05.14.2010

RIP Frank Frazetta

by TheGone84

Frank Frazetta died 10th may at the age of 82. If you don’t know his name, you will know his art. He has to be among a handful of great fantasy artists whose paintings still sell for a million+. best known for his work on Conan the Barbarian, Frank Frazetta was an integral part of what brought comic book art into mainstream circles. As a graffiti artist in a time when there were very few writers around as influence, i can tell you that his art was an inspiration and influence on not only myself, but those around me. Back in the day, the frazetta books made their rounds and were more coveted among my friends and myself than Subway Art ever will be. From his Molly Hatchet album covers to his comic work, all of his art is to be treasured. Although he may not have been a graffiti writer himself, his contribution to our craft is to be noted and respected. Please take time to reflect on the artists we are losing daily as to lose our history is to lose our identity.

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03.15.2010

RIP DARE TWS

by TheGone84

Rest in Peace Dare † 06.03.2010 from I Love Graffiti on Vimeo.

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01.24.2010

Commission work isn’t always the greatest thing. First off, there is the aspect of painting something that limits the artist creatively. Sometimes that can be fun, and I always enjoy a challenge. But I can tell you that I have done commission work in the past that i would sooner have stayed home for. Next, there is the monetary issue. This almost always ends up being a problem as people don’t like to take us seriously and fail to realize that our vocation has taken years and years of learning and refinement. So many of my former customers have resorted to the barter system at payment time that I now tend toward opening that dialogue on the initial communication. And finally, there are the ungrateful hosts. These people want everything in a very limited time and with absolute perfection. Again, the result of ignorance of the work that goes into most serious artistic endevours (especially when it comes to graffiti).

What I have to tell you about now is a total 180 from everything I have come to expect from commission work.

The project was to paint 8 55 gallon drums and 8 tabletops with spraypaint for a tech outfit called DAYCINTECH which stands for Dayton/Cincinnati Technical Services. They work with a lot of vocational schools and the like, supplying and servicing their various technological and digital training needs. They do numerous trade shows and make various appearances both local and abroad to show off their work and to gain new clientele. The drums go with them everywhere and carry the names of the companies they work with in bringing this technology to their customers.

After arriving and a few communications glitches that left me staying in what has to be the rattiest Motel 6 in the world, I reached the guy I had been talking to for months about this thing(his name is Dave) and he led me to the hotel he arranged for me to stay in (Marriott….soooo nice) and fed me breakfast before we went down to get started on the project.

Contrary to what we had planned, I knocked out the whole thing in a day(things came up that made it have to happen that way) and got to work with what has to be the best customer I have ever travelled to work for. The folks at Daycintech are the most hospitable and easygoing people that I have run into in a long time. I got to the site, the drums and tabletops were all primed and ready. Dave kindly introduced me to the staff there and I set off to work. I was given not only the complete trust but also 100% artistic freedom to do the task at hand. This man fed me(if you’re ever in the Cincinnati area, I suggest you try Skyline Chili) and kept me in coffee the entire day while coming out, not to check my work, but to actually make conversation and talk! The same goes for the staff. Great folks and genuinely interesting people.

After around 10 hours of crouching down behind these barrels(reallllly feeling the results of that today), the mission was complete and Dave seemed more than satisfied. We took care of payment and all was well. I hit the Marriot and was on my way home.

The reason I put this post in so much detail is that Dave and his friends were everything a commissioned artists dreams of working with and that needs to be said. The hardest part about working what is essentially a hobby into an actual paying venture is dealing with customers and if all of them were like this, I would have no problem jumping wholeheartedly into doing this for a living.

There still remains in this society people who appreciate graffiti art for what it is and aren’t looking to trap, destroy, or exploit it in any way. These people don’t necessarily want letters on canvas or to bring the street into their living rooms for some kind of novelty. They actually understand the fact that there is an experience behind what is being presented to them and want to gain knowledge about things that they haven’t done or can’t do themselves. Plenty of up and coming writers and even some established ones will complain about “selling out” and all that nonsense and for those that commercialize it, this is very true. But some of you may want to keep in mind that what we are doing on those walls and trains is an expression of a life that America needs to see. We “Bomb the System” because the system has forgotten us. We attack because at one point in history we were being neglected and cheated by society. Now that things are different, are we still attacking for the right reasons? Or are we attacking for the sake of doing so? There is a place for us in the regular man’s world believe it or not. It is not a sin to paint legal walls or canvases. It’s when money becomes the only motivator for our actions that we really have to look inside and consider whether or not we are holding onto and passing the proper tradition of graffiti art.

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12.27.2009

your name in graffiti lettersI am feeling generous today so here goes nuthin….

For a very limited time(usually these offers keep me busy for months after a few days of being posted), I am offering original art for extremely cheap! Since the top keyphrase this site has been getting clickthru’s on is “Write my name in graffiti”, I am under the impression that it would be nice to do just that. Until I decide my hands and brain have had enough, I am offering you name in graffiti letters in full colour for $5 plus another $5 for shipping. Not some crappy jpg image emailed to you. Not some reproduced print, but whatever name you would like as originally created by me on paper and in your hand via mail. Each piece will be delivered to the address that you specify upon payment drawn, inked, and signed by yours truly on 8.5 x 11″ paper. For the more inspired, you can get it on 11″x17″ archival quality textured paper for a total of $20 (that includes shipping)!!!

So that’s $10 for 8.5×11 or $20 for 11×17 acid-free textured paper.
you couldn’t beat that if you tried. But you need to act now as I will be doing this first come, first serve. The last time I did an offer like this, I had 46 customers in the queue within 24 hours and that was for twice the price!!!!

All you have to do is click the paypal button to the right. Make sure you add your mailing address and the name you want drawn in the Notes section so that I know what to do and where to send it!

CHEERS!

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11.23.2009

nitro888_50blurBeen a minute since I posted on here so I thought to share some insight on the life the Gone 84ster. Since my last post, I have put three new coats of paint on my favorite wall in Altoona. Would love to get a monster production up, but I just don’t have the resources at this point.  I really need to buy a ladder hahahaha.  All-in-all, I will consider today’s effort a success in that it was all done with dollar cans and still came out looking pretty decent.  I only have one shitty pic of it because it was pretty dark out, but if it’s still up next week I will add a few to the gallery.  In the meantime, you will have to deal with the shitty blurred pic with the saturation cranked up.

From time to time I get a small audience gathering as I paint and lots of questions, which is a good thing. More often than not its things like “how do you do that” or “can you write my name in graffiti” or something of that sort.  Every now and again I’ll see the one or two inspired kids that really want to learn how to do it but past experience has shown me that they usually go their own way when they figure out that it’s actually art and takes work.  Some will roll off and do just enough to impress their friends or girlfriends and never actually learn anything but what they can copy off of the internet.  They buy the expensive paint online, load their pockets with caps and then proceed to make a god-awful mess of their neighbourhood in the effort to impress those who don’t know any better.  I am sure you have seen them around, the fake gangstas speaking some foreign language they presume to be “street” and just wreaking of “wannabe”.

Well today, after two years of beating on this wall, I have found a new audience, or rather they have found me.  A few of the local kids popped up and sat there…watching.  Asking the good questions, talking about their blackbooks and how they have to refine their letters.  This to me is an inspiration. It’s one of the few reasons I haven’t retired from the sport yet.  The craft needs to be passed on in all of its forms.  The LIFESTYLE just as much as the techniques that make us writers different from most of the society that comsumes our art. Could it be, that there is a real future for graffiti art in this town?  Is it really possible that there are some local kids who don’t equate writing graffiti with snoop dogg and crippin’?  One of these young cats was even bold enough to show me one of his drawings.  I was amazed to see simple, clean letters.  No arrows, no 3d, no chips or none of that shit that the fakers like to do as soon as they pick up a pencil.  This young man may very well have the right idea.  A notion of concept that escapes those who are in it for the wrong reasons.  I am not going to say that they were very good letters, definitely not the work of a skilled craftsmen, but the beginnings, if pursued of an enlightenment offered only to the true seeker.  I never did catch their names, but I was sure to extend the invitation to stop out with their blackbooks any day when I am out there.  Its been a really long time since I have witnessed kids that were as dedicated to this vocation as I am.  It takes a certain kind of insanity, it really does. But I am hoping they continue to pursue this and will forward this tradition in any way possible.

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