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.

Political Discourse

January 18, 2025

A tale in three acts

Act One

A round black sticker with the word, "Trump" in red slab serif type with a dog pooping on top of it.

Act Two

Two round stickers. The top one is black with the word, "Trump" in red slab serif type with a dog crapping on top of it. The bottom is an illustration of President Donald Trump as a clown with a frown with the word, "Nope" in white sans serif type.

Act Three

A round sticker with an illustration of President Donald Trump as a clown with a frown with the word, "Nope" in white sans serif type.

A series of stickers from a hike I took over the holidays — all posted on the back of trail signs presented in the order I found them. I do love when multiple people all comment on each other’s graffiti. Always have. There’s a subtext beyond any media, outside of any other conversations. The street speaks for itself. It speaks without expectation. Often times, they speak without ever seeing the response or the reaction. Often times, they do not realize they are on the same side, speaking the same language, expressing the same fears. Three different signs, three different stickers, from two different people.

Westchester, New York.

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.