Smirk

December 8, 2024

Hand painted graffiti of a face with eyes closed and a sly smile

A bit of hand painted fun I found on the bottom of a light post. Eyes closed, big nose and a sly smile reminiscent of the Amazon logo. Maybe that smile is a nod to the Amazon logo. Better yet, perhaps it reflects the feeling of escaping from Amazon.

West Side, Manhattan.

Nowhere

November 16, 2024

A stencil spray paint graffiti on the sidewalk in orange reading, "New York or nowhere".

A fresh stencil from the sidewalks of Manhattan. I do love stencils although the cynical side of me thinks this might be part of some advertising campaign. Let’s hope it’s just the exuberance of a local artist instead. A kind of mantra for perseverance.

Midtown, Manhattan.

Ferengi

November 2, 2024

The end of a large metal dumpster painted with a light blue background. Graffiti of lightening bolts and skulls are across the top. A large painting of an alien head in shades of orange is at the bottom. It has buck teeth, scales and the letter "D" embossed on the forehead.

I saw this dumpster and that face immediately reminded me of the Ferengi race from Star Trek. I think it’s the pronounced forehead and ears. And of course, the color. I imagine it was even more striking when new and fresh. Now though, it’s been tagged, rusted and beaten about construction sites for a while. Bonus: it has a few skulls across the top for the obligatory Halloween vibe.

West Side, Manhattan.

Some Ideas

October 12, 2024

Hand painted white graffiti on a gray wall saying, "Some ideas are so stupid only intellectuals will believe them."

I’m pretty sure this same message has been written here twice. The first was covered up by the building, but then the painter came back and wrote it again. Says something about not only the message (a sign of the times), but also the artist.

Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.

Star

September 21, 2024

A pixelated star with eyes stenciled in white paint on the sidewalk.

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.

Tulip

September 7, 2024

A white chalk tulip under a crescent moon and clouds on a dark grey wall

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.

Mad Hatter

August 31, 2024

A red silhouette of a man (maybe the Mad Hatter?) wearing a large top hat against a yellow sun surrounded by a light blue glow. Stylized lettering in white with lightening coming out from the bottom is below.

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.