"Believe it or not, I can actually draw." -Jean Michel Basquiat

Photo courtesy of http://www.prepidemic.com/

Graffiti has long been a fascination of mine. I love color so I would much rather see a wall ordained in bright, bold colors and patterns than the alternative... gray. This is part of what suburbane style is about. Growing up in North Dallas I was surrounded by ranch-style homes that rested upon beautifully manicured, freshly mowed lawns. While lovely as they may look, I have always been drawn toward a more urban, contemporary lifestyle

My art education has also been very traditional. The mediums that I have been trained to use consist of acrylic, oil, graphite, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, high and low fire clays, and various inks. In my four years at St. Edward's University, where I studied studio art, advanced techniques in graffiti was never offered as an elective. I even took a class titled "art in public places" and my professor spent approximately ten minutes discussing Basquiat.

Though often from afar, I have been a follower of urban style, but I never really felt that I had anything to offer to hip hop culture. Until recently, it never occurred to me that, through my art, I could participate in this creative subculture. Last weekend I attended EMERGE at the United States Art Authority where local graffiti artists hung their work on gallery walls. I am studying their techniques and applying them to my current body of work. I am quickly learning spray paint is a tricky medium. These graffiti artists are talented and deserve recognition. There is more graffiti in Austin that will be featured in future posts, but these images are what I have come across most recently.

Slie

Gene Parmesan

Gene Parmesan

Gene Parmesan


Polyheadron of Illumination
by Grand Life Styl
Each side of this piece was created by a different screen printer



These pieces are located on the side of the Delta Millworks building on East 5th street.

On another note...

I was feeling a little blue after SXSW; all of the creative energy that the musicians brought to town had suddenly dissipated. Austin grew quiet and returned to its typical state of laid back. But I was still interested in listening to more music. Fortunately, my brother is a musician. He currently plays keyboard for the Dallas band, Jack County. However, when I was in Dallas recently, I was able to catch a show that he did with Emotion Brown and the Stellar Cosmos.

In her words, Emotion and the Cosmos is soulternative universal music. It's a metaphysical sound lab with a few messages. It may not be forever, but it is now and that matters now. On a physical level, the Cosmos is an ever-evolving sound machine that currently consists of: Aaron Haynes (drums), Wade Campbell (bass), Scott Lee (bass), and Kyndal Roberston and Becky Elias (backup vocals).

Check out more Emotion at EmotionBrown.com