Star Mugs

I'm sure there's some myspace/capitalist/highschool/smoko room joke behind this but it's lost on me. I'm guessing that makes me the Starriest Mug of all ;-)

I keep forgetting to tell you that I've changed the way I edit images.
I realised that even though there's over 4 thou pics stored on google from both sites, I've only used 20% of my storage. So - no more skimping on res - now you can click on an image and get the full picture (unless the quality was so shite I had to reduce it just to get the pixels herded together). It takes me forfeckingevah to load them but I figure it's worth it so you get the max magnificence of the quality pieces - and so the toys can get off on full frontals of their frowies ;-)

AND - if you do make the executive decision to enlarge, I expect the minimum of a Sheeeeit! when you remember that every single one of these images were taken on a Nokia celly...

HINT: You have to right click on the image and select 'Open link in new tab' (Firefox - not sure about IE) or you won't get back to the site when you close it.

SCREAM | CFG

I walked up the alley and sprung DR just finishing the CFG.
I walked back down a few hours later and SCREAM was getting this up.
Creds to SCREAM for butting up against CFG and not doing a territory dog piss over it like so many would...

Lately I heard the Graf Kitchen's been generous with dishing up double helpings of Knuckle Sandwhich, including servings of Beef on the side.
Call me old fashioned but I was happy to hear this old school establishment doesn't use knives and forks and everyone's been using their fingers ;-)

Demon Invasion...

These pasteys could be classed as a new species of fungi - they've spread everywhere virtually overnight and if you have a degree in Pixel Translation you'll just barely make out the words Lucky Dragons (US).
Even though it says Dragons, for some reason my subconscious must have grabbed onto the Demon word because last night I had this Da Vinci Code type dream where I was being warned to get rid of this image and not publish or even look at those words.
WTF?!

Stuck Up

You know how SIN did the SIN throwie, then, a few days later Mount Cook and the Tui? I was impressed but not surprised that he carefully lifted this stick and painted under it both times...do unto others?



FTL's a mystery that is on the GFC file (Graf Forensics Crew) yet to solve ;-)

N DOGG | BMD

I don't know if I've told you this before but I have a One Block rule - most of the images here are from the alley but I'll put up something if it's within the surrounding block.
All in the name of keeping it freaky and bringing you more bank for your buck.

You're welcome ;-)

There's a small urban forest missing a few trees with the amount of paper getting slapped around the hood right now and we're in pastey heaven.
The above two are from a dude who shall be known as N DOGG until someone tells me different (with a Welcome to the Hood colab from Beware). We've never heard of him before but I can see why he might be attracted to the alley - it does look and smell disturbingly like a (decomposing) dogg run ;-)

I only knew this BMD heaven was here cos of seeing it on his Myspace page. My cellie doesn't like zooming so not the finest example...
BMD has spread hizself from the alley to Newtown.
I've taken so many images of his stuff in the past week that I couldn't fit him up the alley and had to put him on The Street...

OMF

We only really see the OMF crew in the school holidays.
In fact, that's how we know it's the school holidays.
However, a couple of the guys from CFG said they're all over them out the burbs...

Chalk

SIN and I took a quick dive down the alley in the weekend before going our different ways for the day and came across Erase and some of his homeboys hanging out. There had been some city thing where there was shitloads of chalk everywhere for people to draw with and the first thing we noticed was chalk tagging spread from one end of the alley to the other.
SIN and I were mocking it, contemplating the organic and sustainable nature of it as a tag medium, when one of Erase's boys did a homie stance, then, with defiance and attitude rapped out "Chalks gangstah man!!"
SIN and I looked at each other then pissed ourselves laughing ;-)

Sin Stick & Throw

I was just commenting to Beware that of all the writers and artists, SIN seems to be the most varied in what he churns out with mostly good and moments of stunning...

Slope, Slapstix and Visual Tourists...

A few mysteries demystified this past week...
Pink Boots is Eek's girlfriend. Also, I'd been hoping to see Arlo Edwards because somebody thought he might have something to do with the dotscape in Newtown.
I got my chance to find out on Friday night at Slope's opening at Manky Chops (on The Street soon) when he rocked in. He confirmed it was none other than his funky self with a little help from some friends. We also found out that these were his slaps we'd been seeing around...
I don't think I've ever spoken to Arlo when he isn't on some mission - always involving art of some sort and usually collaborative.
This time it's his latest Visual Tourist gig.

In the Museum of Curious Intent sounds like a mixed media orgy. The Eye's Wide Shut of art?
"Arlo takes pride in the look and feel of an exhibition, and will put his all into making the launch of the exhibition (26 September) a night to remember. He says the gallery will be lit for a darkened setting, complimented by red velvet curtains, extraordinary installations and a rich accompaniment of sound"
It wouldn't take anyone with a single digit IQ to get why I might have my tent set up outside in order to be first in.
Lets just say the words Darkened, Red and Rich sounds like a (hundred times) classier indoors version of the alley...

"Awarded to E and the Street Writers"...

We won.

What blew us away the most was the overwhelming positive acknowledgment of graf/street art by most of those who attended the Wellington Civic Trust Awards last night.

The montage that Callum, one of the judges of the Street Art award, compiled was stunning - the images were so clear and vivid, especially considering they were all taken on my Nokia cell phone.
And it was so cool to see everyone from Ceaper to DR and out of towners Flox, Silenc and so many more represented up on the big screen - if you'd been there you would've been so pumped to see your stuff up.

Some of the other nominees were the TS crew and Surplus Bargains. I was quietly gobsmacked at how much TS have done around the place - I had no idea and could have learnt a thing or two from their modesty last night - they were so chill and cool to hang with.

I have to do a shout out to all the writers represented - you were the stars last night. And to Beware, Sin and James from Boombox for being support crew - afterwards, it was them I kept going back to to get grounded (and a beer).

But most of all, I've told him 137 times and will keep telling him, I couldn't do what I do without Beware and when accepting the award I was really doing it on behalf of us as a team...

There was no media present and I've managed to keep my name anonymous so don't expect any tv appearances or product endorsements anytime soon but know that we're on a Mission from Graf and this award might give us a bit of foot-in-door cred for future developments.
As always - I'll keep you posted...
E

And the Award Goes To?

Tonights the night!

I have to admit being massived out by all the support Lefties has had thrust upon it since the announcement and you'll be the first to hear what happened.
And good luck to everyone else who's been nominated - see you there ;-)

IKON

Years ago I got to drive around the back blocks of Brisbane in a truck delivering chaffy stuff to stations and I didn't see one single Kanga. Not one. I came home and said that Kangaroos, and especially problem Kangaroos were a myth (just like the wind in Wellington).

I get a similar sense of mystery with IKON.
I've got so many images of his primo burners but I've never actually seen him paint. I even got to hang out with him recently when the guys were getting up behind the Opera House but he'd already finished.

I swear on my Brownie badge that the other day I walked past the above wall down the alley and when I walked past it five minutes later he was spread all over it.
What's that about?!

Whatever it is - I'm addicted.

And I know I'm not the only one who can't get enough of IKON's work - the vibrancy, variety and strength of his pieces are legendary and the RTR crew must be stoked with the prolific, high-profile reps...

Loading up on Ironlaks

I'd been looking for a new pair of jeans for a few years so got up early on Sunday and decided to be all open minded and even try on some skinnys. I wandered past Loaded in Manners Mall and remembered a rumour I'd heard that they had the cheapest Ironlaks in town so I popped in for a squiz.
260 queens heads lighter, as I was about to leave, I remembered to ask about the laks.
Goes like this...
Yes, Ironlak got the feedback that their new formula sucked and have been working on it. Now, apparently, the yellows are still a bit prematurey but the rest have mostly sorted their shit out and pretty well do what they're told and good thing is, laks are only $7.50 right now.

Not sure if improved formula or cheap as laks can help Berp on their throw up mission to conquer the world but noticing not one dribble ;-)

Left Overs From Last Week

Either a new toy or an old one who's thrown his name out of the cot and got a shiny new one - either way - need a degree in Graf Interpretation majoring in Toy Psychology to work it out ;-)

Round the Block...

We're so used to Dusk's pasteys being of voluptuous, cheeky looking femmes so this one is a bit of a change. But knowing Dusk - there's a good chance this is a statement about something she's been noticing or thinking about lately...

These two pasteys are by Eeks. Some tips on Eeks you could go to the TAB and cash in on is that his pieces never run in straight lines, the proportions are often distorted, his characters are multi coloured freak shows and he's unpredictable - the very line up that makes his stuff outstanding...

Lefties Award Nomination

www.leftbank.co.nz has received multiple nominations in the Street Art category of the Wellington Civic Trust Awards.
The awards get presented in the Icon Room (good omen?) at Te Papa between 5:30 - 7:30 on Thursday the 18th of September.

The guy who contacted me said they were really impressed to see Wellington graffiti represented. Of course, we all know there are quite a few sites, and stores & galleries also supporting graf but, maybe because the alley is so in everyones faces (and nostrils), it's the one that got the noms.

Apparently there were quite a few others nominated - Ellen Coup for her exceptional mural by the bus stop in Newtown, the creator of the relief pattern in the airport tunnel, to name a few that the dude told me.

And I was thrilled to hear that another nominee was a graf crew - he said TS so I'm not sure if it's Top Shelf or Triple S - either way - onya's!!

Do you get how good this is for graf?
All those times that you go out, after work or school, at night or in the weekends, in the cold and or rain, dragging your kit, risking getting busted (or getting busted) to get your creations up - at this moment in Wellington time - is being recognised as worthwhile and valid.
I'm not sure how it's all decided but it was the public who put in the nominations and just the fact that the Awards have created a Street Art category shows that there's more awareness and acceptance of the streets as a gallery with entertainment value and potential.

So - if you're a writer and you're in the hood on that night, I would be really honoured if you were to join me at the awards. If, by some miracle the Graf Gods poked their heads in on the night and I was to find myself accepting an award, it would be on behalf of you and I would want you there with me - whether I've met you before or not, whether you throw, burn, slap, sten or paste, legit or otherwise - as long as you're a contributor to the street, you should be there too.

I know you're publicity shy and it goes against everything you're always having to look over your shoulder for, but this could be the one night when graffiti actually gets a positive rap and I want to make sure you're represented and get the credit you work your hiney off for.

And big ups to everyone who nominated the alley.

I can't help but feel this is a break through...

NEO NATE / JeROmE CopE!uS

At Philosophy School we learnt about 'waking sleep' - that state where your brain is so busy with all its random thoughts and rantings that you don't 'see' anything around you. Classic case being driving home from work where, if someone asked, you wouldn't be able to tell them anything specific you might have seen on the way.

I remember the day I 'woke up' and saw graffiti for the first time. It was about 8 years ago - I was walking down the Dixon Street steps and F is For Fun was written on the railing. I know that I noticed it because it was such a positive message. And once I woke up, there was no nodding back off.

Dryp's characters were the first series I noticed, followed closely by Neo Nate's Bulb Head and Street Squatch. Knowing both of these artists now I can't help but laugh when I remember that I thought it might be the same person doing all these characters ;-)

My brother generously bought me a 3G Nokia to keep in contact when I was in Japan - the camera was the bonus bling and the beginning of these sites...

So - when wanting to add a bit of dimension to the Alley, it was a no brainer to ask Neo Nate if I could pester him about his art...

Knowing that his other obsession is skating, and because he had done the above pieces on the legit boards the week before, we met down the skate park.

Note to Self - My only regret is that I didn't take a voice recorder because we were rapping in seconds and Neo Nate was so interesting I knew right away I didn't have a chance of remembering everything he told me.

NN was brought up between Hastings and Te Awamutu.
He remembers his mother taking him to the library in Hastings when he was a tacker where he always made his way over to the comic books. Manga was the first and strongest influence on him and he couldn't help but start drawing. He says he's still heavily influenced by Manga even now and is attracted to the clean simple lines and range of expressions.

We started talking about his most popular characters - Bulb Head and the Street Squatch. They were his first characters that were his own and he still has the very first drawings of them.
I asked him if they were Super Heroes and he looked straight at me and said Hell Yeah!

I started reeling off all the other characters I'd photographed and I can't believe I'd never noticed the distinctive Crustation theme which he admitted to being fascinated by.

I had promised beer as the bribe to talk to me so we made our way to a local bar (including his girl). Once the beers were opened, we started talking about the scene, and if I was impressed by his work, I was stunned at how much he knew about the history of many of the writers and crews in NZ, & especially Wellington - going back years.

I don't feel like I'm doing Neo Nate justice and have stuck a Post It note to my forehead to take a tape recorder next time I find someone willing to spill but the thing that's stayed with me is how humble and unassuming he is.
It felt like a real treat to hang with him and we're all looking forward to when he gets back in a few months from his valuable whanau time in Te Awamutu...

And Happy Birthday matey potatee ;-)

There's A Pattern Emerging...

These Eeks pasteys are just across the street from the Alley. They're so random and bright and cool they stand out like dogs balls.
Or chin testes ;-)

There's a Surplus Bargains pastey just above the top one too but SB has been spreading hisfineself around a lot lately so I've put him up on The Street.

Even though Eeks got busted by the 5-Ohshitohdear, and there's been a lot of beef in the past few months, it hasn't stopped the action around town. In fact, there seem to be more slaps and pasteys going up than ever. And Ikon et al have the legit burner market covered so all this is putting Wellies right up there for eye jollies right now...

Alley to Opera House...

Some very cool European flava going on over at WWS lately...



We (the Graf hounds) have all been noticing the epic pasties going up around town lately. I'll try to get them up on The Street in the next few weeks.

Not much news from Lefties lately but today we spent a sunny hour or so watching Ikon, Editor, Cast and Drypnz getting some new pieces up behind the Opera House.
Remember how they did that last lot of burners and the car park people painted their numbers and spaces right through the pieces?

Well this time, with a bit of colab with the car park police, Ikon did the impressive job of painting the disputed car park numbers up above all the pieces. Impressive because there could have so easily been some serious damage to tender goods as he balanced precariously on the thin top hand rail of his step ladder to do it.

We never know what the guys are going to get up but one thing's consistent, and that's the 'mare with Ironlaks.
I'm pickin their sales graph probably resembles their cans about now - dribbling in a downwards motion.

SIN

Now that so many of the walls are covered down Lefties, there's not much action happening. Good in most ways but not so good when trying to be all fresh and frank here ;-)
So - these are images borrowed off SINs mem stick cos he's good like that. And there will probably be more over the next few days.
I find that SIN has a similar image taking style to mine so I don't feel all weird putting his gear up. Just a shame his camera's bailed on him...



That last one there? When I saw that, I had no idea what it was and didn't bother taking an image of it but when it turned up on SINs memory stick I raved not-so-quietly to him. It's definitely my favourite SIN...

Silenc Rap Ture

I robbed this image of Sin's MySpace page because, apart from Silenc, he was the only one I know who got it before it was buffed - Thanks man ;-)

Like an emo undergoing keemo in pareemareemo

things aint what they seem yo
martain lutha king was killed cos he dreamed
bro im headin where my team
wont in a dream boat that keeps float
but im runin out steam
yo rollin on my last 3spokes
thru the exhaust fumes n tree smoke
pety shit 4d deep blokes
who front so hard they dont even seem broke
Text from Silenc
29 Aug 08

Chocca Lefties...

Deciphering writing's one of those weirdies where you can look and look and pull apart a piece letter by letter and not be able to work out what it says but when someone tells you, you're all Of course!!
And I'm sure that's what I'll say when someone enlightens me on these two...




So much is happening in the hood as per.
DR got chased out of Lefties by the BKK, Erase has joined CFG, Eeks has got a few pasteys up around the place, DRYPNZ is working like a crazy thing on an international graf collaboration show at Mankys in Nov (will let you know more when there's more to know) and Neonate has split for a few months.
And speaking of the BKK, I heard they used a bit of the rough and tumble with a few writers they cornered a few weeks back.
Settttle!

Lately it's been such a pleasure to walk to work and see all the burners around the place. And maybe the tag nazi's are having an effect cos I'd swear on my Mk4 Zodie that there's been way less of it lately.
For now the scene seems to have caught onto the concept of quality over quantity and there's no sorrows to drown over that news...

Dusk Maiden

One Divine Dusk over another. Is there any such thing as too many Dusks?

My eyes hurt sooooo bad.
I was convinced they were going to fall out, on my lap, throbbing and writhing. And I just knew it would have been while throwing back sake at Catch Sushi, making it understandable that the Sushiettes might mistake my bloodveined, tearstained eyeballs for something that could go on the conveyor belt - black plate for effect, uncooked, with or without wasabi - which would've been dead cert to start a frenzy once the other punters discovered there were only two to go round.
I knew you'd be horrified at the drama, not to mention the images (that someone else would've had to take cos I wouldn't have been able to see), so me and my wary eyeballs took a rest.

I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. I work 8 - 10 hours at my computer at work then another 3-5 up the alley and on the street. (Luckily I know you know what I mean!)
I'm going to lay off the Street for a while - that's where I have to do the most work - but I just can't give up the Alley! (Next I'll have a website called Marion Street then you really will wonder! Lol)

Lefties is looking it's finest right now with representation from almost every local writer and artist that has anything stunning to offer. And cred to the toys who've pulled their heads and posca's in enough for pieces to dry, let alone go a few weeks, without being done over.

Call this Fight Club but I'll keep coming back here until I have no choice but to go kicking and screaming...

SIN

SIN the Superhuman. He always looks a bit pale but when he did these he'd been in bed sick for the previous 3 days. Maybe that's where the skull with wings came from - I can relate to that 'just take me away' feeling when I've been sick...

MORE SLAPPERS

I never know if this is Gee2, Gees or GEEZ. Sin and I were yarning when we saw some gansta looking dude tagging his way up the alley. We found out it was this guy and when I tried to find out what his writing name was, he told me but I still couldn't work it out.


Erase has been doing more stickers than throwies lately. Is it just me or is his stuff totally watchable?!

CFG/NEONATE/LIGHTBULB MAN

Have to say it's the first time my pool ass has been whipped by a crew!
I was out with NeoNate and his girl when some CFGers came in. They were up for a game so games we played - 5 of them. Their pool style can only be described as unco but they just kept getting them down and I heard this rumour that's all that counts in pool.
I'm not going to make any wus excuses about my lack of form but the fact that Kwiva was playing with his cast on and still winning - well - lets just say I've suddenly got a case of Convenient Amnesia ;-)

DELT2 rocked in a bit later too. 

The Cue Room was totally the Writer Room that night...


It's taken me a good year to work out this is CAST.
I never said my name was Lightening Speed ;-)
And the lightbulb man. Haven't seen him for a while but good to have him back in the hood...

Matey Potatees...

I just wanted to do a quick shout out for all the support you guys (and girl) are giving Lefties. Most of the time it feels like I'm posting to a black hole of nothing and no-oneness so every comment, liking or hating, tells me you're there.
About 25 of you are regulars who check in everyday and there's another 20 to 30 Leftie Virgins daily with the weekends being double those numbers (and rising weekly).

I'm happy with that ;-)

And as long as you keep coming back, I'll keep scrounging around the alley to put something on the table each night. I think you know by now that I can only serve you what goes up, burners or bogies, and cred to you because when you find the offerings unpalatable, you're grown up enough not to take it out on me personally.

As you know, sometimes I don't do things very beautifully, I often get things wrong and I can get a bit emo but I'd rather dish it how I see it, albeit naively and idealistically, and cop your bleats than get dead air, so don't hold back.

Thanks again - means tuns
E

That's all.
As you were...

Letters From Lost Memories...

It was a no brainer to guess this was compiled by SIN.
I asked him who had an obsession with him but he said he and Beware found these letters on the ground near Left Bank.
Not long after he left this lying against the wall in a patch of sun in Lefties it disappeared. Was the writer of the letters mortified to see her beating heart flacidly pinned to a piece of cardboard for all the wwworld to see?

I've left the images at full res so if you click on them, you should be able to read them.

Cred to SIN for the effort and for blankedyblanking the blankable parts ;-)








Beware was up the alley this week taking pics when a not-so-young (70ish) lady wandered up to him and asked if he was "photographing it or adding to it?" He cautiously said he was photographing it for a website. She then commented "Oh - it (the pieces) does brighten up a dull alley doesn't it".
Aww...bless ;-)

While he was there, he saw Walkwise doing their note taking gig again.

And we've seen more of the BKK (Blue Klux Klan as Silenc calls them) than both DR and Ikon combined lately - they're really ramping up the heat. Maybe they've got a warehouse full of Pink Vests they're keen to get rid of?
By the way - apparently Frenchies staff have got a bit tired of vouching for writers when the BKK come in (understandably) so now writers have to get a written consent from the owner. I'm not quite sure how that works but I'll try to find out for you.

Here's some good news though...somebody we shall hereafter refer to as God's Gift To (a few selected) Writers , has given permission for their walls to be hit up. That's Bewares gig though so I'll let him fill you in when the deeds done - watch his space...

Burn Factor 57

We're getting some serious retina burning action lately! This is left to right - truth is - I wasn't quite sure where one started and one left off...






I thought this style looked like a writer I got in Mays Lane in Sydney but we heard the guy was from Aux. Could he have done a piece in Syds? Or is it a commonish style. Not sure but McLovin it...(feel free to enlighten us if you've got some dish on it)




Slap me round the chops with a full can but I've often not taken images of Cast's stuff because I haven't been sure if he's finished or not...

BTW - total side alley here - heard today that AK was Shiv - is that true?

Even though Editor and Cast are bro's from South Africa, it doesn't take much more than an alleyway IQ to work out what's being said here ;-)

Slaps Around the Hood...

Yep - you just know I'm going to thrash that SLAPS word and put it in as many sentences I can until I either lose all (ok - both) my friends or get arrested - whatever comes first...

It was all on down the alley this weekend. In fact, there were so many writers, and their girls, and their hanger ons and homies that Beware couldn't even get any pics of the wallage. I went down after playing pool all night but they were in the non lit area of the alley so you'd need an army issue infrared viewmaster to make out anything.

I'll get some images today and get them up tonight for you...

You're welcome ;-)

Last Weeks Leftovers...

Back Alley Humour...

Free Photos

OK - so this isn't strictly LB related but this is rules being bent - cos I can. Lets call it Friends of LB Day.

Beware does this thing where he takes an image of some graf then gets the image printed, you know, like old school printed - an actual photograph - and sticks it to the place where he took the image.
When he first told me about them, do you think I could get wtf he was trying to explain to me? It took being dragged to this one for me to get it.
Vague?
Yessum...

EEKS

Glad to see EEKS hasn't lost his Mojo after being sprung by the PVP's a few months ago - although fairly sure the Total Crap comment was written by him - if so - Jury's still out on the state of Mojo...

Slap Stick

Beware told me today that stickers are called Slaps in the States - dunno why but I really like that - I suggested that made him a Slapper...


Here Lies SIN Gone To Hell...This has got to be the hardest thing I've ever tried to take an image of!

Agent 66

Late Saturday avo, Beware and I had done the scope down the alley to get Ikon and Vents pieces and anything else we'd missed, then BW went to work and I went to Maxwell Smart.
When I came out of the movie, I had three text messages. Two of them were from a random number I didn't know.
Cops hassling writers at t mo at left bank...
I asked which writers and did anyone get arrested?
I don't know who they had but was a big grp both police and writers...2 guys painting earlier got away...

Now, I don't give my number out to anyone for obvious reasons, so it felt weird coming out of Maxwell Smart all Agent 99'd up then getting those mystery texts. Lets just say that there was a mission to be had and me and my Nokia were locked and loaded.

So - even though the time on the texts were 30 minutes earlier and all the action would have been over, after reporting in to BW at his work, I slid back down the alley to stake out what had gone up since we were there a few hours earlier.


Mission accomplished ;-)

BTW - I also worked out who the mystery texter was too!
So - hyped up on Agentroids and the nights adventures, the games of pool I went on to play sounded something like this...
tssss! ;-)

Totally random side note - Now that Ikon, Vents, TU/NL, DRYPNZ and Yelz's pieces have gone up, not only does Lefites look less alley and more gallery - they make the toys throwies look even more like kiddy doodles.

YELZ / DRYPNZ

Every few weekends I like to take a trip down past the skatepark and capture what's gone up on the legals down there. Today was stunningly sunny so, because I could see a few writers skating and hanging out, I decided to make like a cat and lounge in the sun, taking in the action.
Beware texted me to see what I was up to and ended up meeting me there.

Eventually, as always, we ended up down the alley where we were stoked to see DRYPNZ, who had just finished the above face, and Yelz. Neither of us had met Yelz before but we'd both wondered on our respective sites where he'd gone.
Once DRYPNZ introduced us, we told Yelz we'd missed him and he said he'd had a bunch of papers to hand in.
I guess studying must fill in the time while he's waiting for the paint to dry ;-)

On amicable, sunny days like today when graf love is everywhere, I wish the GP could meet these 'reckless vandals' and find out how charming, peaceful and egoless, yet motivated they really are...

VENTS / IKON

Beware should be a psychic! A few weeks ago we were all wtf about Lefties bad attitude and BW said You wait - when the sun comes out, writers will start painting again. I wish I'd put a fitty on that one!

A few days ago I'd cleaned out the pantry but luckily I don't buy into poverty consciousness and knew we wouldn't go hungry. My names not Marie Antoinette but I can say Let Them Eat Cake cos there's so many treats down Lefties it's like a banquet hall.
My advice is to get down there over the next few days to cop a looksee before they get capped...


BTW - Lefties isn't the only place VENTS and IKON hit this weekend. If you're around town, go see their burners in the carpark opposite Dick Smiths on Vivian - I'll be putting those up on The Street in a few days...
As one Graf Hound said - Ikon's changing our landscape...

TU/NL

Apparently this guy is European. He went and got permission to do them. He signed the two pieces TU and NL so Beware wondered if it could be like Tunnel? But then, if he's European, who knows what they might stand for in his language...

There's lots to show and tell that's happened down the alley over the last 24 hours but I want to get some better images for you than the ones I have.

It's a rare sunny day here so I'll go out now - might do a mish round the skate park and some other hot spots while I'm at it. See you back here soon ;-)

Mother Hubbards Cupboard

I've been working from home this week (remote accessummgood!!!) and no ops to get down the alley so this is the cleaning out of the Lefties pantry...

You can tell this one's old because you can still see the original colour of the (then) newly buffed wall April 07. There's been so many go overs since then that the masses of layers of paint are closing the alley in - soon you'll have to hold your stomach in and walk sideways ;-)



I mentioned that AK found a spot and just keeps capping himself - this was taken mid July and he's still got that spot ;-)

"There's nowhere to escape from Lefties!" was SIN's response when I asked him what Quick Hide meant.
We already know my Nokia is shit at taking close ups so I'm not even going to apologise for the crappy res - it was on the back of the TV not long before it got munted then taken away

BEWARE

Stens and below (mutey) pastey by BEWARE.

After experimenting with different media's, BW has settled on stickers, pasteys and stencils.
When he was putting up the gasmasks, Ikon wandered down and commented that there needed to be more stens around the place.
Have you ever noticed no-one can get enough of stencils? It doesn't seem to matter what artists and writers personal style choices are, almost everyone appreciates a good clean stencil.

BW's one of my favourite human beings. He's a fellow graf hound and obsessio and all we talk and text about all day is graf (taking the pressure of his long suffering non-graf partner I hope!). If it wasn't for BW, I would never have had the courage to start this site. In fact, if it wasn't for him, I still wouldn't know what a pastey or a throwie was, even though I had been taking images of both for a few years for the Street. Graf was a language I loved the look of but didn't know how to speak until I met BW who gave me a crash course. He's like a graf wiki and, as far as Leftbank resources, BW's more crucial than both my Nokia and laptop combined.

So here's the thing...
I'm a toy (and I know I'm not doing myself any cred favours by saying that), but I have BW who I can ask for help. Even though he's almost 20 years younger than me, he isn't protective of what he knows and isn't scared to share it, he notes, encourages and big ups my progress without making me feel like an old fool tool - and on a sub-conscious level he does what all the best mentors do - he makes no mention at all of the bad but always high tens the good.
The effect is that I get courage to try new things (coming soon by the way) and push myself harder and most of all, after hours at work then having to come home to do another mid-nighter here, night after night, it helps me stay motivated.

Now, you must know by now where this is headed...

Adopt a Toy!! lol ;-)

Share your knowledge - give someone a hand, or a can. Help a dribbly toy with no can control but a ton of potential feel like they're not up a dark alley risking arrest or being done over for nothing.

What goes around, goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around...
We all know JT's singing about Graf Karma right?

Next day...
Now that I'm not cross eyed and exhausted, I just read over this again.
It's obvious what my name E stands for.
Emo!
How about S.I.E?
Sickeningly Idealistic Emo?! haha

CFG

I just noticed CFG are now Cool Fools Graffin' - easier to spell and makes more sense ;-)

Multi Media Installation - Lefties Style ;-)

After the shock and disgust of seeing Have Fun Cleaning Bitch tagged on the knitting shop window, it was probably just as well my internet connection went belly up and I couldn't post for a few days.

That was yesterday and today I'm over it, and marveling at this image taken last night as the sun was setting, I can only laugh at the thoughts I had of not doing this anymore.

What's not to love about this unpredictable derelict tract of pipes and concrete...

Otis and Silenc Speak Up...

Just in case you missed them, here are Otis and Silenc getting up real good!

And this, at the very end of the interview in the TV3 studio this morning with Otis and the Councilor in charge of Zero Tolerance for Graffiti programme in Auckland, Paul Greenwood...

Interviewer: Any merit, do you think, to the Council providing an area the people are allowed to use for these kinds of purposes?

Otis: Absolutely - Yes!

Councillor: I don't think so - I mean - I think that's the old just hug them a bit more, love them a bit more and they'll stop doing it. I think you've actually got to catch people.

Otis: I think loving and hugging more would actually probably work.

And from the interview with Silenc...

If the Council members, the Mayor and all these anti-graffiti people, if they're coming from an angle - like if I come at you like this and punch you, you're automatically going to throw up the defensive right? Well - it's natural - ok?
So I think that's not the way to actually solve the problem - by attacking. The best way is to, you know, just basically, to reason...

I couldn't help but think that both the graf guys looked so zen.
And when will the Councils, Police and graffiti activists et al start taking notice of what they were both saying, what we've all been saying, for how long?...

Ich Gehe Schlafen...

Remember the story I told you about my German couch surfer Sarah and how I ripped off Dusk on Ghuznee St and gave her to her to take back to Germany?

And do you remember that I told you she made the sticker Eye Opened that went onto the Lefties Sticker Window of Fame (then got tagged over)?

Well - she sent me an email last week and toward the end she asked if I'd seen her other stickers. I said No - that I thought there was only the one.

A few nights ago I was walking home in the dark and rain and for some reason I looked up suddenly and right in front of me was one of Sarah's instantly recognisable stickers. I looked at it closer and burst out laughing because it said Ich Gehe Schlafen.

The whole time she and Theresa stayed with me, the only piece of their language they were able to get through to me was Ich Gehe Schlafen which loosely translates into I'm tired - I want to go to bed now (or similar). This is exactly what I would say every night when I had been editing and posting here for hours until I got too cold or went cross eyed - whichever came first - and it didn't take long to become our In joke.

So - seeing a random sticker on a random street that hundreds of people must have walked past and knowing immediately it had been specifically made for me and had just been biding it's time until I finally discovered it was trippy! On a cold winter's night, this was an ultimate treat which made me feel strangely special and I could almost feel Sarah smiling at me as I peeled it off for my collection, grinning and giggling like a crazy thing all the way home ;-)
Gute nacht Sarah!
xxx

Clink...

Lots of hating going on down the alley. Is it like Hyena's who don't have much turf and fight constantly over the small amount they have?
Or is it bad apples and eggs?!

I heard today that DR is going for a Government sponsored holiday. That would explain why he's been going hard and not giving a shit in the process. He's been banned by at least one venue in town for tagging their stairwell (they had fliers with his photo spread around the place) and there was another huge tag on a hallway wall the other day.
It'll be interesting to see if much changes down Lefties with him gone but more interesting is what he'll get up to before he goes. Something tells me he won't put down his cans quietly...

Usual Suspects

You can't really see it, but Kwiva has done this flash as crackle effect with the shadowing. And overall, the paint has this real matt rusty type look to it. It's kinda freaky and not what you're used to seeing on a piece...

Three times in the last week I've been down the alley of a morning and seen men closely inspecting the corner by where Kwiva painted this - with one eye not two if you get.
One was that biker looking poet dude with the Mohawk who rants in Cuba Mall, one was a homeless guy I see all the time, but I almost choked on my Offbeat latte yesterday morning when I sprung one of those guys with the trolley that goes around picking up rubbish and emptying bins.
Funny thing was he zipped up, turned around, got out a broom and cheerfully swept up the rubbish along the walls as if it was a small price to pay for his very own free open air urinal with priceless art all over the walls...

STIX

The above window is what Sin refers to as the Sticker Wall (Window?) of Fame. About now you'll be thinking that the bar anyone has to reach for that fame would be, oh lets see...knee high?! Yeah. To an ant ;-(
It used to be worth the effort to go see. And sometimes we'd see the Gen Pub (and Walkwise) browsing over all the different styles but a month or so ago taggers started spraying over the window and no-one's bothered to put anything up since.

The lack of pasteys and stencils has also been noticeable but I'm thinking that's about to change...

BIG TIME ;-)

DR

One of the odd phenomena I noticed when hanging pieces years ago was that sometimes a painting would be slightly muddy or scattered when viewed up close but at a distance, or when photographed, it was stunning.
As strange as it sounds, I worked out that it had something to do with the artists eyesight. When they painted up close, it looked to them like it looks to us from a distance - no different from taking off your glasses to view it from a distance and seeing something completely different.
When I suspected this, I experimented and did a huge painting without my glasses on and it confirmed my suspicions because, with my glasses on, standing way back from it, it then looked like what it looked like when I was painting it.

My reason for sharing that little insight is that that's the feeling I get with a lot of DR's pieces. I think of his style as naive but I've stopped being surprised that his pieces often look way more spectacular when I've taken an image, edited and published them.
The piece above is a classic example. Technically it's shit. As happens on many of his pieces, he used way thin paint on a dense background that was never going to be covered, but then he ends up with a surreal translucent effect.

I know DR's pieces aren't that polished but they're prolific, so through default, like his work or not, like him or not, this guy has a presence.
In his own words "I am wot I am and I do wot I do"...
I've done a first where I've featured DR today on The Street too, so you can see better examples of what I'm on about.

PS: I heard he had a 40ohzee and an armload of cans the other night so it doesn't take a psychic to guess the upshot of that combo ;-)

SILENC

Whenever I text Silenc, I know not to expect a reply anytime soon - he's one busy dude - but when I do get one (and he always replies eventually) it's like text rap. Here's his latest...

Stay smilin! cut'n patterns of style'n piling! layers of fabric, over the sadness, good becomes habits, 24 carrots per rabbit that gets stewed! dude there's nothing to hide cept tats so get nude! n eat the best food! Soulshit! on a roll, like guerilla jeeps, when warhips sink mint! swimming for soldiers!
Out of it aye!
To me, unpredictable translates into adventure so unpredictable people are my favourites.
I really like Silenc - he's one of those freaky dudes who's always on a mission either at full speed or no speed at all. You never know what he's going to say or do and if you don't judge him and just roll with the whatev's, you get rewarded time and time again...

Take care of the soul and stroll on a roll sista - kia kaha!

RESIN & ?

The above throwie's had me scratching my number one for a few days...



RESIN (OR Ressin as above) who I wasn't surprised to find out it also GOMANS...

Progress Down The Alley...

So I found out that Erase WAS Erect as I suspected. Someone hit him up for biting them. It was such a vague connection that I put it down to Top Toy pecking order slobber where the Bitee probably felt threatened.
I mean - look up there, then look down here...these were done by the same guy exactly two months apart. That's got to be called stellar progress in anybody's toybox.



My favourite story this week was about Shiv from CFG doing fill for Erase on one of the pieces at the top. Apparently DR (also CFG) wasn't ecstatic about it and told Shiv none too eloquently, but Shiv kept doing it anyway.
Now that's what I'm talking about...
I already liked Shiv but he got a big fat 10 pointer in my blackbook for that deed. Tells me two things - he's not too big for his Vans AND he knows talent when he sees it and isn't too staunch and haterful to support it...

SIN Heaven

Sin being the leftfielder that he is, has been doing nail ups and pasteys this past few weeks. This man's a creative machine. In the last month he's done two VJ gigs, got up in an exhibition, is preparing work for another one and sold a bunch of work. And he still manages to take a zillion images of graf round town and upload to his MySpace place.

His style seems indefinable. He'll hit on an idea, thrash it then, just when you think you can predict what he'll come out with next, he'll backspace into some other totally random direction you didn't see coming. He's been doing a lot of recycling lately so keep an eye out for some more photo freakiness.
Piece of advice - If you believed that rumour that Sinners went Down There, you'll miss this one. He's doing Way Up Highs right now so when you're down the alley - look up.

And by the way - it was DR who sprayed POOS over the lower one of Sins nail-ups. He said he was bored...

Where the only Vests are at the Knitting shop down the other end

You might think I'm getting a bit vague on it and repeating images but not so. The above Gomans and AK throwies are go overs. Cunning really - they get their spot then just keep going over and over their own goodies. I've seen the AK one done over at least 3 times. I've seen Gomans alien a few times around town this week too.

Had to laugh at the news this week - you might have seen this. Couldn't help but lol at the irony of the Contstables handle - bit unfortunate ;-)
I've heard rumours that he's actually quite a cool cat who recycles the rattlers in a most socially responsible and sustainable way...

YELZ

We haven't seen YELZ forever so I had to drag these out of my B images. Yelz used to paint with DRYPNZ sometimes.
Hey man - where are you? Or are you of the league of disenfranchised who have withdrawn their GRaf Greatness from LB?...

ERASE

I'd bet my Nokia that Erase used to write as Erect. While I'm at it, I'll make it double or nothing and bet my Ferrari (laptop that is!) that he also did the E I use as my profile pic ;-)

Dusk to Liepzig

Hang in there, there's a point to this novella...

I belong to an organisation called Couch Surfing and I've had over 50 people from all over the world through my house in the past 6 months. Every now and again, someone, or two, will stay for an extended period.
In April I had two (disturbingly mature!) 19 year old German girls in their 'gap year' come to stay who ended up sleeping on my lounge floor until last week (4 months!).
Because they were living in my lounge where I edit, they found out about my little secret (The Street Said) and became quite excited by it. At that time I had just got a decent collection of Dusk images and was posting them. Sarah, in particular, fell in love and was gobsmacked that someone would go to this trouble of creating such exquisite creatures then put them up in the street.

From then on the girls kept an eye out and told me of stuff I might not have seen. They noticed every new sticker or paste up that was added to my personal collection and were getting to know about the writers and artists vicariously and would ask after them.

One of the gorgeous things Sarah and Theresa would do is leave little notes and drawings around the house for me and when they were leaving, they drew a page with everything they were going to miss about living here, they also left little playing cards tucked all over the house with things written on them that I might miss about them.
In short - our relationship was mutually creative and enriching and I had a bedroom wall full of reminders of them.

Theresa went home early but Sarah stayed on for a bit longer.
While she was here by herself, we talked about the future and what we would like to do. She had always been drawn to Film and had won an award with a short film she and a friend made. She was fairly sure she was going back to study to become a Director.

In the week before she left, I was on the lookout for the perfect gift for her but everything seemed so touristy or trite - nothing could say how much it meant to have her here and how much I believed in her and her future.

On one particularly wet morning, I walked past the (above) Dusk girl on Ghuznee St, just along from Lefties, and noticed she had started peeling away. As I stood in my office overlooking her forlornly flapping in the wind and rain, I couldn't bare the thought of her falling apart so later, as I left work, in full view of the GP walking past, I meticulously prised her off. As I rolled her up, I suddenly realised that I had the present I had been looking for for Sarah and striding home, swallowing back tears, I marveled at the significance and symbolism of this 'wall full of reminder' that I was about to give to her. I also hoped desperately that when I eventually told K (Dusk's creator) the story, she would get it.

Over the next few nights I had the soggy, smelly Dusk unrolled over my bed with my hot-water-blanket on, trying to dry her out - having to roll her up carefully each morning before I went to work so Sarah wouldn't see her.

Finally - I couldn't wait any longer and gave Dusk to Sarah. She was beside herself speechless and couldn't believe that the character she had walked past so many times and been affected by was now right there in her hands. She went on to admit that her time in New Zealand had been profoundly life changing and that, now, Dusk would always represent this time. And by the way she carefully laid her out, then came home the next day with a cardboard tube to send her home to Liepzig in, I could tell she meant it.

___________________________

I told you this story (not as eloquently and poetically as I would have liked) to share why I do this. Because it's a trip being into graffiti.
I have graf friends now, who I didn't have 6 months ago, who I couldn't imagine not being in my life and because of the very nature of graffiti's ever changing palette, our life is one big adventure where the layers of complexity and meaning are too intricate to describe.

One of the first lessons I learned many years ago when I started curating was that if I didn't like a piece, it was because I didn't understand it yet. I realised it was about developing a relationship with it.

So - just like what the tatty, faded but devastatingly beautiful Dusk means to Sarah (and what I'm sure she had to have meant to K - I hope I find out), who knows what any of the pieces we see means to the person who took the time and effort to put them up. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the throw up I'm taking an image of might have been a personal best for the writer, or that it might have taken them weeks to get the courage to put it up and it helps me to appreciate every throwie, paste up, sticker, stencil or burner I see...

Sarah's contribution to the Left Bank the night before she left New Zealand

Up This Week Down Lefties

Could this be Goman's first frowie? (as an LB writer once wrote ;-)

I don't know if it was the weather, the watchers, me being in their face or just shit happening but man there were some grumpy writers down the alley this week ;-)
Here's hoping for a few gamma's next week...

Retro Exquisite...

Luckily the Left Bank has it's own charm which lures the likes of Flox from the Cut Collective in Aux. This is a relief of the huge sten I was telling you about, that she did ages ago and lasted months before being messed with.
How does a piece like this fit into Graf land? Would this be classed as a piece or mural - an installation even? I'm not quite sure how to categorise it...

Put it here for TMD!!

I'll let Street Arse tell you the good news...It couldn't come at a better time with Graf acceptance being at an all time low in New Zealand.

Goose bumps aye?!
What a head job for the boys conquering the Everest of the Graf world for the second time no less, with the majority of the vote to come from their own competition even. I imagine the 3,000 hard earned Euros and tankloads of graf booty wouldn't be unpleasant either.
And Deus? What's with Deus?! Man - that guy should have a national holiday named after him!

One thing about having intimate dealings with Lefties is that I see first hand how tough it is just to get up, let alone any cred. And getting out of the alley and doing legit stuff? In art gallery minded New Zealand? How do writers even get out of bed in the morning!

So when I see these home boys tagged the best in the world by their peers - I get it.

Buffing Attitudes...

Lest we forget - this is all about the Left Bank - not about who is a better or worse writer, biter, hater, toy, crap capper or Graf God. It's merely a representation of what goes up and the very nature of graf is that no-one has any control over it.

Having been a curator in various forms over many years I've learnt that as tempted as I am to have my favourites, I can't afford to. I must remain impartial therefore there is one thing that I'm staunch about and that is being as supportive as I can to anyone who has the guts to get up.
Can you remember what you wanted more than anything when you were just a runty toy? I can guarantee it wasn't hater hoik you were hoping for.

I've met a shitload of you now and all I've got from you all is respect and meaty hardcore graf convo's - the only convo's my attention span will stick around for.

So lets ditch the hater pissing contest bullshit and get down to graf. I want to hear who's done what around town, if there's any legals we should know about (I've been doing a bit of legwork on that one in the background - I'll let you know when there's something worth knowing).
Know where good deals on paint or caps are? Or how to fix the prematuring ironlaks?
I've heard a few epic recipes for paste. What about the best sticker sheets and ways of printing them?
Posca's vs what?
How do we avoid sten overspray cringe?
Know any writers from out of town who could feat up Lefties?
And anyway - what is Lefties history? Who was the first to get up down the alley? How long ago?
To get where you are, you must have hung out with some cool cats and there's got to be some stories when you got messed up, almost busted, had to do a John Walker or were left dangling - and don't tell us you've never fckd up so what's your most brainless fckup.

If you knew what was going on in the background here, you'd be shamed by all your wahwahing and hating lately so lift the buff line and if you're going to say something, make it worth the www.world listening.

And just one last thing...

Last night I had a dream where I climbed through one of those little windows down the alley - I wasn't the only one, Trust Me was climbing through it too. It was kind of like a doorway or portal we had to go through to get into the alley and when we got through it was sunny and there were funky tattooed, pierced women sitting around on picnic blankets eating and laughing with each other and kids running around and writers getting up everywhere, helping each other, sharing gear.
The feeling of community was overwhelming and sitting grinning in a corner, marvelling proudly at the unity around me, all I could think was "holy shit - who'd have thought?!..."

Some More Graf Words of Wisdom from Banksy

"The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit." Banksy - Wall and Piece

Tagging Rant...

Sometimes when I do a scope of the bank, there's dudes hanging out and yarning. Last month it was a photographer taking images of a crowd of off-their-face Goth/Emo's in The Freaks clothing - maybe for advertising? Who knows.
Sin was there painting so him and I just kept talking about graf land and the Freaks posed and danced all around us. We would have moved if they asked. Maybe they were just making the most of the two bonus Freaks?

Yesterday two English dudes were down by the Drypppls.

As I made my way past them I overheard them talking about graffiti but I couldn't pick up the context. I cruised up taking images of stuff that had come out too dark a few nights before. On my way back down past them, one of the guys had a pair of blue plastic gloves on. I couldn't see any kit but I went and had brunch at Offbeat (try eating Bacon and Eggs with plastic utensils - not pretty!) then went back but no dudes and no new stuff. Boo.
With a bigger anticlimax than last christmas, I realised the guy with gloves had merely buffed over the mailbox below...

We've started seeing Gomans go up in all the wrong ways. He's a grom with a marker pen, hanging with all his grom mates, who obviously wouldn't know Ikon from the Eiffel Tower and will tag anything with no respect. Some would say that's tagging all up but even the viral taggers will wait a few days or steer away from decent burners till someone makes the first move.

Apols for the Tagging Police lecture but after all these years of following the haps of graf around town and seeing how different it is in Oz where pieces are sacred, I've worked out that tagging is what gives graf the bad rep. Not only that - cops schmops - tagging is the one thing that will disillusion the hardcore writers and put them off getting up.

And, as always, I'm up for the beef if I've got it all wrong...

Some Not Sures...

Preo

Haven't seen these three before...any clues?



Unfortunately nothing is sacred down the bank and within minutes a new piece, burner or not, will be tagged or capped so here PREO's done a go-over.

It must rip Writers hoodies when a piece they might have planned and/or worked on gets demoshed before they can even get an image, let alone any cred. I can see why so many comment that it's just pointless making the effort to get up down the alley.

So what's it all about? There's one particular crew & hanger ons that's worse than others. Do they think it makes them or theirs look more hardass? Is it a cred thing within their crew? Does tagging over others make it look like they've got a presence when they haven't actually done pieces for a while?

I'm not stirring, I'm genuinely curious...

Left Skank

Fresh to you - up Wednesday night...
The guys on this role call are pretty tight. They get up in at least one of their various forms at least once a week.

Someone commented a few days ago that the Leftbank was looking bad (Left Skank?) - well, it's only looking as bad as the writers will allow it. And it's not like there's a shortage of writers.
Even though some writers got busted tagging down Lefties in the weekend, it's still an unofficial free-for-all. Technically speaking, The French Art Shop next door leases the bit of the building the walls belong to, to the left, so go in, introduce yourfineself, get their OK and you're pretty well spik with the law if they give you grief. I've heard they like colour (The French Art Shop, not the Law ;-) and I'm guessing a bit of talent (and respect) goes a long way too...

All I can say is Lefties Needs You

Paddy

DR is one of the most prolific writers I've seen and if I could get the secret to how he keeps out of the Paddy Wagons, Lefties hit count would go apeshite.

Speaking of paddy wagons...a few nights ago when two of the boys were being (separately) chauffeured down to the Blue Lagoon to give their autographs there was quite a roll call inside the vans.
Do they have cameras inside the vans? Was it a trick to get them to write their tags?
Trick or not, on that piece of real estate, what writer worth his crew wouldn't whip out his Posca?!

And it turns out The Filth isn't an accurate name at all. In an event that would have any Obsessive Compulsive writhing with Pick Me Pick Me - one of the writers had to wash his hands 4 times before they could get his fingerprints...

Ironflak

Ironlak's are getting a bad rap at the moment. Everyone was hanging out cos there was a shortage but once the caps went on, writers started realising there must have been a change in the formula because the paint runs everywhere, getting all over the ground and shoes (and I don't want to hear any Toy bullshit!).
One writer says the new formula smells like Milkshake so maybe if he could find a Posca that smelled like weetbix he could call them breakfast, flag writing for the day and head back to the sack...

Deed poll...

Moral of the story here is that if you get sprung for tagging, and the tags are just a bit too notorious, change your name! Piece of advice #1 - Good idea to change your style too ;-)

Retro DRYPNZ

Yes - I know I feature DRYPNZ more than the average. That's cos he does more than the average and his pieces are getting more outrageous daily.

This was the first character I ever saw of DRYPNZ's.
It was on the back of a sign on Adelaide Road. I remember thinking then, as I still think now, that it was different from everything else I was seeing.
That was two years ago.
In anyones toolbox, that's superhuman progress, and even though he has definite phases, the only thing that's a given with DRYPNZ's work is that it's pointless trying to predict what he'll put up next or where...

SHIV

The only thing to wear out in Wellies this weekend would have been your hardiest 41 below Brass Monkey suit. It was freaking freezing!!
Yesterday Jenny, from Miss Demeanour on Cuba Street, said she was looking out her shop window at the rain but thought Hold on - rain doesn't float down in flakes!
Who ever heard of snow on Cuba St?!
Later on someone else told me they'd seen it too. What's that all about?

So - with not much happening up the alley this past week and because I've got a few images, SHIV's up today. SHIV's throwies are never huge but they're always recognisable and his tags have a wee bit of flourish. I'm interested to see his progression...




In the book InForm, PEST5 has this to say about picking his name...

I heard about the approach of picking letters that you like. Originally I had to do a 4 and an H - forget about it! Those are the most horrible letters. So I decided I wanted a name with an e and s and a t. I thought that Pest sounded like a bad-ass graffiti name - as you think when you're a toy. I added a number onto it because it was the buzz in Christchurch at the time to have an old-school sounding name. Also there're heaps of other guys overseas who write Pest and I thought it had a good ring to it with the 5 on the end.
SHIV's got some pretty funky letters to work with which could look sick as a piece... ;-)

Graf Installation?

This Man Who Shall Not Be Named (because he has, as of half an hour ago, been busted tagging down Lefties) genre of choice I would describe as 'Leftfield'

Apologies for being all secret squirrel and not being able to share as per usual...I'd just uploaded these images and had things to say when this artist spookily texted to share the joy of his new best friends...and he'd had such a glorious day ;-(

Update: His day in court was the usual waiting endlessly from 9. Him and his Defence finally got called up at 2 and the Prosecutor said the Law had talked to the French Art Shop, who cleared him, and the Prosecutor let him go saying "It's all a bit of a misunderstanding eh?!"
(M MMmmM MmMMM mmmmmmm - that's E biting tongue mercilessly!!)

Retro Lefties...

Lefties will never make it to 8th wonder of the world status - even 352nd would be a stretch but it could be ranked for its water features. On one of our woolly (notice I didn't say windy) days when the rain is driving into orifices our mother hasn't been responsible for since kindy, you almost need water wings to wade down Left Bank. Today was one of those days.
Translation: It's been shit weather with no action down the alley hence the retro shots ;-)



No action down the alley but a bit of action at Hotel Constabulary. One of the boys got busted tagging (I don't support tagging but his are kinda styley) and spent a few nights enjoying the hospitality of his minimalist hosts. He's been charged with 5 or 6 counts of some kind of wilful damage I hear.
He's the second artist/writer to get taken down in almost as many weeks. His bad habits merely caught up with him but the other one, of no crew known, was just bad luck - he's only been up a few times and his naive colourful characters have been a pleasure to have in the hood.
"When explaining yourself to the Police it's worth being as reasonable as possible. Graffiti writers are not real villains. Real villains consider the idea of breaking in someplace, not stealing anything and then leaving behind a painting of your name in four feet high letters the most retarded thing they ever heard of." Banksy - Wall and Piece

Leftbank tidal wave

A few of these have slapped themselves around the place over the past 24.
I've seen them around before but who are they by? And where are they from? I know I saw them featured on a site lately but do you think I can remember which one?!

Maybe this one's keeping an eye on the mysterious holes that appeared in the ceiling of Lefties above one of the pillars. I was watching them do it the other day. Now there's a pipe hanging down from the bigger one, going nowhere.
With so much talk of camera's being installed, and Beware seeing Walkwise taking pictures on their cellphones and taking down names a month or so back, it's easy to get a bit noidal...

I'll keep you posted...

Update: Paranoia unfounded - just another pipe.
Locals say there's a bit of a leakage problem through the surrounding buildings.
A bit?!
Lets just say WalkWise would be better deployed serving the public of Wellington by placing "SWIM BETWEEN THE TAGS" signs at either end of the alley...

DRYP/Cracked Ink/Erect/F

Cracked Ink was also down from Aux over the weekend. Him and DRYP recently had an exceptional combo exhibition. Exceptional because their styles are SO symbiotic. Their characters look like they all grew up in the same...circus? planet? petri dish?

One of the things I like most about DRYP is the way he blends his pieces in with what's around him. You can just see the edge of Lore's piece above left - notice how DRYPNZ's bubbles (and colours) blend along underneath Lore's?

He's also super zen about his pieces being capped.
I noticed his infamous Lucha had been capped by Erect and when I saw Dryp in the alley, I commented on it. With not a face twitch of malice he said Yeah I know, I watched him do it ;-)
When I saw Erect later on I told him Dryp had watched as he capped him and he just shrugged his shoulders but I detected a small smile of surprise? satisfaction? amusement?

Erect has just started throwing up.
We affectionately call him The Toddler (one of his crews is the LPG - Lolly Pop Gang!). Old Man Sin gave him a bit of grief one time and we haven't seen as much of him lately. This kid's got Burning Man written all over him.

In ideal Leftie Land, wouldn't it be a shiny sparkly beautiful thing if Erect learnt from Dryp how to have no attachment to his pieces and avoid the Hater Hernia?!

Of course F, whose favourite piss stop is DRYPNZ, capped the pillar that night...

Ceap/Erase

This is the third Ceaper I was telling you about (making a hefty 4 in total up the alley). I was more used to seeing Ceap's characters so was quietly stoked to see these go up.

Who is Erase? Help me out here...

Shiv/Sin/DR/Sker

Bold move by Shiv capping TrustMe. Granted TM had already been tagged. For such a young dude whose throwies never last long before they're either vehemently capped by one of the crews or equally as vehemently buffed by the council, he's got bollocks and just keeps throwing up.

I came across him and Nuno just after he did his first ever throwie. He was gutted because someone had YFY'd him. Not one to cry over it, he did what all violated throwie virgins are probably tempted to do - he went back over it...

So Sins balloon is still a balloon and he's still alive and happy, DRYPs stick has been lifted and a Gin nose Hitler has been pasted up by none other than...Sin. Sin's pasteys are so unpredictable.
I had collected a few images of animal toy pasteys that looked like they had human faces (inset) then found out Sin had done them. Turns out they were actual stuffed toys that he photocopied. The effect was surreal and mildly disturbing.

I personally think pasteys are Sins strongest media and I said to him the other day that I was surprised he didn't sign them. He admitted he's got a new signature we're going to be seeing soon...

DR capped Nerd above and I'm not sure if the Sker Likes Balls tag is over top or underneath?
Skers haters at least have a modicum of humour...hopefully he's not taking them too seriously - although I guess his haters wouldn't be saying that ;-)

I would bet a can of ironlak that this is Silenc but there's no way that man could slip in and out of town without us knowing about it!

Update: I just got a text from Silenc and he hasn't been here since last time but he could be cruisin down here soon. So whose is the throwie then?!
Update Oct: So - turns out it's SOAKER - Laks duly distributed ;-)