Street

Mid market is a desolate stretch of abandoned store fronts and SRO’s.  This long frontage of boarded up building has been covered by an artist known as Chor.  This is not any random street painter, Chor has a worldwide body of work, including a commissioned piece for the Beijing Olympics.  His website
displays his incredible talent, and his blog is loaded with fabulous images of his work.

I had the privilege of seeing some of his art gallery work at “The City We Love” showing at 941 Geary street.  If you are in the neighborhood, drop in and ask about him.  The piece below is on Clarion Alley in the Mission District.  Chor has also done it on a smaller scale, and it is on display at 941 Geary.

Western Addition – Pastime

 Posted by on August 10, 2011
Aug 102011
 
Western Addition – San Francisco
Corner of Franklin, Page and Market Street

It is no secret that I consider graffiti to be an art form.  Do not confuse that with tagging, (those single color scribbles) or bombing (just really, really large tags) which fall into a whole other category.  But the question is, where does graffiti leave off and art begin.  I can not, nor do I want to, answer that question.  The above is why I am on this subject.  This fabulously colored wall is by a graffiti artist known as Pastime.  So is this just graffiti, or is it a fabulous piece of art?

Pastime is a member of the Lords.  According to Graffiti blog Graffhead the:

LORDS Production Crew has been operating in San Francisco for almost two decades, manipulating the stark walls of the urban landscape to make the wasteland a tad more livable for those of us lucky enough to notice and appreciate their nocturnal artwork. For example, the wall across from Amoeba Records on Haight is one of their collaborative murals, generally referred to as “productions” in graffiti lingo. LORDS members have been featured in the documentary ‘Piece By Piece’ (chronicling 20 years of SF graffiti), as well as the independent feature film ‘Quality of Life’ (a fictional drama about SF graffiti writers).

I have borrowed the following photograph from Fatcap another graffiti blog.
This is what all the work I have ever seen by Pastime looks like.  So again, the question: When does tagging become graffiti become art?
This piece is no longer available for viewing, the building has been torn down.

SOMA – Califor’ya

 Posted by on July 11, 2011
Jul 112011
 
SOMA – San Francisco

This mural is on a building at the corner of 7th and Folsom Streets, (It is on the 7th Street side) in the South of Market area of San Francisco.

It was done by 1:AM short for First Amendment, a gallery at 1000 Howard Street in San Francisco.

According to 1:AM they are “a gallery that stands behind the freedom of speech.  We strive to showcase, teach, and inspire the public on street and urban art through our exhibitions, education, and street productions…  With the gallery, classes, and a veteran mural production team, 1:AM has become a pillar in San Francisco street art culture. ”

I contacted 1:AM to see what the mural was all about and this is what one of the artists told me:

“My name is Robert and I’m one of the artist involved with the mural. We really appreciate the communities interest and curiosity about the mural. We painted this mural more for the public in that area, seeing as how that particular wall is often plagued with graffiti. The theme of the murals we usually paint have to do with the community and the surrounding area. For example, this mural is down the street from court and gets a lot of foot traffic from people either going or coming from court. It’s intended to be a positive and uplifting work of art, for people who usually would be stressed out from either work or just having a bad day, thus the vibrant and exciting colors used along with the playful phrase, ‘cus after all “That’s Califor’ya!” ”

UPDATE 4/2013   There was a slight mishap with a mistaken painting over of this mural.  It is back with a few minor changes – here is the new view.

Califor'ya 1AM

*

Califor'ya

Os Gemeos on Market Street

 Posted by on March 11, 2001
Mar 112001
 

1007 Market Street
Mid Market

This piece, sponsored by The Luggage Store Gallery and Funded by the Graue Family Fund for Public Art was done by Os Gemeos in September of 2013.

os gemeos

Os Gemeos have been in this website before.  They are twin brothers from Sao Paulo with a wonderful and very distinctive style.

According to Juxtapoz: Many years ago, the Brazilian twin art duo, painted this exact roof. It was an impressive piece, but upon their recent return to San Francisco, the two decided to revamp with something new. In this new version, local graffiti martyr, Tie and the recently passed, Jade make special guest appearances on the attire of their fashionable spray painting character.

I wrote about their original piece quite a while ago and you can see it here.

Os Gemeos on Market StreetPhoto Courtesy of Juxtapoz Website

To see what this piece looked like before its upgrade click here

error: Content is protected !!