An Unusual Journey
Why this Journey is Unusual?
Now with over 30 years creating, Vales takes on an amazing self-imposed challenge known as “An Unusual Journey” in which he paints a staggering 13 images on canvas every month for 13 months. Each month he ushers in a different theme, showcasing his wide range of style and fantastic imagery. His work leaves a memorable impression, inviting each viewer to tell the story; thus, joining him on the rest of his monumentally creative and, of course, unusual journey. You are invited to follow Vales on this journey of creating 150+, high caliber, clever and appealing pieces during the course of the year.
“The reason I am doing 13 paintings each month for 13 months is because it’s the absolute highest amount I can do without sacrificing quality or content, and because its very, very difficult to do. I’m very attracted to that challenge!”
-Erni Vales
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Rent Control
Graff- Using once again 2 completely different styles that completely work together is something I do often with my letters. I think it gets the viewer more involved with the styles when the viewer begins to decipher the words, the simple enticing him to the more complex. Noir-
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Too Late for Love
Graff- In this piece although I have many letter and number elements way in front I kept the style very very simple to not compete with the imagery which I wanted to convey the message stronger than the wording. Noir-
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Outcast
This 3D style is a simpler version of my normally complex, heavily shaded 3D style. Its been a personal challenge to try to accomplish the 3 dimensional aspect without shading and just using a limited palette. The outcome especially here is a completely new and hybrid style that combines original graffiti shapes from NYC 80 style, the 3D style and a new Pop style which
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Need for Speed
Graff- In the words, Need and Speed I went way back to a style before my development of the 3D style in 1993. I wanted these letters to lean dramatically to convey a linear east to west kind of motion inspired by illegal street racing, which is still hugely popular in the inner cities. There isn’t much to these
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Interacial 3some
Graff- Spelling things phonically is a common graffiti practice and I took those liberties in the word interracial, using a strong and angular simple style to contrast off the curviness of the 3some letters. Again I will defer to a simple more discreet style with my letters
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Fully Loaded
Graff- TNT fills the “loaded” piece, in graffiti the letter O can usually be replaced with any cool image the mind can come up with and here I chose the iconic lit bowling ball styled explosive to help lend a feel of danger and time running to the piece. The letters also intersect the hair
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Le Tagger
Graff- Simple flowing pop 3D letters in subtle colors, confidently remaining in the background allowing for the story to develop. These letters are so the antithesis of graffiti yet can stand alone on any wall or drawing. Noir-
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Rearview
Graff- Don’t think I cheated, I never cheat in graffiti. The letters say RearView but I drew them in mirror image, I did not flip them in photoshop, I did not retrace them backwards. I drew them as is to show that good graffiti is not only color, but balance. Balance and symmetry between letters is essential to a well flowing piece even if the letters are reversed. Noir-
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The Prison Break
Graff- Prison, simple and readable, Break, more complex and detailed. Razor wire wraps the letters. The letters mirror the razor wire, sharp edges and smooth curves. Noir-
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Basshead
Poem by Amelia Arce I want to dip in your eyes Feel the pedals on my feet Peel my skin so you can discovery me
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Blood Bunny
Poem by Amelia Arce A solemn night The type you walk for meditation and enjoy the twilight light dew. I went for a drag
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White Wedding
Poem by Amelia Arce Las estrellas bailan al paso nuestra guitarra. Tus caderas huesua toca mi rumba. Tienes una templadera que da locura.
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Sister NILF, Bad Religion
Poem by Amelia Arce Black silk drips down my back I lick the rust off your bones I’m the humming in your mind
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Judgement Day
Poem by Amelia Arce The evening sun bathed in liquid stars drips down the brim of his plateau The smell of rioting flesh, putrefied eyeball sockets and festering intestines oozing maggot-laced blood encircled the bar
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Roll the Bones
Poem by Amelia Arce Peebles incrusted in her knees A string of bones around her neck Her penetration gaze, hallow Her touch leaves calluses on my skin
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Venom Lust
Poem by Amelia Arce Spiraling snake slithers Virtuous vile vixen Swirling sways swallows soul
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Slayer
Poem by Amelia Arce Moments before the bullet penetrates her intestines I felt her claws thrust inside my stomach. The prey now the hunter.
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Lovstuff
Poem by Amelia Arce Eres mia, aun que me consumes todos los días. Soy tu muñeco roto, Que robas el alma al diario y tiras a la calle. Me clavaste tus colmillos pero me tienes de rodillas.
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Dark Angel
Poem by Amelia Arce The rain sizzles on her skin The guardian of your twisted desires Sweat trickles down her breast Caressing the curves of chest
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The Hunger
Poem by Amelia Arce Es la ultima lagrima de sangre que corre por tu mejilla Eres mi dulcura torturada La que rompo los huesos y parto la esquinita del alma Estoy entre la nubes del DIA y el sol de la noche
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Sugar Pop
Or just tasting from the stripper pole of life? Is he a treat or he being treated while clinging to the lolli stick with erotic glee. An exhibitionist at heart or waiting to be tasted by you, either way staying sweeter than sugar.
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Self Portrait
A little glimpse inside my creative consciousness, inside the chaotic maelstrom that I go through several times daily. Inside my brain where things are always moving in color, dogs bark making no sound at all and sexy leather clad women try to keep order in a world with no rules but yet a world that through the noise and madness can still guide my
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The Sweet Spot
Its such a fine line, and such a relatively short amount of time. The amount of time it takes to get pleasantly tipsy and the short bridge you cross over from there where there’s no hope and everything gets blurry, fuzzy and un-rememberable. The sweet spot is remembering the crossing of that bridge, happy, content and everything in
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Graff Garden
These are actually 2 painting co-existing together in my peaceful Graff(iti) Garden. My traditional 3D shapes, no letters, just shapes roll and curve in the background while in front organic but not realistic flowers bloom and thrive in color. Which are more real, the sturdy shapes in the background or the thickly outlined plant life in the foreground?
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Hellcat Honeys
Graff- A relatively simple flowing and readable style for both Hellcat and Honey’s letters although purposely different from each other shows how 2 different styles can co-mingle quite effectively. Noir-
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Peace Piece
There are 2 very different pieces in this exhibit, this is one, painted monochromatically and without using any black to outline it. This is my statement piece, to my followers of my graffiti past that I have not lost my touch for styling of letters. In 1993 I was the first artist to introduce the now popular style of 3D letters and around 2003 I grew bored of that and
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Trippy, LSD
Graff- I am using a super swirly original typeface hopefully to help convey the “trippy” feeling one might have of floating (I have heard) almost outside of the body weightlessly from the use of hallucinogenic. The letters twirl and twist and float in every direction. Noir-
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All City Blues
I often talk about struggle, I don’t struggle much these days and I try to always be inspiring and encouraging to fellow artists and especially the creative youth of today. I struggled a lot when I was younger, growing in the projects of Lower Manhattan was not very fun at the time.
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Baby Dragon, The Remix
This idea has come along with me for over 25 years now. The idea was to paint the side of the train, window and below with my piece, “Ern” and then wrapped around a bottom stem off the “n” would be a huge baby dragon that would reach the top of the train and
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The First EVL
When I first thought about a show titled, Roots Of EVL, I knew I would be able to play on the many connotations of evil but also of my creative EVL as well. Then it struck me, how could I imagine a show of either evil (EVL) without the first, most primal of dastardly deeds ever committed on the entire generation
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Kiss Off
Each of us has been there, we have all experienced the kiss off in one way or another and many of us have been responsible for the kiss off to others. It is a staple of life and is an important part of us becoming us. I remember having to consciously force myself
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Pop Bull
I think the most important piece of this show, I confront my fear of the mighty and often misunderstood Pit Bull. The same one that stole my skateboard (true story) as well as the other that sent me to the emergency room for stitches to my lip. My life lately has been a journey of not
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Saints vs. Sinners
Do the sinners really have more fun? Are the saints really that much repressed that they cant lay down the jam of jams? How much fun could heaven be if it was all so good to begin with? We all know the best times in
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See, Hear, Speak, No EVL
Well, sooner or later I knew I had to create my own rendition of these famously notorious troublemakers and besides, aren’t monkeys just really fun and always seem ready to make us laugh and shake our heads in disbelief?
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Harajuku Kitty
Harajuku is the fun, bright and creative street style found in the streets of Harajuku district in Tokyo Japan. In Harajuku district teenagers in Japan dress in wild, colorful clothing. Mixing and mismatching everything from make up, accessories, clothing and creating a super original new
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EVL Accessories
Inspired by the Memorial Day south beach festivities I began to wonder, when did having a weapon become part of the nights fashion? And if its the "must have" accessory on the list right after socks or a nice tie shouldn't we start blinging them out? Golden gats? Bedazzled Kevlar? I say embrace the summers newest statement and lets bring the hip
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The Competition
To strive to outdo another for acknowledgment, a prize, supremacy, profit, etc. That is the definition of competition, This is the foundation of what people seem to be teaching the youth of this generation thus pushing creativity into the background! Win is the defining factor, Lose and go home the motto for a prime time generation.
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Behind Blue Eyes
I had another idea for this painting but the more i painted the more i kept seeing this teddy with blue eyes, (the paintings always speak to me) and that made me think of the song and the synopsis and lyrics (i pulled a small part below) began to complete the painting which is overall my darkest, meanest teddy but still quite hysterical and i love the humor around it!
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Bad Rap
For thousands of years, black cats have been regarded as mysterious creatures with supernatural powers and were associated with witches and even death. It was believed that witches could change into cats; in fact, it is believed they could make that change nine times. Some believe this to be the origin of the belief that cats have nine lives.
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Strippers & Stalker Bar
I would like to one day open a bar called Strippers and Stalkers. The strippers would be my staff, the stalkers my customers. Prices would vary depending on the stalkers commitment to his or her stalkee! Contests designed to crown the most dedicated stalker would rake in cash upon
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Love Gun
Love, EVL or evil? I say both! Joy, pain, art, song, dance! the most incredible things in life come from love. Love is the sharpest, strongest and deepest of double edged blades! It stings, entices, titillates, renders us mere mortals into babbling idiots who rejoice with claims of love
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The Dolls
"It's all about the dolls baby!" If you remember that line, you are probably older than I am and you know what the "dolls" are. The term faded away years and years ago but still served as the inspiration to a new culture today obsessed with pills. I may, or may not admit my own personal research into this genre but I have heard, or been told that
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The Tell
The cards don't lie, but the person you can never be sure about. A “tell” is any physical reaction, kind of behavior, or habit that gives (or tells) the other players information about your hand. Wouldn't that be something special if applied to real life rather than a card game? We should all work
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Basic EVL
What is it about the thought, the positively "EVL" thought of someone attractive not wearing underwear so seductive and sexy to us? I have pondered this so many times for so many years and still cant come up with anything valid. A friend recently mentioned to me that she wasn't wearing undergarments
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4459
No matter how pretty a picture I paint it, war is evil. The business of war, the deceptions fed to us to begin a war, all evil. Not to be confused with the creative EVL World I am trying to create, just pure evil. In such an advanced and intelligent society we claim to live in, how is it we can let ourselves be in a war for over 8 years, US casualties, 4459, Iraqi casualties,
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Strutter
Graff- Using my completely original 3D graffiti letter style I push the letters as close to the foreground I could have here because the poses and stance of the girls makes them so empowered I knew I could be adventurous with the graffiti. I really enjoy the composition and the fact that I am still keeping the graffiti as a background element or in the idea of Noir as a title for the “film.” Noir-
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Oh Crap
No show of mine would be complete without the presence of a misfit, I have grown to love them, just as so many admirers and fans have become so I had to include one of my faves. Representing the notion
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Cass
Inspiration, for any artist can come from anywhere, from almost any place or experience. Its experience that fuels all my work, almost all of my pieces come from these experiences, my job an artist is to interpret these muddled messages that rack my mind each minute
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Style
This piece was originally based on an oil painting i had done around 1998 and sold to a friend. Since he wouldn’t sell it back to me i was forced to contemplate if i could re-do that piece (never a good idea, the paintings never capture the same magic). Years
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Gina
A personal journey that is difficult to share because its based on a misfortune of another. I photographed the model over 10 years ago wondering what would ever become of the photos which turned out not great but I think captured some sensuality and sexiness. How to incorporate that into this
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G-Pop
G! Graffiti, Pop! Pop art! G-Pop! My graffiti, cutting, innovative style taking the letters, the letters which are the sole foundation for almost every graffiti artist and pushing them further, twisting them tighter, shooting my six shooter of style on the ground under the letters
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Dulce
Dulce, sweetness, lick the lips kind of candy, candy for the eyes, candy for the senses, senses of touch, senses of taste, taste of the lips, taste down the throat. Throat being the path to sustain, sustain all that comes through or down the path filled with flavor, with yumminess. This is my Dulce, my candy, and yes, i brought enough to share because sweetness is always sweeter when shared.
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Krash
A lovely reincarnation, Krash, a former nightclub in Queens, NY. Just a B&W drawing, a shady nightclub owner(I really dread the thought of that!), an unpaid bill and a water spill that nearly destroyed the drawing now are happy to have this lovely reincarnation. It' a wonderful and dramatic style
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It’s In The Blood
I really cant remember when I did the first Blood piece, but it was small and I was still very very new to Photoshop. Revisiting this piece is very very nostalgic to me, as i looked deep into the design I was able to see my growth and progress in this digital realm, I make no
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Chicago Quadritos
Quadritos, little 4' x 4" wooden squares installed 1.5" apart from each other on a brick wall in the restaurant Mercadito in Chicago. The art was loosely based on the eagle and serpent emblem on the flag of Mexico. I love this piece so much I really wanted to create a digital piece of art for it. Each quadrito was painted using a circle
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Graffiti 3D
circle pixilated style for the serpent and a square square pixilation for the eagle combining the 2 styles of pixels. Up close each wooden panel is its own tiny abstract painting but the sum of all the parts together create the serpent and eagle which you can see if you're away from the piece and if you still
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The Battle for EVL, Miami
Ok ok, we all know now that my heart still lies in its graffiti roots, seems i will never break free, not that I am trying though. Here I have combined several concepts I had floating around. I love the idea of the dark and light birds both descending and ascending,
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Brooklyn
Brooklyn, what is this love me hate me affair I have with this borough. This original painting was done on plywood for a music video for a great performer from Brooklyn, Krista. And as is my M.O. I forgot to bring my camera so the only existing photo came from my cell camera, very low res to say the least. This is the digital piece
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Butter
Butter, makes everything yummy, you don’t know its there, you just know that you're experiencing sheer yumminess, that's from Butter. This piece is , well to me pure butter, its completely digital where as some other pieces are based from
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Love
Graff- The “love” letters here, also in my 3D style intersect each other, caress each other touch each other, they are warm and blushing in color and hopefully convey a close sexiness in their style. Noir-
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Forbidden Love
Separated by culture,misunderstood and made foolish by youth love will always find its way whether by the eyes of the beholders or being bonded by the music. Forbidden is a word lost in loves vocabulary. Youth and spontaneity are the cures for the rules and restraints put onto us, taught to us, ingrained into
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Beware the Man in the Pink Suit
A very close friend of mine would send random texts to his wife for no reason at all and this was one of them, i dont know why it completely stuck in my head, i always thought it was hysterically ridiculous so i pondered further.
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Engine No.9
Purely a fun piece, based on a drawing done decades ago which will the first of several that i will paint. The Engine No. 9 title of course came from the Black sheep song which coincidentally was playing as I was finishing this piece. The concept came to me so long ago that
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RPMs
How does one paint sound? Music, wow, such a gift from the heavens. Music is my green screen, my backdrop. I cant sing, hold a note, i cant even dance real good but i have a passion for sound. The DJ of today is what the Rolling Stones were yesterday. Rock Gods!
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Seeing Pinky
I havent seen one yet, not a dancing one, not a pink one, not any elephants but i have been drinking enough that i thought one may appear. No such luck, im dying to see one so much that i decided
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Moneyshot
Wikipedia defines Money Shot as, "Originally, in general film-making usage the term "money shot" was a reference to the scene that cost the most money to produce; in addition, the inclusion of this expensive special effect sequence is being counted on to become a selling point for the film. For example, in an action thriller,
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The Dance
The Dance is an art form referring to movement, usually rhythmic and to music but not always exclusively. In my painting I am using the dance as a social form of communication and interaction where rhythm is frozen to a second, a moment of intimacy on a primal level. Remember your first dance, the rawness of
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Men of Mettle
Mettle, its a word we hardly hear in every day life anymore. Most dictionaries define mettle similarly as "Courage and fortitude; spirit. An inherent quality of character and temperament." It seems there is a general basic lack of mettle these days, where people took struggle, discomfort and pain and turned it into something positive, Gospel, soul,
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Devils Dance
When you dance with the devil, you will have to pay her dues. Here is a vision I had, drawn many years ago, i'm not even aware of where she came from nor what inspired her layout, composition, nothing but stumbling across the drawing made me realize that she had "something", maybe "Something to say" or what have you but definitely something. She is devious, she is
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Perilous P
Pac man was evil… A pure perilous pirating thief! Stealing and hoarding the food of the colorful ghosts the running away then energizing himself just to turn the chase around and devour his tormentors! Over and over with a seemingly endless appetite that not only involved himself but eventually involving his entire family to join him on his compulsory crusade of carnage!
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The Boss
I love to foreshorten. its an integral ingredient in many of my works. This is a piece based on personal simple pleasures for myself. (I'm really just showing off my 3D graffiti skills but that's between us only, shhhh). After beginning the 3D style of graffiti i immediately grew bored of it, as is
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Whose In Charge?
A very fabulous painter friend of mine once told me that i am always in control of my paintings, that i am the master" of my works, which i already knew. but when he then states that he is the opposite, that he is the slave to his works, wow. Blew my mind. The painting is the master to the artist. Its a control that as an artist im not disciplined enough
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First Loves
This is not a painting about my first girlfriend, way back in high school, although it is dedicated secretly to her. In her blond petiteness, her innocentness. No, this is a painting about the time, the time we all have, the beginning, the start of all things in each of our lives. Remember when we could
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The Fashion Assassin
Hungry for prey, ready always to pounce on the victims of fashion, you know them, afflicted by labels sewn on cheap clothing by underpaid teens and elders in 3rd world countries the fashion assassin would rid the world of this affliction and level the obnoxious playing field. A clever logo and a multi million dollar ad campaign does not guarantee
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Face Control
Still existing everywhere, the snobbery of indifference stared down the long noses down onto me, imagine my delight to be chosen, to be accepted and granted the privilege of spending obnoxious amounts of currency, to be deemed special enough to party with the others chosen, is this what I call an important goal?
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The Virgin Missions
Teddy returns, the only repeated character in the crazy cast of performers in my minds stage, this time on his first mission, escorting and protecting his friends and new and as always mischievous adventures.
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Bondage Bunny
Little paws fastened to the collar, feigned indifference. Almost bored. Needing adventure like Hip Hop needs Bass! If life isn’t mentally challenging then life isn’t worth the trouble. Pinch me, pierce me, make me think, make me alive.
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Bang Bang
Soft and furry, cute and cuddly, oops, did I say cuddly? This is not a cuddly pet, a petting pet, a pal, a good chap. This is to be avoided at all costs! It’s a direct result of what happens when one never fits in their own skin, like wearing a giant suit forever hiding your mannerisms. So roomy inside the skin that maybe an arsenal is kept stashed away, you never know!
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'Meh'
I did it to myself again didn’t I. even during the course of ending up it a bizarre scenario, with so many ignored stop signs in the rear view I continue knowing full well that no amount of apprehension will deter me.
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Tatts
The 3rd misfit of the collection. Haven’t all of us felt a lil’ beaten up once in a while in life?
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Ain’t Love Grand
Even with all the complaints, the stress, the constant and sometimes senseless chatter, the remembered and forgotten dates, still tied close and tied together is something really special.
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Sinky Piggies
One can only watch as any attempt at saving your economy quickly fades and stubbornly sinks lower and ever deeper, resisting violently any of your efforts to save it! You can see in their attitudes that they are content to drown with the weight of your funding!
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Murder of Thieves
History reveals that “crow” has long been synonymous with “despicable predator”. During World War II, it was designated as an enemy of the American public and was subject to a widespread propaganda campaign that stated the “black bandits” were robbing the nation’s farms of grain. Pretty cool.
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Live’s Knives
(aka “volunteers will be punished”) For all the times life has punished us for things we did for the most noble or decent reasons only to find them explode in our collective faces, thus tainting us, jading us to be more protective, more guarded. I always hated that and so today I find my greatest strength in my vulnerabilities.
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Last Call
Last call of the ultimate party, the party of life, the party of death. Whichever way its never a pretty site when you hear last call shouted! At that point no one wants the party to end. The heavens will blare their music from golden trumpets keeping alive all! Even the non living will rise and join the dance, until its “last call!”
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Prey
Reverence is served swift and carried out with a playful but reckless abandon. The biggest blow from a big stick after a soft walk will put you back on the path to salvation and remind you of a religion that will judge you, make you succumb to it and make you inferior to it must be the best religion otherwise one wouldn’t think of making the sacrifices one has to make for total salvation.
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The Seeing Eye
Even the weakest of wizards know that strength doesn’t always come from power but comes from strong alliances! It’s the wise wizard that knows to seek the power of the seeing eye, the eye that sees you when you’re at your most desperate, when you don’t even want to see yourself.
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Bad Dog App.
Don’t don’t don’t even think of downloading! Bad Dog App. will tear your software to pieces, make your life miserable! Bury bones in strange places and fetch absolutely nothing you asked for! The crossed eyes, the missing screws, the app is bad, the dog is wild, bad dog, bad dog!
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La Bruja
The practices of dark magic have been around for centuries and have always found roots in densely populated, relatively poor classes. For this reason, many parts of a city like Brooklyn, and her many sub cities and neighborhoods, attracted such practices around every corner.
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Brooklyn Beats
The twins dance, mesmerizing, hypnotic, the music spins you round and round and you’ve lost your way. But the beat keeps you here, unable to break free, unable to stop the dance. Surrounded by the crowds and the speakers but alone but for the twins, helplessly surrendering to them. Slaves to the rhythm!
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Rise of the Phoenix
From the ashes, the bottom of the deepest darkest recesses will rise a power unlike any power ever before beheld! A strength formed on the strife of generations persecuted, of races stereotyped, the downtrodden, the huddled masses, together, uniting and uplifting each other to heights unforeseen, more powerful
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Surfing Coney
The Cyclone? Too predictable, The Wonder Wheel? Too slow, bumper cars? Go karts? Going round in circles and circle for what? The best ride on the beach is atop the express northbound towards the city! Rough, unpredictable, dirty and serene with the ocean at your side and Brooklyn flanking your opposite! What could make a pro wipe out here?
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Brooklyn Bling
Aces all out, hidden cards abound, bottomless bubbly flows everywhere! The dice roll, the diamonds glimmer! Blades are sharpened, techniques are honed, Beauty becomes deadly, and friends become foes. The spoils can be your downfall and will unravel you surely and quickly!
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Break for Love
Cupids arrow, so swift and sharp, like the bite of a piranha, like the blade from razor barbed wire, like the cut of a knife. We have all felt that sting, sometimes with great pleasure, sometimes with dire results, we have felt the sting, like an acid burn, deep inside to reaches unreachable. And after we heal, we beg for more.
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Diesel Down
Challenging is the spirit of the warrior! Do not underestimate the resolve of the Chanel clad warrior in matters of spirit, strength and fashion! Do not interfere, do not believe that you can intercept the fashion warrior! Do not trouble yourself to the ways of the warrior because although she seems peaceful she has a roar, a bite and a sting that is deadly should you cross her!
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Prospect Park
On a smoke break, enjoying the scene, maybe a bit too much for a super woman, keen, intelligent, sharp as an iron chef blade. I am impervious, hard as stone, unbreakable, I assume, made of sand and stone and earth but still made of man and man’s imperfections. Dare I stare another moment.
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The Bridge
Everywhere along the river they dance, laying petals into the winds as the race playfully during only the darkest moonless nights, you have to be quick to spot them, or wildly intoxicated they will show themselves knowing full well you stories about them will be laughed away. Fairies? Angels? Alien? Gorgeous?
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The Front of Grand Army
The Gateway between the frenetic-ness of the urban world of Brooklyn and the nature in Prospect Park is guarded by the Quadriga, a representation of an spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms. A figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.
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Brooklyn Diner
Finger off the trigger, safety on, spent casings on the ground and not a drop spilled off the drink order. Old School roller boots with monster pink stoppers. A twist of old school scenario plays out, a not so typical New York thriller story! So many unknowns. Even after painting her my imagination runs in hundreds of outrageous directions with wild adventures for her!
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Bedford Ave
My first apartment was on Bedford ave in Williamsburg, Bklyn. It will always hold some nostalgia for me so its only fitting that the first piece in this series be titled from the first street i lived on. Bedford ave, where rival crack dealers often shot each other for control of any particular corner gives way to the trendy restaurants,
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Neptune’s Break
Neptune, mythical Roman God of the water and sea, is shown here rocking and breaking beats over waves of air and waves of white water horse-pulled chariots crashing onto Brooklyn shores! Neptune Ave, which rides right through Coney Island and leads directly to the beach is another historical Brooklyn marker lost to busy commutes and fast-paced lifestyles.
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On Patrol in Alphabet City
With this, the last painting for this series I wanted to begin my departure into the 3rd series coming next month. The complex reality of creating 13 new theme-based paintings has self-manifested. It’s difficult to express what this piece means to me because
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Rhino Saurases
“Once again the letter R makes its appearance. This was so you can view 2 paintings, completely different of each other yet created from the same letter. I wanted to show how different one letter can be treated, the Rhino conveniently beginning with the letter I was portraying was just lucky coincidence. The animal worked perfectly in showing its weight and strength for this piece.”
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XO
“You can almost feel my groove here, i have been painting steady for weeks now, the concepts for this month are locked in and im feeling good, i can now turn any letter or word into an animal or origami, my mind wrapped around the concept and my body
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Grrrrrr
“This is another hysterical piece. The letter G is so clear and the face is so prevalent that it looks like it could really be a letter or animal. It has so many characteristics that make it seem
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$-Dollar Sign
Money, the root of EVL? I’ts a theme that will definitely repeat during the course of 13-13. Everyone loves it, everyone needs it, everyone wants it! I struggled with piece. The $ was the first piece for this show that I created,
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The Bird, Flipped
Maybe I bit off too much with this one, but goodness how I love a challenge. I never actually made paper boats but I have seen them in movies and they often portray an innocence or tranquility. I wanted to flip that idea and what flips better than “the bird?” So here is what I imagine flipping the bird, rather un-serenely.
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Valentine
“Ok ok, this piece doesn’t really have as much to do with this show but with Valentines Day approaching, and V not being one of my favorite letters, I wanted to paint it for several reasons. First, as a gift to everyone that loved my last exhibit and as a farewell to the previous theme which I already
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The R
Certain letters in general are more challenging than others, which is why they appear often in my paintings. I chose the “R” to do both as origami as well as animal because it moves more freely in my mind. To me it can be sexy or aggressive and this piece I wanted mean. It’s an “angry R” and aggressive letters always make for good graffiti!
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Erni Vales is EVL
“I am not evil but I am EVL. EVL is Erni Vales Limited. It’s also a play on words. EVL is the basis for most of my style: from my graffiti- always bold, mean, strong- carries over to my canvas as well. Here I was really feeling the concept of origami or the whole folded paper concept. After the first few paintings my mind starts to
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S and Ms
The letter S is also a wonderful letter for graffiti styles.. It’s sexy with its curves but completely balanced and can be made to lean different directions, heavy or light. Transforming it into an animal was a lot of fun. While I was painting him
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X Rated
(porno pages/peep show origami) If I was really going to set out to make origami I would definitely try using the glossy pages of my classic Porn stash, (yes classic since I have been carrying around the same
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First in Flight
When I was very young, growing up in the Lower East Side projects on the 13th floor, one of my favorite things to do was make paper airplanes to launch from my bedroom window. It was a thrill getting them to sail through the air, making adjustments and improvements with each launch using
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Feathered Friend
before. This is exactly why I needed to create this piece. Many people don’t know that out of millions of graffiti styles worldwide done by thousands of great artists, I inspired and even created some of them.” Tweet
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The World Is Yours
A leopard can’t change his spots, but sometimes she wouldn’t need too! All one needs is confidence and individuality.
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EVL Tag
Or as I like to refer to this as my self-portrait, if I were 3ft tall. And chased by police and stuff.
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Felon
Conceived around 2008ish. Just how much trouble can a 3’ tall bear really get into? Lots it seems.
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The Milk Bar
It’s very important , before going wilding, causing mayhem, destroying property, to always drink your milk.
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Ammo Bunny
Cute, cuddly and dangerous. An expert shot and quick reloader. Conceived 5th in 2008.
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Love and Hate
Weather you did it to someone, or someone did it to you, we have felt the sting, the pinch and the joy of love!
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Sushi Table in the House of the Rising Sun aka Sushi Cat
Don’t worry for her, she has been a willing participant since 2008. The 4th conceived.
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Panda Suit
Would a panda wear a leather suit? Of course he would if he lives in EVL World! He was the 2nd conceived in 2007.
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Misery Loves Co.
A bad apple ruins the bunch? Bad seeds infiltrate the garden? Can something be truly inherently bad? And if so, if something is really, bad why oh why does it attract the others into its fold? The most hardened criminals in prisons receive the most offers for marriage. We are curiously
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21
I dont have to say much about this vice, gambling is one of the most powerful of vices, its dangerous, seductive and completely EVL! No other industry could survive taunting
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Porn
I heard a stat the other day, over 100,000 porn websites are launched...ready, daily! Yes daily! That's a lot of Porn, that's a lot of people filming their sexual escapades! Men think about sex all day long and that's a driving force behind Porn but with the Internet women, usually a bit shy on the topic, are quickly
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Miami Vice Card
Miami has always been a major vice, even before it was named as one for a TV series! Miami may be New York’s favorite vice as I run into more new Yorkers here than anywhere in Manhattan these days and Wynwood so reminds me of the Bohemian beginnings of Williamsburg back in the 90s! They say what happens
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Divalicious
A woman with self-confidence, self-respect, elegance and independence is powerful but when you add style and swagger to that woman, you get something entirely different. Her style and attitude are on point without even trying. We gravitate to her to catch a taste of that shine. And almost always we love her taste in shoes!
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B&B Heist
They knew exactly what they wanted, Birkin's and Bentley's! That's the only loot they cared for which made the job even more complex! Who could possibly have the same taste as they and not cause anyone's desire to rob them for their special tastes? Of course there would be casualties and that was a price they were willing to pay to satisfy their desire for B&B!
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The House
if you hadn't noticed, house music is everywhere and it many components, techno, drum and bass, etc. are really everywhere! Miami especially where thousands of scantily clad music lovers descend on this city year round just to experience the flow of energy, the vibe shared that can only be experienced when you feel the throngs of people, dancing with
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Fame
What some people are willing to do, for fame knows no limits. the promise of celebrity, the allure of glamor are powerful aphrodisiacs and to the young and naive they can be completely and mercilessly overwhelming! The dangerous thing is with the internet, images let
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Fetish
I’ve always wondered how certain fetishes came to be and what drove certain minds to push the creative limits to where they are. When did latex and PVC become a symbol for naughtiness and sexual abandon? Fetish comes from the 15th century Portuguese word feitico,
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Canstill
i was thinking about a still life, i researched many of the classics, always with fresh fruits or veggies, some with meat and others with wine, most classic and beautiful so I brought this idea with me to the supermarket where the fresh food section, if you call what’s in the supermarket
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Power
Why are we consumed with power? More than any other vice, power is the leading one, because its so intoxicating and it has influence over every other vice known. Sex, drugs, anything that gets the adrenaline going is influenced by power and who wouldn’t be seduced by the ability
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Original G
Although they are still technically legal tender in the United States, high-denomination bills were last printed in 1945 and officially discontinued in 1969, by the Federal Reserve. It is a little known fact that gangster Al Capone favored the large bills
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Golden Kitty
The Golden Kitty is a mythological artifact that mostly women, and some men are rumored to possess. To the bearer it grants the power to capture the souls of others despite all other outward features or flaws. Most often these items are grated to
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Lush Life
ok ok so this vice happens to be one of my favorites and if you know me at all you know what a happy lush i am! Yes its true, i have dozens of rationales indicating international happy hours and the rules of drinking engagements always at the ready! Take the edge off? I have lots of edge in need!
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4x4orgy
I was living in LA, it was 1994 and somehow i ended up with a 1966 Ford Bronco to scoot me around LA in. It was the most basic in utilitarian driving so comfort seemed to be a last idea but I had a lot of fun in that truck, went to Mexico, went off road with it an drove across the country
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Wild Style Lesson #1
In graffiti style you have several different ones but the most complex, the most complex, the craziest is the Wild Style. In a wild style the object is to take the letters of a name and overly exaggerate, decorate and accentuate the letter so that they
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Haunted Heart
The haunted heart is a mysterious thing. It's not broken, it's not in love but it finds itself once in a while in a strange ambivalent place. Never completely satisfied, always yearning while still managing to leave a wake of destruction behind it, I have been exposed to countless hearts like this. Its no fun, you offer them love, which
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Fallen Angel
Part of my mythical and fantasy series. It is believed that Satan is the first fallen angel, i wonder what made him fall? How many others have fallen? Is it a common occurrence? Maybe heaven isn't as tight a ship as it would have us believe? Maybe if you worked in heaven,
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Birds of Pray
This show, because of its mythical nature happens to have many "birdlike" influences. The bird character to me indicates a being that can fly, remove itself immediately from the situation its in and create a new situation very quickly. Faster than people
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Flights of Fantasy
The last in this series of mythology, fantasy, not the last forever just the last in this series as i have been playing in my head with this idea for years. I googled many a Pegasus, many a Unicorn and many a zebra but didn't get many of all combined so I say it's safe to say this may be
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HippieChic
We all have to have at least one "hippiechic" in each of our lives! That one sweet, very little make up wearing girl that surrounds us with love and optimism so much that at certain times we want to beat her with a garden hose? And yet so
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Walter
(The Shy Sea-Dragon) Walter is from my ball point pen series, I wanted to interpret some mystical and fantastical ideas and since i had done several dragons, a
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Bad Seed
This just has to be said, not all babies are nice, cute, fun, gorgeous, etc! I know, the parent of every rotten child believes the same thing, "Not myyyy baby!" Unfortunately some babies grow to be not nice people. I always imagine the hardest criminal, the molester, racist, stout republican
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Style Flow
This idea dates back to around 1994, living in LA where not much of anything challenges you, LA is funny like that, it as a city wont challenge you to rise up, you have to go out and find challenges and well, not many LA residents find the need for that. I chose to draw a lot in my free time and when
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Ms. Fixit
Loosely inspired by the Harvey Kietel character in Pulp Fiction, remember, he was a "fixer". Hasn't there been times in each of our lives that we could use the special talents of such a "handy" person? I can think of several issues offhand that I would like "fixed"! Not repaired, just fixed!
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Homeland
Sometimes all i need is a sheet of paper, a bottle of wine and my ball point pen to entice the ideas from my mental closet. It also helps being stuck hours on a flight where its hard to distract myself. The term homeland is a relatively new term for many of us Americans and originally this piece was called something
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Swirly’s
Experimentation, challenge, exploration, communication. These are some of the main ingredients that fuels my style, my mind, always filled with images and color and always
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Parting Shot
These paintings, many a bit surreal are all based on drawings, musings and sketches done some over 20 years ago. I wanted a show based completely on many ideas I had that I have been carrying around with me for ages, this particular painting, drawing done sometime around 1998 was in my original 3D graffiti style that I
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Pixel Fairy
This piece is the only one of this series not done digitally as were the 13 of its predecessors. All the other pieces were done in photoshop then printed onto metal but this piece I wanted to do on canvas using the pixel as my foundation for the painting. As much as I love digital painting it will never replace the appreciation I have for actual
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Hallowed Haute
All this series, painted in fluorescent red and white to glow under black light, off white, black and grays I relished as Halloween became the theme for this series, zombies, vampires, witches all became characters in the stages in my mind that are finally released to wreak havoc on all! Boo!
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DJ Mind Control
Similar to Roots of EVL I return to a favorite theme, exploring the dark side of human nature, some things that are just fun and some things that can become addictive. Either way vices are a necessary part of creative life. Vices are what make music, art, dance, etc. more memorable, more colorful that’s why I love these things
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DJ Vicey
This was the show where I was trying some more experimental or different themes, I had shown the naughty characters and the graffiti related things but this series I tried to show something different. I have never been the kind of artist to do the same kind of work over and over but throughout this journey I have found
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No Sleep Till Brooklyn
American starting point to more generations than any other port in the history of the country. Painted stories to be told through your eyes as the viewer. I have set the scene and you will fill in the blanks, answer questions.
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Spy vs. Spy
Combining the dramatic storytelling nature of the nostalgic Hollywood film poster with my iconic contemporary graffiti styles I attempt to continue my unusual journey in these 13 fictitious “coming attractions” of films that may or may not ever be made. Through the subject matter and identifiable imagery I once again ask
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Still Hopeless
Pop art- Art based on modern popular culture and the mass media. Potpourri- A combination of incongruous* things. *Incongruous- Inconsistent within itself. Not conforming.
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Hustler Stack Money
The initial Misfits show was received so well and since I still had many many characters running around my mind that I decided to have an encore show for them. This show replaced another idea for a show and I’m very pleased about that since this show was as good as the first one!
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Sam vs. Nin
This title set the stage for a set of paintings that explored taboos and naughtiness. A perfect topic to design a line of paintings from. Gambling, sex, society misconceptions all painted wonderful images in my mind. Some of the most memorable and well received pieces came from this series and I’m so happy to have these
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Alphabet Crossing
I am curious which style will be favored more by the viewers, Alive or figurative, either way as always I enjoy myself immensely when painting them and I am getting into a great groove thanks to the hectic pace set by the goal of 13 complete paintings each month. It was interesting to find
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Happiness is…
It all started with a tiny sketch, a little teddy bear with a ball gag in his mouth, I thought it was hysterical but I never thought the reaction it would get so I explored these naughty characters more and I found something really interesting. People bonded to these misfit characters more
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