Letter Gymnastics

Peace.

How can you give more love in this moment?

When I shared I was going to be a dad again, an artist friend of mine told me “ wow you’re going to be under a rock for a while”. I understood where he was coming from, both of us being dads; naturally I let that comment roll off my shoulders and kept it moving. I won’t lie but the comment did sting and it comes back to me when I get caught up with thinking about my art making. It makes me think about how all the other creative parents made it, and continue to make it happen by sticking true to their craft while tending to the responsibilities of parenting and family building. It isn’t easy…but somehow the work gets done and making it look easy is the perception. I suppose “being under a rock” could play out as a tired excuse, a mantra you will believe if you’re not sticking to the game. I’m learning everything we see, every situation we find ourselves in, only becomes an emergency if we decide to call that scene just that, an “emergency” as opposed to “this”, the situation at hand.

I continue to look through all of the scans my son buffaloed through and I cant help but go back in time, I remember where I was when each sketch was made, a lot of it is scattered meat but meat nonetheless. Visual time portals as my favorite song is my audio time portal, I go back.

Fact is there is no rock to come out from under, there is only the man made idea of “time”, and it is not to be wasted. Working on this collection and writing about it are all bricks for the bigger picture movie house. I dont need to post new work to convince anyone that Im working…fact is, Im working when the rest are still sleeping.

I can give more love and understanding by shifting the mindset…smashing the so called rock.

Peace.

Blust.

Fear and ...

Peace.

Uncanny how today I came across “Send love to your fears” as an affirmation.

Lately it seems that I have been nothing but a stuffed human animal, stuffed with nothing but fear. Fear of the unknown future, which actually makes no sense because if the future is unknown then the factors that may cause fear don’t exist (yet)..perhaps I’m in my head again. It seems to be another thing Im “working on”.

Something tells me that I will be coming back to this post.

Chunky Love

Bring attention back to the body.

I’m learning consistency of making work doesn’t only fall on work being made in the studio. Sticking to the plan of overall maintenance is the mission, from scanning and documenting the work, keeping the site up to date, slapping stickers or taking tags on the street, keeping up with email correspondences and producing more work. I don’t want to ever think I’m a factory just spitting soulless things out into the universe without reason, as my sister Shara once told me, ‘ your constitution will not allow you to make wack shit’. I’ve probably mentioned it before but this blog will serve as a diary of sorts, when the curtain permanently closes my children will have something to see.

The BLUSTER chunky outline above was manifested probably after looking at Doc, Dondi and perhaps Serge’s letter constructions. All three share a similarity where there is a thick and thin monolithic balance act, not to mention the clean crispy cuts. I dig the little tail kick back on the lower case “e”.

As we move along.

Peace

Montgomery Paloma.

“I do doodle on the paper” a quote by SKEME from the graffiti documentary Style Wars.

I don’t have a date stamp on the page, but you can see I was toying around with names: if it was a boy it was going to be Montgomery, a girl, Paloma. So much to say. Perhaps for another day.

A 4 Stooge Love Affair.

It doesn’t matter how you got here. What matters is the path ahead

It never ceases to amaze me how almost every time I sit and begin a doodle or any drawing for that matter my subconscious embarks on the “throw-up” ; a stylized bubble letter lock up EVERYONE has tried at some point in their lives, whether they are participants in the graffiti culture or not. Basic bubble letters are everywhere, from airbrushed treatments on sweatshirts at Great Adventures or your local bodegas signs boasting sales on bagged ice for crying out loud, they may also be found on your child’s notebook publicly displaying their love interests!

These four examples above are like rabid circus clowns fighting each other with cinder blocks, a real 4 stooge love affair. Regarding the one on the left you can see how that “T” is pushing the “B” out of its way, sort of a lean in fuakata while the “R’ sits in a state of perpetual security. In the center is a basic legible low rider, no decorations, no outside embellishments, unlike the two that ride down the right hand column, these two have a perfect dysfunction; the letters are condensed and sit almost uncomfortably with that “R” reaching over forcing a bear hug of sorts….the bottom right corner lock up needs coffee, it almost feels like its filled with dry sand.

Oh you 4, I’m sorry.

Peace

Blust.

Depression Never Looked This Good.

Just. This. Here. Now.

Without knowing exactly what the feeling was, I felt myself consumed. It felt like an invisible weighted down lead filled coat that was impossible to take off! and it was alive!. Later to discover, after being prescribed Paxil, I was in the grips of a depression. Perhaps it popped its head in early in my life perhaps not, I wasn’t aware, but to my recollection September 1997 it was angry and rendered me paralyzed to the couch. Enough about that first encounter. It’s painful.

Since then I have learned how to live with it and actually give it its space whenever it decides to try and make itself at home, it almost feels like a possession of sorts. While it’s whipping its tail of procrastination and distraction I’m keeping myself busy (forcibly) it isn’t easy to move.

The outline above is my mantra, my retort to the depression, because guess what? LIFE GOES ON!!! I need to step on stage, throw some water on my face and rock on. So yeah DEPRESSION NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD!

Peace.

By the way I really like this throw up.

Trade in the Crown Vic.

Be the witness to the story, rather than the actor in it.

A few years back I inherited a Crown Victoria from my cousin, it was a V8 highway dream! In a year the dream was quickly dismantled by the reality of alternate side parking, insurance and the double trouble money juggle (try saying that a 1000 times!). Done and over. No VW as a replacement as my blurt above states.

How many times have I tackled an artist statement. How many times have I written and rewritten my intentions over and over again. Each time thinking to myself “now it makes sense”….what bullshit. Only recently am I realizing there is no set time when all of this will make actual sense, thus this blog. It all needs to be documented and launched into the universe with no set finish line, its all over when its over.

I’m really digging this GoodStrange lock up. There are three things that stand out: 1. The double script “O”s, 2. The threepeat holes in the “R” and “A” in the word STRANGE and 3. the push back arm off the “N”…. I like how it doesn’t form another letter, it serves no function outside of demanding its space complete with an arrow break off.

The Bluster tags, Laurie tag, the reverse forward arrow sculpture, are all repeat offenders in my language round up.

Give thanks.

Peace.

Nobody gets out alive.

Remember when you wanted what you now have.

This is my first post on this platform. Please bear with me as I move forward with editing and getting acclimated to this groove - a little more personal than Instagram I suppose. My plan is to post and discuss sketches I have amassed throughout the years, (thanks to my son Kahlil for the scanning, he did a marvelous job).

Music will always play an integral part, not only in my art making but in every aspect of my life; I often find myself pulling from my bag of lyrics to either use as a point of reference or to just emphasize a point I’m trying to make. In the sketch above you will see I pulled from Jim Morrison’s Five to One more than likely I was deep into my head and just felt a bit claustrophobic but justified the feeling with “Because sometimes I just have to write my name”.

Be prepared for the repeat of my name in future posts, it’s practice, it’s honing in on a handstyle that will never be perfect, it is my enzo meditation. Understanding letterforms and construction and such will always be at the forefront of expansion.

Peace.