Make Art

June 22, 2025

A light gray cement traffic barricade with blue and magenta spray paint lines swirling across it. Over top is a repeated stencil in black spray paint with stylized letters reading, "Make Art!"

I’ve always been a fan of cyan & magenta color combos going back to my early design days learning about four color separations for offset printing. It’s a combo that is so rich, has good contrast and blends fantastically. Top it off with a great positive stencil with custom lettering and this piece is a real winner. It just hit me at the right time too. Sometimes it seems like we can’t do anything, but we can always make art.

Wall Street, Manhattan.

Subvert

June 8, 2025

A black MTA New York City Transit sign with white letters that originally said, "Subway". The last three letters have a large sticker pasted on top, so it now reads, "Subvert".

There are simple things we can all do to change the world and this is a wonderful example. Take the existing structure and re-contextualize it to fit a new narrative. Just a printer and some glue. You don’t need to get the colors exact as long as you get the typeface (Helvetica) correct. I love examples like this where art and politics meet to update, but not erase, an existing message. Its subtlety does not lessen its impact. Hidden in plain sight. Many will pass, some will read, and the message will spread. It’s well past time to change our environment, well past time to change the prevailing narrative. Time to subvert.

Midtown, Manhattan.

Merch

May 11, 2025

A highly stylized spray painted graffiti of colorful letters reading, "MERCH"

A wonderful bit of color for a spring day. This is a fantastic example of attention to detail and intelligent decisions from a highly experienced artist. All those little interior lines, the color pairings, the 3D edging — it’s all composed with precision and patience.

Lower East Side, Manhattan.

Tiles

April 27, 2025

A linoleum asphalt mosaic on the street showing an abstract city skyline in red, white and yellow.

Although, this isn’t an original Toynbee tile — a mystery I’ve always been fascinated and enamored by — this is definitely a linoleum asphalt mosaic in the same construction method if not exactly in spirit. I love the smart limited color palette and tight composition, rough cut and still recognizable. There’s something about the shapes and parallel rectangles that makes me think of jazz, Blue Note record covers and Saul Bass movie posters. It’s familiar and unknown, individual and united. To quote one of the originals, “You must make and glue tiles!! You!!!! As media!”

Midtown, Manhattan.

Hey You

March 22, 2025

A spray paint graffiti of a friendly plush blue monster with big eyes and orange and pink spots smiling and pointing to the left.
A sticker of a friendly plush blue monster with big eyes smiling and pointing to the right.

Here’s a little dose of joy for you today. Monster friends! I found the first large painting and then the second small sticker nearby. I love the cartoon style, the clean lines and great color. They’re just what the city needs. More please!

West Side, Manhattan.

Amen

March 15, 2025

Spray paint graffiti of a bearded god-like figure floating in a cloud with the letters DZEL stacked below the cloud.

Descending from the heavens is this piece from the artist DZEL. The line work is a bit loose, but I love the subject matter, layout and coloring. Plus, doing it all while hanging off the top of the building isn’t easy. Amen, indeed.

West Side, Manhattan.