A little star of pixelated art on the sidewalk. No reference that I can recall, but it does feel quite familiar. Maybe it’s just a Space Invaders flashback. I do love pixel art, so it’s nice to see it show up on the streets. It also reminds me of the Moonites from one of my favorite cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force — but friendly and not as arrogant.

Midtown, Manhattan.

Sometimes it’s a quick illustration that works best. A white chalk tulip under a crescent moon and clouds. No need to overthink it. It works as it is and the core idea stands on it’s own.

West Side, Manhattan.

A real unique and beautiful color palette in this large piece. There’s also no fear in just painting over the smoke stain on the wall. I’ve no idea what the lettering says, but using white and having the lightening coming out from below creates an immediate cloud effect in my mind. The silhouette is a bit menacing, but the color choices lift the mood a bit and give it a more magical feel.

West Side, Manhattan.

Headed upstate and a hurricane rolled in, so we wandered around in the rain. I spotted this little bomber from a Brooklyn based artist. Love the style, the concept and coloring. The rain drops also help to give it a great material feel. The mesh hexagon grate it was stuck on also brings something. A bit industrial with a layer of retro cartoon sprinkled with a bit of nature.

Plattsburgh, New York.

A couple of lovely stencils found on the sidewalk from @go4tart. Having cut and painted many stencils myself, the detail here is really impressive. Plus anytime you’re using multiple colors, you’re increasing the difficulty in getting a good final image. The character choices and message are also guaranteed to make a New Yorker smile. There are also more stencils in the series for you to seek out.

West Side, Manhattan.

A super large mural with a ton of great color. The subject matter is good — individually — but it’s a bit chaotic together. My art director brain says there was a lot of “client feedback” which pulled this piece further and further from the original concept. I love the strong border and then having select elements break out beyond the edge.

West Side, Manhattan.

A classic mural and instantly recognizable to any New Yorker who’s been stuck in northbound traffic on the West Side highway. It’s tricky to get a good photo of it as it sits behind some trees and billboards, but it’s been on my list for years. Finally, I found myself walking by and managed to get right under it for this shot. The multi color shading on CP30’s surface is a really interesting choice. It defies the movie canon and aligns it with the artist’s own aesthetic. Perhaps it also frees it from copyright claims? Sadly it seems, the “stop wars” message still goes unheard. Painted by the muralist Eduardo Kobra.

West Side, Manhattan.