Torture before murder - the death of living art

 Monday morning I woke up early with the intent of transcribing an interview done with a very bright spirited artist, instead I'm writing an obituary.  According to a series of tweets from Jonathan Cohen/Meres One, the present owners of the warehouse complex in Long Island City found a way to kill dreams and spirits.  With a whole lot of white paint and apparently an equal amount of police protection, 5 Pointz was beaten and stripped, left for dead.  Meres says that this morning all the exterior walls are stark white.

Dear Goddess I wish I had the money to pack my bags and move to Europe.  If I hear one more "patriot", "real American" aka Redneck asshole yell "We're number one" while fist pumping, I think I'm going to resort to physical violence.  For sure I will reply "No! No we're not! At least as long as jerks like you and corporate money grabbers are steering the culture of this country.  It's interesting, when I interviewed an Eastern European street artist, he reminded me that graffiti as art is one of the few things that the United States can claim as native culture (post Caucasian arrival).  Street painting was born here.  But just like our great music of the last thirty or so years, artists have to take it overseas for it to be appreciated.  

Dear skin heads, red necks, pearl clutchers, Tea Partiers, "middle America" what is your thing with wanting a country full of boring architecture, giant chain discount stores, awful music, cheesy movies and complete disinterest in visual art?  You want all women still dressed like June Cleaver and all males are supposed to be dude bro, knuckledraggers who drink lousy, corporately brewed beer while yelling at some sport on TV every weekend?  You find it revolting if a man chooses a career in the arts or sciences.  Most of you never travel beyond the borders of your states.  If you do go to New York, Boston or L.A., you wander around with your mouths open only visiting the tourist traps.  You take in the Broadway show that is getting the most media attention.  Do you know there is something called "off-Broadway"?  Did you know not all plays are musicals?  Have you ever taken yourself downtown and checked out all the cool boutiques, gardens and galleries?  Of course not. You all bolt for the closest chain restaurant because it's safe while mom & pop eateries that make superior, more creative food are suffering. You have no idea what the true personality of any of these cities are.  None at all. 

Gods forbid you would ever travel abroad.  Did you know that most European and Japanese kids have passports before they are old enough to walk?  In the U.S. most of us will die without ever having a passport.  

Safe is boring.  Safe does not expand your mind.  You will die only slightly more educated than when you were born.  The truth is is that you're too scared of truth and progress.  Corporations and big money keep you that way and you like it.  It's too easy to sit on the couch, in your safe little house and bitch and moan about all the horrible people in America...all the people who aren't just like you.  Did you know that your "god", my Divine Creator, made each and every one of us different for a reason and it wasn't to make yourself feel better by putting someone else down.  Yes, street artists are different from you.  Most of them work at night.  They can't take safety measures because people like you parrot the "its vandalism" song.  But their art is that important to them, needs to get out of them that bad that they are willing to risk their lives to paint.  I pray every day that corporations don't succeed in turning this country into a bunch of wooden, glass and steel boxes.  The more they can keep things the same, the safer you feel while they take over your life, your country.  You left your balls back in the 60's.  

So last night your apathy and fear resulted in the death of probably the only living aerosol gallery in the country.  With police protection but no permits, the owners of 5 Pointz renigged on their invitation to street artists again all for the all mighty dollar.  The steel and glass towers that will be built are just more of the "gentrification" of New York City. In the beginning, giving NYC a make-over consisted of try to hang onto to some of it's old beauty-sandblasting and renovating brownstones and other historic structures.  But not it just seems to be more and more homogenizing, tear down and put up more gray boxes.  This project is not only not necessary but more of the stripping away of New York City's heart and making it look like every place.  At least my son and I have our visit to 5 Pointz to carry in our hearts forever and also have many photos.  But future generations won't have that.  I hope the people who manage the street art project in Little Italy can provide spaces for more artists and other building owners around the five boroughs will open their walls to these painters and writers.  Our children, their children and on and on NEED art.  It is part of what makes us human.  It is our very souls in a tangible form that we share with the world.  Rest In Peace 5 Pointz.  You were a strong and beautiful being.  I am honored to have gotten to know you and will miss you dearly.   

STREET ART UTOPIA » We declare the world as our canvas106 of the most beloved Street Art Photos - Year 2012 » STREET ART UTOPIA

STREET ART UTOPIA » We declare the world as our canvas106 of the most beloved Street Art Photos - Year 2012 » STREET ART UTOPIA:

I really love this photo blog.  It makes me feel a lot of things whenever I experience street art.

The first thing I feel with great outdoor painting is...why do I rarely see it in the wild in the U.S.?  I've seen a few gorgeous murals; one in Baltimore and another in Philadelphia. But as I ride Metro North to Manhattan, I see a lot of tagging but not great street art.  Nothing like in these 106 photos.

The next thing I feel is envy.  I'm not a painter or a sketch artist and never will be.  First? I can't make anything look like what I would want it to with a brush, spray can or pencil.  Yes, I can create digital and collage art but that only requires manipulating materials and images that already exist.  Second? Inspiration.  Go through these photos.  I've never looked at a crack in a wall or a sidewalk, a bit of rust on a railroad overpass or dilapidated building and seen the images hiding there that needed someone with a spray can or a paintbrush or a big piece of chalk to make it visible to the rest of the world.  My inspirations tend to come from people.  Most of my collages are gifts or representations of moments that will go into a scrapbook and tell the story better of the people in the photos on that page. Even when I paint with words, like now, my muses are people's hearts and their souls.  I could write about a landscape element but it would be very different than what many of these images say.  These artists actually transform the building, sidewalk or staircase into something new.

The other thing I've learned about street artists is that they usually have a message. I'm not saying I don't love classic art.  But there are so many soulless portraits hanging in museums.  One can tell the artist was doing it to pay the rent.  But then there are Degas' ballerinas or Claude Monet's landscapes.  These are paintings from the heart.  I now know three street artists who have moved off the street and into studios yet the heart is still on the wall, the board or the canvas.  The paintings make you feel.  There is a message whether peaceful, angry or philosophical.

So spend some time at Street Art Utopia and feel.  Remember: "The Earth without art is just 'eh."


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sLab Art | Street Art Blog | Street Art Matters

sLab Art | Street Art Blog | Street Art Matters:

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What Moves You? : Alexander D.C.D. Smith

What Moves You? : Alexander D.C.D. Smith:

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A key to success by Alexander DCD

We are all aware of keys in life.  We are always unlocking something in ourselves or others.  One of the themes in most people's lives is success.  It starts with learning to do the basics.  We, hopefully, succeed in learning ways to convey ourselves through life - rolling, crawling, walking running.  We must succeed in learning how to nourish ourselves.  Eventually we learn how to cook, shop, grow food but first we must succeed in getting food into our bodies.

Next would probably be communication.  A baby succeeds at getting the attention it needs by squacking or crying if it is in some kind of discomfort.  Eventually it learns words or signs if they are mute.  If they are deaf they must succeed at learning to read lips and sign language.  A blind child must learn braille.

After we succeed at the basics then we deal with more complex concepts of success. Transportation/conveyance - riding a skateboard, skiing, rollerblades or driving a car.  Communication - using a telephone, a computer, ART!  And of course success in a career.

Alexander hits the nail on the head with this piece.  Success takes dedication, conscious or unconscious. The baby is dedicated to succeeding in getting the attention it needs.  It does not stop making noise and/or moving until an older, more developed human notices and comes to the baby's aid.  The five-year old wanting to ride a bicycle will suffer bruises, cuts and sore muscles until they have achieved that perfect combination of motion and balance.  The college student who gives up a party to study so they see that Suma Cum Laude next to their name in the graduation program.  The eighty-year old who sits with their laptop until they succeed at sending that photo of their grandchildren to a friend via email.    Each of these people at each step in their lives have committed, dedicated themselves to the task at hand.  If they lose focus, drive or ambition they are no longer dedicated and even if they do not fail, they will not succeed in completing the task to its fullest end.

You can learn more about Alexander DCD and watch more videos on his YouTube channel, on his blog and on his official website .

Don't Give Up

Streetsy became my favorite (so far) site to learn about street art around the world.  I've always had an eye for graffiti.  What many people see as tags that deface public property, I find myself viewing as art and critiquing it as such.  Admittedly, some kids just need to put down the spray can.  They're creative talent does not lie in that form of fine art.  Maybe they need to try music, sculpting, dance, just not trying to make something beautiful esthetically and emotionally.

However there are some artists out there who can just make a name or monogram or series of numbers a gorgeous work of art.  Some of them paint entire murals on the sides of buildings or on bridge abutments that belong in a museum.  Other artists make social statements.  This was the type of artist I found in a Streetsy post today.

So enjoy Morely.  His message speaks to me.  We Love Street Art - Posters by Morley

Hans Haveron - moving toward the light

Mural done for Lightning In A Paint Can

I recently had the chance to sit down with Hans Haveron, fine artist from West Hollywood.  Haveron is another one of the post-modern gypsies who now reside in Southern California.  He had just returned from "Lightning In A Bottle", the annual gathering of the tribes that takes place in Silverado, CA.


Hans was still very excited about his time at Oak Canyon Ranch.  At the event he created a five-foot "live mural"...a piece that is part performance, part painting for the "Lightning In A Paint Can" fundraiser for The DoArt Foundation.  I asked what surface he used for this work.  He said that he usually packs some large canvases and a staple gun.  The fabric can be stretched between trees, mounted to a wood frame or a convenient wall.  He went on to say that he has traveled to other countries and just picked up trash found lying around and painted on it.

Just before "Lightning In A Bottle", Hans had been commissioned to paint a tour bus for Felix Lighting.  The project was completed in one day along with Sean Griffin using "cans and caps", graffiti art.  I asked if there was anything he hasn't painted on, knowing he has covered slices of trees, factory windows and the bus.  Haveron responded that he's sure there are things he hasn't painted yet but he has worked on a fair variety of things including "planes, trains, and automobiles...and boats."

Tour bus for Felix Lighting - collaboration with Sean Griffin

 Where did all of this gorgeous art start?  Haveron ran away from his home in Texas at the age of fifteen.  On the road he picked up a spray can and did a lot of graffiti art.  Eventually he added bristle and airbrushes to his arsenal.

After landing in West Hollywood, Hans did many things to keep life and limb together.  Some commercial art, modeling and make-up.  As he integrated himself into the WeHo Tribe, he connected with groups such as Lucent Dossier, the burlesque cirque troupe.  He designed the airbrush, fantasy style make-up that they continue to use today, after Hans stopped working with them.  "Imitation is a sincere form of flattery" is how Hans prefers to look at it rather than being angry over being ripped-off. 

Cassidy Haley with body art
by Hans Haveron

Haveron worked for eight years as a model.  This put him together with a group of clothing designers that  would become Skingraft Designs.  Here he added people like Cassidy Haley and Johnny Cota to his circle.  He recently worked with Skingraft on the Britney Spears video. 

Another clothing designer he connected with was Roxy Contin.  Roxy is currently Haveron's business partner and room-mate along with being an very successful designer in her own right.  Hans has recently collaborated with her on some design projects. 

Getting down to the really nitty-gritty of Hans' art, he gave a beautiful analogy of how he approaches the creative process.  He said "It's like making a Mother's Day card.  There is nothing in your heart but excitement and love.  You just want to make something amazing for love.  All my art is done out of love and gratitude for being here.  It's like a Universe Day card, thanking it for all the good things.  It's a gift.  An offering."

What drew me to Hans' art was all the symbolism I perceived as I went through the catalogs he has on-line.  Fish, butterflies, moths, these things seemed to speak to me and were the driving force to try to book this interview.  It turns out these symbols were not just my perception but very intentional.   The first thing he explained was my error in identifying certain fish as koi.  They are telescope goldfish, which are bred and raised by the Buddhist monks of Tibet.  Many of the female figures denote the Goddess and the prominent moth is always moving toward the light.

Haveron likes symbolism because he feels it creates doorways for your mind.  Certain objects and creatures cause you to think.  They are also represent spiritual ideals.  Hans considers himself very spiritual, a result of coming through a rough early life and emerging on the other side intact physical, emotionally and psychologically. 

The most profound story he shared with me in regards to symbolism was the explanation of his painting "Sepia's Secret".  Recently pop-rocker Adam Lambert chose an element from the painting as inspiration for his latest tattoo.  The painting had existed for a while and Lambert has now purchased it.  In "Sepia's Secret"  there is the female "goddess", her cloak outstretched to protect two children, symbols of innocence and counterpoint to the ego.  They hold a large key.  Above the goddess is the all-seeing eye of the universe, with its keyhole shaped pupil.

The point of the story is that the child holds the key to unlock the wisdom of the universe.  Therefore all of us but especially artists of all types must always make sure the child is present.  The most difficult part of being an artist is the battle against the ego to let the child prevail so the art can be made.  The child is the creator.  If the ego gets too big, the child dies and so will your art.  It was after Adam learned this story that he chose the key for his growing collection of body art. His previous tattoos, the eye of Horus and the infinity symbol also have very specific meanings to the musician.

Hans says Adam's choice makes complete sense as he does an amazing job of keeping his ego in check and calling on his child to create.  He is a pure spirit who loves helping his friends.  As for Lambert's art, despite his success he still doesn't settle for less than his best. 

Lambert shared the tattoo via Twitter and included a mention of Hans' inspiration.  Word traveled fast and Haveron found himself talking to the head of ICM, an agency that represents actors such as Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, who congratulated him for having his art being chosen.  This is the first time, that he is aware of, that someone has had any of his work inked on themselves.

Moving on to other works, Hans has done more than one large mural with other artists.  I asked if he prefers collaborative works or creating solo.  He continued on the theme of the ego vs the child by saying that collaborations pull from a different side.  They challenge him to subdue that ego that wants to show-off and take charge of the project so that the child can just let go.  When working alone these two sides also fight for dominance but it's all internal.  He likes both opportunities because of these differences. 

A question I have been asking every artist I talk to is, "What other 'art languages' do you speak?"  I have learned that most creative people, once they tap into that first talent, challenge themselves to find other medium they can recreate emotions in that will connect with observers allowing them to become participants.  Haveron is a classically trained musician who plays guitar, bass and flute.  He is a welder, woodworker and performance artist.   

The last question I got in before we had to wrap due to a photoshoot at his studio was based on listening to the tracks Hans has on his playlist on his Myspace.  There is a lot of "free composition" electronica.  I wanted to know if this is the type of music he listens to when he is working.  He said for the most part, yes.  He likes it to be "other worldly".  He favors pieces with electronically created noises.  He tries to imagine what might make that noise or what the world would look like where the sound came from. 

As we parted we agreed this wouldn't be the last time we talked.  I've already started a new list of questions in the days that followed this conversation.  We both look forward to doing it again.

Haveron Studios
Hans Haveron on Myspace
Haveron Studios on Facebook

Hans and I would like to extend a very special thank you to Adam for giving permission to publish the tattoo/painting story.  There were no Adam questions in my prepared list as I wanted this interview to be about Hans.  The story was part of his spontaneous response to the question about symbolism.  We agreed that I would not include it though unless Adam was ok with it as he has not spoken about it to the press previously.  I'd also like to give a huge thank you to Hans for giving me the photo of he and Adam.  I ask all readers to direct others to come here to view it, rather than copying and pasting it all over the internet.