overunder

OU Work on Paper at Holland

2012-01-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Holland Project for all of their continuing support! Make sure to check out their upcoming show, Homebodies (…and you will know us by the trail of thread). Featuring work by Leah Ruby, Jen Graham and Bryan Christiansen opening on Fri. Jan. 27 at 6PM.

If you missed the show here are some pictures.

India Preview

2012-01-17T22:06:00.000-05:00

One-night show over at Holland Space this Thursday for all those folks in Reno. I'll be showing a handful of works on paper that I'm taking on the road to put up in New York and India. I can't wait!!!

Can't Spell Bueatiful, San Francisco

2012-01-14T15:59:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I was last in SF but if my memory serves correct the general sentiment is alive and well. Double decker buses toting tourists still veer through Chinatown (sorry no Kurt Russell), the Mission probably has another fix gear bike shop, Hayes Valley is onto the next biggest foodies wet dream, and the Tenderloin is still wild with down-and-outters. I spent a whole afternoon last Wednesday attempting to walk it all and ended up mostly just centipeding every street in the TL. Here's two new pieces from the visit.

Jones st. at Ellis

You gotta roll it up to steam roll.

Post at Larkin

Cutting corners and laying out.

At least that's what people say.

Arrow Heads

2012-01-08T21:34:00.002-05:00

Man and the Moon

2012-01-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Man adores moon and sometimes even two-doors. Here are a couple of new pieces from a New Year's trip to the desert.

Two Herders

2011-12-22T16:36:00.001-05:00

Ya heard! Or ya herd.
I'm slowly becoming a paperMAN. I received this crazy roll of brick paper and have been having too much fun with it. The line work got pretty lost in the pattern but stoked to sidebust my favorite long-running mural of my dear shepherd friend.

OUpasteUP

2011-12-17T17:50:00.000-05:00

Fingers crossed that this piece doesn't find it's way under a grey buff mark. Seems inevitable in this city of foreclosed homes, abandoned motels, and rotting Casinos. Check it out from I-80 at the Wells Ave. off-ramp before it becomes preserved under a leyer of latex paint.

Source material.

Miami in December

2011-12-13T14:19:00.001-05:00

Ballin' on a budget is one thing but Baselin' on a budget is something entirely different. White Cocoa and I made the trek to Art Basel Miami yet again, this time under the invitation of the Fountain Art Fair and the generous Greek, Samson Contompasis. Had a great time painting with the mega-talented, Canadian collaborators En Masse, midnight Atlantic swimming with Acacia and my new favorite artist Scott Ackerman, pasting with my man Gaia, Clown Soldier, and Jason Voegele, meeting up with the folks of Living Walls ATL, and enjoying the company of good friends new and old. Alright here's some pretty pictures...

So much going on in this big 12' wheat paste.

Made this the day of the great fires in Reno.

Everyone of En Masse was amazing! Here is Fred of En Masse laying down some line work.

Part of the collaborative wall with En Masse.

I have no idea what is happening inside my brain but apparently I want to go to a Ninja Megastore.

Most people at Art Basel passed out their business cards. I passed these out to newspaper racks.

Goat Curry, plantains, rice, and cafe con leche!

Clown Soldier placing a new piece.

Typical Miami scene with a Clown Soldier wheatpaste looking on.

Wish i got a better flick. Foreclosed, fiveclosed, sixclosed, sevenclosed wheatpaste.

Interesni Kazki from Ukraine absolutely killed it! So good and inventive!

Ruins ruined routinely VS battered buildings beautified

Part of large wheatpaste that was buffed after one day. C'est la ville et c'est la vie

Thanksgiving Visit

2011-11-29T13:06:00.001-05:00

We had an awesome surprise visit by Doodles for Thanksgiving. Made this one for him. Shout out to all those hard workers with metal shavings deep in their fingers over at Cuddle Works.

Painting Pyramid

2011-11-18T18:57:00.001-05:00

Most people spend time at Lake Tahoe when they visit Reno. Well that's probably a good thing because Nevada's real stash lay further out in it's geologic center.

If Lake Tahoe is turtlenecks, Pyramid Lake is cut offs. Or maybe it's firearms. Hell, it could be any concoction of wild west activities meets Native American mysticism to be honest. But of all, Pyramid Lake is nature at its best.

We headed out on State Route 445, the 42-mile hwy known as Pyramid HWY and made a day of it. Hot springs, target practice, cooking, ice-cold swimming, a dash of juvenile vandalism. I'll just get to the pictures now for the sake of illiteracy in America.

After the first dozen or so miles the rocks start becoming something more than rocks.

Keep it simple like two lanes.

Or even more simple like dirt. The Pinnacles off to the right

A small Sierra Wave-like cloud over Pyramid.

Smoke in the hills.

Steeper than it looks.

Good company getting stacked.

You're on Paiute land now.

Good location for a horror movie.

Americana.

A green lantern crawler.

What comes around goes around with a Pinnacle rooftop.

Insanoman being Insanoman.

Tegether. It's like when people get tethered together. Tegether.

Ceci est une post

2011-11-14T15:09:00.001-05:00

While the ground is still dry you got to get that work up. Here's a few from this weekend.

Getting some height on the buff.

Staring at a leftover piece of scrap I couldn't help but see a pipe. Portrait of ND'A remixed to Magritte.

Have you ever seen Godard's Sympathy for the Devil? What is up with the random acts of tagging?

For Joyns.

Housing finger trap.

ND'A: Wheat paste cliff notes

2011-11-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

If you don't know ND'A yet than this will be a quick crash course. The Portland native turned NYC illustrator hit the streets running with a strong and unique style. His heavy-handed brush work and comical characters nestle within the forgotten grooves of Brooklyn. Unlike the typical graffiti characters found on the street, his work is like a troubled second cousin. One can't help but be fascinated and slightly repulsed. Not to say they are grotesque but that they are grotesque, as the word was originally intended to be used.

Even amongst the street art du jour his work seems foreign while giving a nod to the much earlier days of comics and editorial-style cartoons. Although ND'A shrugs off the comparison, I find the work of Pettibon to be a strong influence. The main differnence being ND'A breaks free of the monochrome palette with a dense and decorative layering of colors. Oh yeah, and ND'A goes BIG! Give him a 20 foot wall and he'll find a way to go 22 feet. Check out some of my favorite big murals by him...

Things that make you go hmmmm in Bushwick, Brooklyn. With VENG RWK (left) and IRGH (right).

Prime time in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

ND'A with IRGH (center) and OverUnder (left)

ND'A attempts to mask the real smell of the Lower East Side

ND'A vs OverUnder in Rochester, NY

Since becoming a pretty active tag team with the gent two summers ago I've seen ND'A really come into his own. I think we all remember seeing his piece with Chris RWK or his work at Coney Island and being stopped deadin our tracks. During that time one constant has remained, his love of paper.

When I first met ND'A he was working at a letterpress in the city. Those days are long gone but his affinity for paper is here to stay. Which lends itself perfectly to the weird, world of wheat pasting. To ND'A and I, we break bread by pinning up a fresh stretch of rolled paper, crank up the HOT 97, and clear the air with some cheap spirits. Looking at the work, the booze probably explains a lot. Well you be the judge. Here's a few of my favorite works on paper.

And then...it came down within a week. Sad day for wheat pasters. Off Myrtle Ave.

I've learned over the years that painting open-mouthed characters leads to big penises. Bushwick, BK


One of the early pieces in the Old Navy Yard, Brooklyn.

ND'A above Tomcat in Williamsburg.

So now you can probably see why I'm so excited to show work with the guy! Not to mention Labrona, the third leg of our Paperboys tri-pod. I'll leave you with one more thing. Hopefully not to many of you have seen this already. Well kick of your shoes, get comfortable, and shut up already because this is Nick the Amazing.

Paperboys at Pandemic Gallery

2011-11-03T02:54:00.000-04:00

I'm so honored and excited to be showing works with my good friends Labrona (montreal) and ND'A (nyc). We've got to do a handful of paper works for the streets that I've loved! And a couple big wall works too. And now I'm really excited to see what they've got cooking for this show at Pandemic Gallery! I don't want to show too much of what I've been working on so i'll just give you a peak and a little backstory.

After having a very fortunate past year of traveling and painting I wanted to revisit my all-time favorite places and... well, repaint them. More so, make paintings of these wonderful environments. If you are in Brooklyn I hope you can make it out for the opening on Sat. Nov. 9, 2011, 7pm-11pm.

Weeping Indian with Joyns

2011-10-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

Got to paint with my bestest homie Joyns last week. Made a weeping indian for all the real weeping indians down on 4th st.

Riverfront Park in Rensselaer

2011-09-26T18:04:00.000-04:00

One of the things I liked best about a large painting event like Living Walls was having a place where everyone could paint. For Living Walls Albany that place was Riverfront Park in Rensselaer.

If you drive across the Dunn Memorial Bridge from Albany to Rensselaer you can't help but end up there. The off ramp even acts as a scenic route, twisting between pieces by LNY, Radical!, Doodles, and SoHo wheat paste veterans like Shin Shin.

The park has a bit of public art history too it as well. Back in the mid-90's, head honcho of LW Albany Samson Comtompasis' own mother, Jackie Brickman, spearheaded a movement to paint all the columns and give some life back to the place. Her organization RAMS (Rensselaer Arts Movement Society) made good with their word and before long the Riverfront Park had 162 murals.

Over the course of a decade and a half, many of the murals were beyond repair and the space in need of rejuvination. Luckily the timing was perfect and the Mayor of Rensselaer teamed up with Contompasis to bring the park up to speed with the contemporary art world. In a matter of days the Rensselaer Park was getting a facelift by most of the Living Walls participants and just like that, the baton was passed from mother to son.

More coverage by Brooklyn Street Art, Metroland, the Street Spot, and Vandalog. Also check out work by ND'A, Broken Crow, Nohj Coley, Clown Soldier, Depoe, and Never on their flickrs or whathaveya.

Labrona on the run

LNY

White Cocoa wheatpaste with OverUnder mural in the back.

White Cocoa

Doodles doesn't need a scissor lift...but it would be nice.

Detail of Doodles piece.

I get drunk on philosophy. But don't we all. Wheatpaste by OverUnder

I made two pieces down in the park. One was a multi-layered piece similar to the Helping Hand mural I made with No Touching Ground in Brooklyn. This time I painted a huge 16' tall brown bag draped around a corinthian column. To me, the city of Albany is exactly this!

On one hand you have a beautiful city holding onto its legacy shown through ornate architecture, gigantic plazas, beautiful parks, rolling hills and a behemoth river. (Oh and did I forget to mention it's the capital of New York, the most pivotal, populated, and recognized states in the country!)

On the other hand you have utter poverty. People are scraping by and every other building is boarded up. On one side of the street Habit for Humanity is putting up a pre-fab home and across the street they're tearing down a brownstone. I think if they used all the boards that are covering up the windows of vacated buildings they could build the largest homeless shelter known to mankind. Meanwhile people are living in the parking lot of a particular gas station on S. Pearl and carrying around brownbagged 22's like Emmys and Oscars.

So now the wheatpaste probably makes more sense, right? No, OK, well more specifically I was struck specifically by the NY State Education Building in downtown Albany. The entire side facing Washington Ave. is lined by Corinthian columns. Thirty-two in fact. I also learned that this building has the longest collonade of any building in the United States.

It just didn't seem to make any sense. This breath-taking, word-record setting building, that represented the Educational system of the greater state of NY within blocks of neighborhoods where the school system was a joke! I experienced firsthand working with kids at my tile mural the inadequacies of the school system. One of them got expelled on the first day, others didn't even bother to go. They knew that the whole thing was just a facade; Just another decorated illusion. Like a column with a terra cotta capital, capping off anything of value inside. So if anything, this is what I was thinking about when I made this piece.

I incorporated the pre-existing portrait of Trampy the dog into my hobo brewski for the under section of this painting.And wheatpasted this hefty corinthian brownbag over the top.

I also painted this wild style section at the entrance to the park.

Tile Mural for Living Walls Albany

2011-09-25T18:13:00.000-04:00

Two days after returning from Living Walls Atlanta we were off to Albany for Living Walls the remix. We arrived early this time and were fortunate enough to set up shop in the Marketplace Gallery. Under the great hosting of the Contompasis brothers we had the time and resources to take on more than just a mural or a painting; We took on the city. And from our many street conversations the residents were inquisitive first and appreciative last. Although there was one reoccurring complaint. And that was, 'why can't you do another one on my building?'

Over the course of the month, we experienced the possibilities of a residency program and made some amazing friends, dinners, and stories in the process. Living Walls Albany may be officially over but it's wake continues on, moving up Livingston to West Hill, from the South End to Arbor Hill, and most importantly from the residents to the Capital.

I wanted to post about everything that happened over the month but accidently deleted all the images after they FINALLY finished uploading to this blog. Nerds! So instead I'm going to post about last big work I did while in Albany.

I think collaboration is a huge part of being an artist. That being said, I was excited when I learned I was doing a mural on a tile manufacturers building. I had never used tile for a mural let alone doing a full out mosaic but now the opportunity was right in front of me. Don, the owner was more than willing to teach me as I went and I was more than willing to experiment with this crazy, new medium. In the end, the mural isn't exactly how I envisioned because it's in the realm of what I couldn't envision. I had been speaking paint for the last decade and now I was speaking tile. I'm sure I'll revert to my natural language but if feels good to know that if I ever emerge in Tilelandia again that I could hold a conversation.

A HUGE thank you to Don Shore and Linda Ellet at L'Esperance Tile Works, Samson Contompasis who made it all happen at Living Walls Albany, my grouting expert and all around amazing assistant Catherine aka White Cocoa, and all the kids in the neighborhood that came down to help out.

When I arrived Samson took me to my wall which was on a small tile making factory called L'Esperance Tile Works.

Don, the owner of the building trimmed back all the overgrowth.

Don invited Catherine and I out to Saratoga Springs where they do most of the tile manufacturing. We got an awesome tour from him and his wife Linda and they walked us through the tile making process. Towards the end of the tour they showed us this huge pile of tiles that were waiting to be thrown out. Don gave us free reign to take as many as we wanted for the wall.

Except these ones which were intended for interiors and wouldn't last as a mural.

But we still came up on a bunch of great tiles and left with a very heavy and low-riding car. This is probably half of what we took back with us.

Back at the wall we had to come up with a plan to smooth it for all those damn tiles. The wall was pocked with huge holes and decomposing concrete.

The wall also had about 4 different types of surface. Brick, concrete, cinderblock, and wood.

I put up a rough sketch so we new our work area.

I also started playing with the tiles. This is one of several color permutations to figure out the palette and pattern.

Don mixing a concoction of concrete and fiberglass to fill the holes.

We reinforced the concrete fiberglass mix with wiring and did another layer of concrete over the top. Long day!

The posse!

One of my best assistants from the neighborhood! (Photo, Rachel Eisley)

Roberto, me, Joshina, and Don at work. (Photo, Rachel Eisley)

Figuring out tile dimensions.

After working on smoothing out the wall all day I took a break to paint a quick piece at the end of the alley. A guy came by and we talked for a while. His name was Josh and he was super cool so I asked if I could take his picture and use if for a reference. That painting is one of my favorites now after I saw how it affected him and his family.

The painting of Josh. Pic by Andy Milford

Inside the building are cool things like this Rube Goldbergesque tile compaction machine. As you can probably guess I'm not sure what it's really called.

And also some of Don's restoration work.

Back outside I was halfway through the tiling process.

The backs of tile are sometimes just as interesting as the front. These ones were made on site and the back proves it!

A simplified depiction of the tile making process. The two outer plates pressing clay and water together making the inner tile.

A collection of the best patterned tiles laying around. Don knows more and i'll fill in the history on these later.

I love me some boney knees too.

A tile in the hand is worth two in the kiln.

Really love how the hands turned out.

Some sample tiles in the mix.

There's no greater satisfaction than signing your piece with an angle grinder!

BLAM!!!

Marketplace First Friday

2011-09-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Between the days of exploring Albany, wheat pasting, indian buffets, and avoiding floods, Catherine and I decked out the Marketplace Gallery for their first friday opening. Trumaster pumped out jams till the wee hours while rugs were cut. Here's some pictures from it.

Still life painting....and drinking.

Got hooked up with a window and some ripped and ghosted screens to paint. Multiple sides to all the pieces and that wheat paste to the right is now on something somewhere sans the ear.

Trumaster!!!

Sunsets and train lines. Love this spot!

You can see the individual pieces for the show at the Marketplace Gallery site or some are on my flickr.

Samson, King of Albany

2011-09-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

While we've been up in Albany for the early days of Living Walls we've had some great studio time. Studio time means time for Catherine to hone her White Cocaophony into some bad ass and big ass paintings. Well paintings with colored pencils that is.

I'm not familiar with oil painting but the way I understand it is by watching her do layer after layer of colored pencil. I suppose it's similar to the way the masters would apply glaze after glaze. Except it smells a hellavu lot better and is a fraction as toxic. Which means someone will be making paintings for a very, very long time.

This latest work is a portrait of Samson Contampasis, founder of the Marketplace Gallery and head of Albany's first Living Walls event. He's been hosting us at the gallery and yes, in real life he really does look like a combination Hells Angel Jesus and Black Metal Warrior.

Although the portrait might seems odd with it's assemblage of tropical fruit, fancified furniture, and a friendly mammal, it doubles as a history lesson in Samsonism. Maybe he'll tell you the story one day. But for now hope you enjoy the picture.

You Fancy

2011-08-27T03:05:00.000-04:00

I was trying to hold out and put this Hasidic homie in S. Wburg but ironicly put it in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany, NY. More to come through the days as we vamp up for Living Walls Albany!

Olabad

2011-08-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

A video of my favorite person doing the damn thing.

Ola Bad from Streetela.com on Vimeo.

The LES Lot

2011-08-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

If you're in NY this Thursday, August 25, stop by 145 Ludlow btw Stanton and Rivington from 6-8 pm.

Crest Hardware along with Brooklyn Street Art and the MANY project gave some sweat and love to an abandoned lot along with a host of artists. I happened to be in NY for half the day and luckily stopped by at the right time. Go check it out. Good stuff all around!

Living Walls Atlanta Part I

2011-08-22T10:36:00.004-04:00

Now this is how you put on an event! For 2 weeks Catherine (White Cocoa) and I sweated with the best of 'em in good ol' Atlanta, Georgia for Living Walls. The humidity and the mosquitos took there toll on us but the amazing people and artists at Living Walls definitely made up for it. Throughout the first week a dozen city and community-supported murals popped up as well as tons of smaller works on abandoned structures. In fact, Atlanta seemed like an artists paradise due to the overwhelming amount of under-utilized and long forgotten structures. Since a boarded up building was always within rocks-throw we had no trouble distributing our wheat pastes and having a chance to spot works of friends. Here are a few pictures of our stay.

Our view of downtown ATL and the Oakland Park Cemetary.

White Cocoa wheatpaste in Decatur

WC putting up Nick and Adriana.

WC and OU wheatpaste buddies getting silled out.

The Goat Farm building

Freddy Sam presenting at the goat farm and representin everywhere else.

Steph, our illuminati, soul and body, boomba clotty

Labrona and I somewhere near Georgia Tech.

Jaz, Escif, RJ of Vandalog, Labrona, Sam3, and White Cocoa looking for a good breakfast joint.

This guy was looking for breakfast too. OU wheatpaste.

Labronski paste up with some birds ehh.

The gatekeepers of the ill street spots.

Mid-construction foundation overtaken by nature and this OverUnder paste up.

Sticky Mickey gives people sumfin to tahx bout.

"The shadow of america waves just as much as it wavers but the silhouette is as beautiful as any god damn thing i've ever mother fuckin seen. Period." Uh, what's this all a boot buds. For the record, I'm as much a patriot as a poet. Meaning my poetry sucks and these words are more so notes of my surroundings. Like this one is about a gigantic shadow from a flag covering a hillside. Pretty cool but probably had to be there.

Overgrown everything in Atlanta. Loving the lots!

Labrona paste up with dangling shit overhead and flying motorists just to the left and right.

Good diners with all the regulars. And you know I ordered biscuits and gravy every chance I got.

REMED (Spain) came through a while back and laid the sketch down for this banger.

I already love it but can't wait to see it after the color.

You can't have a painting event without ROA (Belgium). Amazing spot and best use of a fire escape.

LNY (New Jersey) master blaster piece in downtown.

Over, under, and around obstacles on this Braves A.

Street Journalism! How much more hood does that sound compared to 'Street Art'?! Big ups to SARZ on the billboard.

Thanks for letting me paint a big letter on your building Stone! Next time you fly to Atlanta and ride MARTA into the city watch out the right hand window to see this amongst some other gems.

He might be the heart of ATL but he has a great smile too. Olabad gets high on this one.

So happy to re-meet and spend time with this guy! Doodles wall from last year's LW ATL.

Entes and Pesimo (DMJZ) from Lima, Peru are not only great painters but amazing people! Check out there site.

Entes

Pesimo

My favorite mural of the trip! Freddy Sam (S. Africa) and Ever (Argentina) are on a visual trip like none other. Mural in Decatur.

Got Gold? Freddy Sam's portion of the wall.

Done.

Attack of the Sea Monsters

2011-08-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Message in a bottle washed ashore.

I love painting hands.

The boys at work.

Labrona, OverUnder, Veng, ND'A

Freedom Tunnel

2011-07-13T19:20:00.000-04:00

Standing on a couch cushion, balanced on the top of a shopping cart, on top of a mound of garbage, on top of an 8 foot wall on the side of a famous NYC tunnel. Train headlights tracing shadows. Shaking dust from the rafters. From 71st the tunnel was buffed slate gray as far as the eye could see but from 125th there was work going back to 2001. At least what we could see in the chiaroscuro light.

71st st. entrance

125th st entrance

SPAIR from Berlin and an old SACE in the heavens

More Berlin writers...KLOPS on top.

Mounds of garbage.

Works with IRGH from Berlin

2011-07-03T01:38:00.000-04:00

Woke up to the sun rising and realized I had passed out on my roof. Made it to the ferry 2 hours late after the side wall of my fold up bike blasted through. Met up with Veng and Dan at Staten Island and IRGH and I piled our bikes and bodies into the back to begin our abandoned island adventures.

This would be the flag of our country.

The first wall of the day went so fast.

Amazing spot! A tree was growing on the 5th floor and busted right through the window.

Berlin

2011-06-23T20:59:00.001-04:00

Hey internet. I died.
Well, for about a week. And then I found some WiFi when I made it up to Berlin and here's a few of my favorite images from the trip.

Irgh, Earl, Grey, OverUnder in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

Anthony Lister, OverUnder, Irgh

The City Where Strangers Meet

Painted a fish truck in the Turkish Market for this guy.

Olabad, OverUnder, and Earl

This is definitely one of the weirdest and most gratifying painting i've made lately.

Mein schatz

Kittens and roller skating gallery owners are cute.

Truth serum.

Good eats.

Alexander Vasmoulakis mural, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Blasting away a quick one.

Merlin from Berlin, err, well technically Vienna.

Had to go back and change this one a bit. Gave him a complete arm and a big ol' smiling weiner obviously.

Made in Barcelona but found a home in Kreuzberg. I love how it clipped the Y O U to leave O U.

We have a series of these now. Love the little cars.

Truck in the turkish market. Wurste Bande, Earl, OverUnder, Neukölln

Life is loco.

Best graff in Berlin, hands down.

Lister working on a piece.

Olabad wheatpaste in Neukölln.

Daytime remnants.

Bitten by flying teeth

2011-05-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

Playing in the background....
"cold beer, coca cola, agua."
You're on the beach and the only thing to soothe your dozen or so mosquito/termite/flying teeth bites is the Mediterranean. Sand becomes you. Like a freckle. You become the city as streets become familiar and bodegas become common and the man singing, 'cold beer, coca cola, agua' becomes familia.

Beatiful burned out factory in Poble Nou, Barcelona

"The difference between", "thought and action".

I suck with nice paint but the space makes up for it.

Almost crushed by layers of rotting houses while making.

RIPO with a message to the cops thumping at Catalunya

Barcelona

2011-05-29T18:32:00.000-04:00

A good canvas is always on the verge of destruction

tiptoe double decker minnesota docking scare. for pat and mike!

People love fish here. Dinner of aceitunas rellenos de anchoa. Here White Coca hugs a fish and her paste hugs on an amazing door.

Flexin some xacto cutting on aged tile.

Minneapolis, Day 10

2011-05-19T03:02:00.002-04:00

Visiting Minneapolis is always a highlight for me. Most notably because it's when I get to hang out, paint, live, barbeque, and experience the duo known as Broken Crow. These guys make great work and they are even greater people. But you already know that.

Today we just finished this wall and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It's a perfect mix of our work and it was so great to take part in their process of large scale holy fuck-sized stencils from the beginning. Here's a little bit from the process...

Shade and toilet paper, what else do ya' need.

Day 1. Find a wall. Check

Make a sketch

Mike's not just good at spraying paint through holes. He's a good model too.

Angel and Mike make for happy hand models

After a few dozen x-acto blades and a couple days we successfully transformed the attic into a hamster fortress.

Outline up, woot, woot!

In response to a lady asking me if she could park her car in the lot during happy hour.

If you live in Minneapolis check it out in person. It's right between the Modern Cafe and the 331 Club. Thanks to Drew for the wall, Mike Bishop for being a smooth talker, and John Oulman for the endless entertainment.

Minneapolis day 1

2011-05-11T02:39:00.000-04:00

Yo, I'm living in that 21st century with good people making good people. Boarding a plane with a bag of dirty clothes and a 40lb roll of paper. What else do I need? Maybe a good auto-pilot.

Got a body of work I'm so excited to show. I get off the plane and am picked up by Mike Fitzsimmons of Broken Crow and Mike Bishop of XYandZ Gallery. Within 24 hours we have a big wall lined up. Life is good.

"The man who stood in from of bullets.." 4" x 6" detail of 30" x 96" piece

Reference for above piece. Seattle, WA, 2011. "The man who stood in front of bullets never felt so at home until it knocked on his door."

Mr. Deed Goes to Washington

2011-05-04T00:25:00.003-04:00

Pictures by Rachel Eisley

NDA going the distance with poetic license.

When you spill paint on the floor make the most of it.

Shadows are important but not as much as light.

You gotta love 6 inch brushstrokes.

Doing Laps

2011-04-26T13:17:00.005-04:00

Took a ride this morning at sunrise. Rolling over the willy, chasing fog over the East River. Tired faces pass by as I do the reverse commute. Do a SF-inspired wiggle through the BQE mess off ramps and watch long shadows go short. It's hot today. People know it too and pale legs abound through Williamsburg. All that ghotly skin goes bronze further out on Metropolitan and definitely by Flushing. Pass through Bushwick then Ridgewood then Greenpoint and back into Wburg. Caught a couple flicks. Surprised when a few familiar trucks rolled by.

Coney Island Mural

2011-04-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

Last week Veng and I finished up this looonnngg 200+ foot long wall in Coney Island. It's right in the epicenter of Coney on Stillwell and Surf. It was a steady 2 days of painting and one rainy day watching our work turn to mush. We were really happy to paint with Ephameron from Belgium who powered through the adjoining wall.

Big thanks to Keith Schweitzer at No Longer Empty for making it happen and all the work he does to make art a part of public life.

Luna Park got some shots for a feature on The Street Spot and also resurfaced on Vandalog and Animal NY.

Photo: Udom Surangsophon http://www.udomfoto.com/

Storms a Brewing

2011-04-17T21:06:00.000-04:00

Oh so excited to get to work on this next wall!

Tight Living

2011-04-08T14:44:00.000-04:00

Here's one of a few new works. Excited on this new series using text and the idea of motion in in the gates. They're all gouche and a big departure from the sputtery spray work.

Pyramid Giants | Pyro Maniac | Amid Giants O' Maniac, 46" x 84", gouche on paper

Aakash Nihalani Hacked

2011-04-08T14:14:00.001-04:00

My friend Aakash Nihalani just released this new 2-color screen print through 1xRUN. It's available a few more days now so get on it.

So as a little homage to Mr. Aakash I hacked his image. We've been talking about working together for a while but I figured this would set the wheel, or the cube in motion.

Thanks Dan!

2011-03-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

My friend Dan Gingold is an amazing Videographer, Editor, Bike Explorer, Writer, Advice Giver, Zombie Filmmaker, on and on. Well he made this quick timelapse of Nick (aka Nick the Amazing) and I painting a while back. I'm looking forward to working on a much larger project with Dan next month.

Time lapse of overunder and nickd from Dan Gingold on Vimeo.

Helping Hand

2011-03-18T00:52:00.003-04:00

I had the good fortune of working with my friend No Touching Ground from Seattle while he was in town. Veng of Robots Will Kill hooked up a wall in Bushwick and we got to it after the rain. I told Veng this new banger was gonna blow his ~~dick~~ off. Although hesitant to such a declaration, he admitted that yes, it's been blown (I apologize to his lady fanclunb). Horn tootin' aside I was really excited about this particular piece for a couple reasons.

First off, everybody knows that even if you are a guru of wheat paste like JR that paper is the most temporary of mediums. Especially when used on the street. So since No Touching Ground was proposing a large wheat paste I pitched the idea that we paint something on the wall under the wheat paste. That way, over time the piece would of course disintegrate, but also introduce a new mural.

We decided on a concept and NTG took photos of my hand for reference. He printed them and we got into an abandoned condo to lay them out in their entirety and paint in the details and color.

Some of my underlying inspirations... buZ with his keys, my bro with cee-lo, Sunset Justice with the bolt cutters, Read with the book...

NTG printed my notepad tattoo blank and I added a few "to do" things with spray. This part was my personal favorite and it gave me a chance to be self-referential, or self-referentially self referential since it is a note about what we did on a picture of a note about what we did.

With everything that is happening in the world today it seemed only right to make an addition to the notepad for Japan. It's good to practice what you preach, so I woke up and donated to Red Cross this morning. And to think, I've listened to so many NPR drives and not even the soothing voice of Alec Baldwin could get me to shell out a dime. Ha, take that Ira, Terry, Neil...

The last part I was excited about was the gates. Several of the gates have different words on them which might seem hopeful or maybe just utterly random. But really it was an attempt at using names of writers that describe my thoughts on Japan's situation. Optimist, Host, Cope, Give, Heart.

Check out more of No Touching Ground
And please help out in any way that you can.
Red Cross

In Utero Than Outro on Bogart

2011-03-16T11:56:00.001-04:00

Finally warm enough to put up a few new pieces. This was one of my favorites based off the dialogue in the film Moonstruck.

Lethargic

2011-03-11T23:52:00.001-05:00

Came back here almost a year ago.

Time Out NY

2011-03-08T08:21:00.001-05:00

White Cocoa and I were included in TimeOut NY's new article "The New Street Art Class". Great to be included with the likes of legendary people like Dan Witz.

W. Dixon

2011-03-06T19:42:00.001-05:00

When I met up with filmmaker Dan Gingold at the Staten Island Ferry, I knew he was going to show me some parts of Staten I had never seen before, but I had no clue we would stumble upon 80-year old tree carvings too.

We exited the ferry and biked up the initial hill and then another, and another, and another. Each hill was punctuated by samplings of downhills that never quite matched the previous hill climb. About 40 minutes out on the island we made it to the destination of our abandoned target. We locked up and walked through the dead leaf-coated woods between the thorny brush and forgotten campsites.

This is where we discovered a patch of carved trees. Of the entire batch the most amazing were the 3 we found by W. Dixon. Dated 1930-1931, Dixon's carvings had widened with the growth of the trees. Some had widened so much from the initial incision that lines connected to become large scars.

So who was W. Dixon? Was there any correlation to the Hardy Boys series which was written during that same period under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon by Leslie Mcfarlane?

For me it was so amazing to see these Arborglyphs on Staten Islande because I've only known them to have a big history on the west coast where a majority can be found by Basque sheepherders throughout the Sierra Nevada.

"Aspen carvings are simply the summer record of the Basque sheepherders in the American West," says The Center for Basque Studies at U.N.R.. And by record they mean their existence, their woes, their poetry, and of course their erotic fantasies. Check out basque carvings for some interesting drawings that are on track with train monikers.

Art Makes Rent

2011-03-04T16:18:00.002-05:00

For those people emailing if I got work for sale, the answer is Yes. The pieces are all aerosol and latex paint on leftover dry wall from building the cabin. Since dry wall isn't the strongest I will make sure to mail them secured between two sheets of MDF and bubble wrapped.

If interested you can contact me or send your payment through PayPal to eriktburke@gmail.com. All prices include postage and handling, except international shipping which depends on destination.

Thanks for your continued support!

Untitled, 23" x 18", $75

Untitled 2, 13.5" x 40.5", $125

Limp wrist, 13" x 12", aerosol and latex on drywall, $50

Westside Arrow, 8" x 23", $75

Westside, 8" x 21", $75

Blood, 24" x 18", $75

Blood II, 24" x 18", $75

Hot Whips

2011-02-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

A variety of vehicles seen on the road.

Nick the Amazing

2011-02-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite video-shorts so far! And excited to see it featured on Brooklyn Street Art yesterday!

Nick The Amazing from Miss Tint on Vimeo.

West Coast Tour

2011-02-10T16:59:00.010-05:00

Just back from good times combing the coast, motoring through redwoods and fog, trainyards and old barns. Had great companions and amazing hosts. Here's a few pics from our last days in Seattle. More to come soon

Airplaning

2011-01-07T17:33:00.016-05:00

Directly under the LaGuardia flight path, water wings and snow clings to a rooftop in Brooklyn. And no painting is complete without building a Trembling Tower of Just-A-Lil-Bit-Higher.

SAM3

2010-12-28T21:55:00.004-05:00

A toot of the horn to resident bad assian SAM3 for this mural somewhere in Awesomeville that reminds us that, sometimes, bigger is better.

Dear Catherine

2010-12-24T22:23:00.007-05:00

When it comes to catching White Cocoa in her element, I'm your guy. 'Tis the season for sharing so hope you enjoy a few of my favorite pieces by her this year. Looking forward to seeing more of her work in 2011.

Albin Ray in NY

2010-12-22T20:58:00.008-05:00

Surprise, surprise. New York sent me down a street I've never seen, in a neighborhood I've never been, and lo and behold....

To the literati-at-large the above graffiti is a welcomed change with a well groomed message by the artist Albin Ray. I'm a fan of the Viennese artist and for unexplainable reasons tend to say, 'he is just so awesome' to often. However, Albin Ray has been a mystery for some time now. I haven't heard a peep of him besides his recent BLK Festival performance piece a few months prior. And why? Most likely because Albin Ray seems to care nothing for crafting an internet presence. It is his absence that made this find that much more impressive. Just as it was the surprise of finding his piece below the abandoned high line near Hells Kitchen like a needle in a haystack or a street artist without a flickr page.

'Contemporary Fine Rush Hour' suits the gridlocked block and definitely needs some high brow interpretation. Thank god that won't happen here. Instead I wanted to say why he does what he does. I wanted to mention what he is doing now. I wanted to inform people of his awesomeness like most people with blogs intend to do. But instead, I have a paragraph petting zoo.

In closing I'm inspired to reveal less.

Basel Miami

2010-12-05T23:50:00.004-05:00

>>>--------------> shot a bridge in brooklyn

2010-11-28T23:27:00.006-05:00

Just to watch it blogged.

Waters Rising

2010-11-23T20:08:00.009-05:00

What better way to spend a rainy day than in the decaying warmth of an abandoned nursing home. Including the flooded basement there are 3 floors with a 4th addition on the street-facing side.

A live Miles Davis cassette tape paperweights a 'Get Well' card. The message in pencil is smeared while the real lead lies in the chipping walls. Floral wallpaper over lavendar paint. Black-eyed susans on baby blue. Flipped over patient beds and boxes of disposable gloves. Pigeons add gradients of grey. It's all at work.

Overhead you can hear the M line, better yet, you can see it. Clues be done.

Afloat after dark

2010-11-15T21:25:00.004-05:00

Holy smokes! Never thought I'd be here.

Gator-Paste

2010-11-09T14:39:00.004-05:00

Just back from a great trip to Reno for my show 'Homeward Bound' at Holland Project. Tony Alston did some amazing documentation of the work and you can see all of it on my flickr page. But more importantly I wanted to introduce you all to the newest form of wheat-pasting.

Gator-paste! If you're worried about your street art not getting enough electrolytes, worry no longer. Gator-paste sticks better, longer, and with more tangy flavor. Actually, I was stuck without any wallpaper adhesive and had to do it the ol' fashion way with flour, water, a little sugar, a pinch of good luck. And in the end, I think this worked much better than usual. Go experimentation!

So anyways, hope you enjoy this new paste up and the culinary direction my blog has taken.
Bon apetit!

Rapping with Broken Crow in Gambia

2010-11-07T16:57:00.006-05:00

In the not-so recent news the always impressive Broken Crow were invited to Gambia to paint villages galore (Tons of amazing pictures here). During their layover on the way to "The" Gambia I was fortunate enough to hand them off two wheat pastes. I was even more fortunate to have them take the time to paste them up for me. As the story goes, they used a strange African bread paste concoction that someone recommended. Upon putting this one up, the family of the house wondered why they were spreading food on the wall. Mike of Broken Crow said they gave the family the remaining paste to make bread. That really puts it in perspective.

Big thanks to Ian Cox of Wallkandy for the pics!

And on a funny note, one of the paintings that i gave Mike to paste up was in two parts. This was his interpretation of how they should be joined.

And this was mine.

I still can't tell which one is better.

November Paste

2010-11-01T21:39:00.007-04:00

Cold morning exploring the old haunts up in Bushwick with White Cocoa. She completely obliterated me on this wall with this gorgeous piece! Get your drool sack ready...

Head over heels

2010-10-28T11:06:00.005-04:00

New piece in a beautiful and flooded abandoned hospital in Bushwick.

IOU

2010-10-27T13:09:00.002-04:00

One of my favorites of this month is this I.O.U. wheatpaste. I'm posting it now because it fits the day and the drama unfolding.

White Cocoa & Overunder

2010-10-18T00:08:00.000-04:00

On Track with Labrona

2010-10-04T18:56:00.004-04:00

Just back from a great, quick trip to Montreal for the show at Yves Laroche. Wanted to post some work by Labrona and give him a fist bump for being such a good host.

Looking Back

2010-09-17T16:26:00.009-04:00

Survived the freak thunderstorm/tornado/hail storm and felt the urge to put something of a different nature up on the street. I finally got the impulse to pull from some old sources and made a remix of Massacio's 'Expulsion From The Garden of Eden' (1425). My friends have been joking with me how no one in there right mind will make the connection but it definitely fits perfect with the place and the situation.

While putting it up this morning a very curious and protective woman overshadowed the whole process. I asked her if she wanted to see it before putting it up and she played aloof. Before I was through her and a man across the street began a shouting match at one another. The cussing finished just about when I finished and turning around I saw them both staring directly at me. I walked over and asked what they thought and the man, Roy, a resident of the Bed Stuy block for 43 years said he wanted to see it up closer. We all went up to examine and he pointed out the key elements right away. The iPod. And the number 86.

"Hell yeah, they're getting 86'd," exclaimed Roy.

"Don't you know it," I added.

Roy then asked, "So why the iPod?"

"Well you know how in the old story of Adam and Eve how they get kicked out for eating the Apple? Well everyone is still eating the Apple it just is a new type."

"Oh yeah, I see that. I see that," he replied.

"And what about the writing on the gate" pointing at the figure on the right.

"Oh that's about a 70-year old Doctor in Warren County who was caught tagging along the freeway. He wrote that word. Rowlow. I don't know what it's supposed to mean but it was kind of his expulsion from paradise."

Before leaving the woman finally spoke and said how the wall to the right was a Memorial to her son Pablo who was killed. She grabbed my hand and said she was just nervous that I would paint over her sons mural.

I told her not to worry and that I hope no one ever paints over the mural.

It's sad that most people think graffiti is about destruction when most people painting on the street pay more attention to architecture and property than most architects do. Talking to a writer is like sitting down with an Urban Planner. The only differnece is, at the end of the day shit gets done. Than again, there is always that one rotten apple.

Michaelangelo, 1508, Fall from Grace

Benjamin West,1791, Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise

Over Under, 2010, 86'd

Here Today Gone Today

2010-09-15T11:46:00.002-04:00

1-day shelf life in Reno. Made while my friends were at the bar and buffed out while I was at the bar.

Without a Paddle

2010-09-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Burn Extended

2010-09-12T11:20:00.008-04:00

Back from this years Burning Man after a week of building and running the Ghost Train with my 2 favorite Brooklynites. The playa just had too many notable nights of surprise sandstorms, twisted roller disco, ghost riding whips, jumping tall bikes, and enjoying great company. Here's a few pics of a spray extension I made using one of our leftover 2x4's. If you want to build your own all you need is some sort of extension, in this case a 16' long 2x4. Cut a 2.25" wide notch in one side of the 2x4 a few inches deep. Place the can in the slot and tape down using duct tape or your favorite trustworthy adhesive. Next saw a slit in the top of the spray paint cap. Make it just deep enough to hold a skinny rope without splitting the cap. Now get a rope and tie one end into a loose loop. Place the top of the loop in the slit of the cap you just cut. Run the rope down either side of the can and have the knot tie just at the base of the can. I used some additional tape to make little tunnel-like pieces to hold the rope equally on either side of the can (do this by rolling the duct tape over on itself like little penne noodles.) Now cut a hole through the 2x4 a few inches below the notch you previously cut out. I drilled mine out at a 45 degree angle. Lastly thread the rope through this hole and you should be good to go. Just pull and watch the rope pull the cap down for you. Voila! Now go get some hard to reach places.

Pics by Tyler McPherron and Kevin. See you next year.

Sweet like Chocolate

2010-08-09T00:04:00.004-04:00

Here's a couple new gems from a recent walk through Redhook with White Cocoa.

Gawd and Labrona Visit Brooklyn

2010-08-04T06:49:00.008-04:00

Montreal in the house! Sad to say goodbye to these two who were great company over the last 4 days. Hope you find some of their pieces on your next amble through BK, eh frig buds. Check out their work on the interweb too. Labrona & Gawd
White Cocoa, Labrona & Overunder

Finally Got A Roof Over My Head

2010-08-02T08:46:00.003-04:00

Been going strong on the wheat paste front lately. Finally have a studio space that works and a place to rest my head. Got a slew of characters coming through and putting ink to paper. These top three are collaborations with N D'A. He's keen on the brush stroked hands, hair, and feet and i'm on the spray. Have about 3 other new pieces with him that we'll be putting up today. Really like the direction they're headed and excited about the dozen or so other solo pieces I got ready to go up! Busy day ahead of me.

In other news, I'm sending some work out to a show at Bedouin in San Diego, two pieces to Montreal for a big group show for Other's book launch at Yves Laroche Gallery, and some paste ups to Atlanta for a show Hellbent is organizing. Also really excited to see this weeks 'Images of the Week' post on Brooklyn Street Art included work by my daredevil darling White Cocoa. Expect more good things from her...

The E Word

2010-07-26T18:02:00.005-04:00

Sometime between 4am and 5am this one had appendicitis and lost a considerable amount of wall support. It seems odd that someone would take the time to do this but it's the nature of the work. Which reminds me. Stop using the "E" word! Ephemeral is a meaningless word. Next time you want to use it say, "homie ripped my shit in half" instead.

Full Frontal Head in the Attic

2010-07-22T18:29:00.002-04:00

I can't tell when to draw the line. Full frontal assault off the BQE in Billyburg, Brooklyn.

Over Arching Under Surveillance

2010-07-21T00:15:00.004-04:00

Just back from a 3-day bromance with the coolest kids ever in the streets of Reno. Painted so much my finger is still numb. Holland Reno teamed up with Mechanic and Timmy Two Seconds to make one of the illest bike, music, art, dunk tank, procession extravaganzas to date. I'm so stoked to be a part of it and send big thanks to all the folks that worked so hard to pull it off!

You can see more of the trip on my flickr page.

But Seriously...

2010-07-14T08:38:00.002-04:00

Paste with N.D'A in east Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Over Sensitive Under My Nerves

2010-07-09T13:45:00.002-04:00

Wheatpasting all day during a heat wave is not the best idea. But damn does it dry quick.
More work on my flickr.

Over The Weather Under Your Spell

2010-06-25T22:36:00.007-04:00

Go Figurative, Overunder

2010-06-21T14:55:00.002-04:00

N. D'A Could Be Into It

2010-06-21T14:37:00.008-04:00

Been following this young buck for a hot minute and excited to be working on a video short of his process. But for now let this preview of works by N. D'A tide you over.

Elboe Toe Omitted

2010-06-21T14:34:00.002-04:00

It's not what you say but the way you conceal what you say.

Truth still dazzles

2010-06-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

MOHS exhibit show "Sail away" opens tonight

2010-05-27T18:36:00.005-04:00

So we made it to Copenhagen after sleeping in many a bush, swamp, knoll, lot, pension, house, you name it. After staying in so many one-day homes it really got me thinking about homes, being homesick, and basic necessity. It will be odd to have more than a backpack to live out of soon. I just can't imagine what all I'll need.

So the real meat of this post is that I just finished a short video showing a few clips from the last few days of the 50 day trip. Had a great time with all the people of Copenhagen and meeting people on the street. If you happen to be in Copenhagen, go by MOHS exhibit at Sønder Boulevard 98 Friday night for the opening. I won't be there but Derek will be along with a ton of his great work.

The List Goes On

2010-05-16T09:11:00.004-04:00

Sometimes riding from point A to B is more like doing your chores than cycling. Crossing them off one by one with the assistance of red-nosed drunk farmers slurring and pointing towards nothing.

Drawing Along The Way

2010-05-06T21:48:00.006-04:00

Here's a few drawings I'm mailing over to the folks at Tompkins Project for their "Drawing Exhibion". Opens on May 28th at 127 Tompkins, Brooklyn

My Bandammer

2010-05-06T17:20:00.012-04:00

I got to Amsterdamn a week ago and have been having the hardest time leaving. The people have been amazing and I wanted to make a quick post about one person in particular. Jesse Asjes took me to her studio yesterday to show me her work and knit me a one-of-a-kind scarf. She runs her own product design studio called JSSSJS and teaches at Amsterdam Fashion Institue.

So we biked 15km to the outskirts of A'dam to her anti-squat studio where she showed me her equipment, made me espresso, and designed me something specific for my trip. I was telling Jesse how sometimes when I wake up in the morning after camping out that the mosquitos are horrible. Derek and I slept in a couple places that seemed nice when we bike in exhausted and tired but by morning were certifiably swampy. And I had the mosquito bites to prove it. She told me that she was experimenting with a new mosquito repellent fabric and wanted to collaborate on a new piece. So we designed a scarf that has uses magnetic clasps and is a mix of multi-blend and mosquito-repellent cotton with a microfinish. For now we're calling it the Bandammer and I'm super excited to put it to use on the road. So check out her work!

With Kashink in Paris

2010-04-27T20:38:00.002-04:00

Bed and Wreckless

2010-04-25T23:57:00.003-04:00

A compilation of the places we`ve called home for the night.

Bilbao, Spain

2010-04-20T13:21:00.006-04:00

15 days on the road and just to Bordeaux, France. Been trying to stay on the smaller roads which is like being on a constant neandering detour when you can see the main interstate cutting straight through next to you. Today we must be at about 1400 km and hoping to make Paris in less than a week.

Haven't fallen into a regiment yet. Some days we start early other days we ride the most from 5 into the late black night. Every city has a new character and a strange story to tell. Well on and on, fill me to the brim.

Travels with Other

2010-03-18T21:46:00.010-04:00

Other and I are preparing for a cross-European bicycle ride. We arrive in Lisbon, Portugal on the 1st of April and begin our 2000+ mile ride to Copenhagen, Denmark. Check back to find out how it all goes down as zillions of Markals are guaranteed to be sacrificed. Until then enjoy some of these works by Other and if you want to donate a buck or two to the cause you can here at Kickstarter.

Stuck on ESSU

2010-03-03T19:17:00.006-05:00

Just came into the know on Satoxic aka ESSU from Japan. At first I thought Japan was wearing off on Barry McGee than dug a bit deeper and found a bunch of works by ESSU. May I even be so bold to say, he seems like the budding new BNE of the Japanese sticker world. Watch this hilarious news report on BNE by Warosu News.

photo by Yo Handy

Flocks

2010-02-26T20:22:00.003-05:00

The beginning of a new project that looks a lot like an old project. Unveiling tangible papery products on a coast near you soon.