Art Basel has descended on myself, and my team for the 7th time now and I have several quick words to describe it. Exhausting, colorful, energetic, amazing. As the years passed the heart of Basel in Miami has changed, well actually I can only speak
Here is a perfect example of just why I am doing this series. When I first set out on this fantastical, mythological zebra/Pegasus/unicorn I totally intended for her to be completely ethereal, something that would just exist in memory but I got caught up in
ReMixed. A series of paintings with all good idea and intention just somehow missed the mark. Sometimes being prolific isn’t the best thing, and some works deserve a second chance. #1 Murder of Thieves I still love the concept and sense of dread that comes with the
ReMixed. A series of paintings with all good idea and intention just somehow missed the mark. Sometimes being prolific isn’t the best thing, and some works deserve a second chance. “$” From the origami inspired series. I still wish I could origami graffiti letters for real, how
I’ve been contemplating the writing of my second book, the follow up to An Unusual Journey for just a bit about 35 years now. Let me ‘splain. Every graffiti artist starts with his blackbook. A hardcover sketchbook that has become synonymous to graffiti aspirers even as of today. Way back around 1981 I had several of these books where I experimented, played with and toyed with my lettering style.
Welcome one and welcome all to my newly, revamped, reworked and re-imagined 2016 EVLworld and all things Erni newsletter! (mild applause haha).
The theme for this newsletter is procrastination, since I have been putting it off for years, it seems, but no longer will I deprive my friends of important, well maybe in the scheme of things in life not that important, but as far as my career goes, fairly important news, info and progress on the myriad of creative chapters in my life today. And the will be discounts for those daring enough to read this thing entirely, honor system completely of course.
Around 8 years ago I began this artistic adventure, first in Wynwood (Miami’s Art District for those that still haven’t heard of Wynwood) and I’m proud to announce our first growth beyond there. Jaco, Costa Rica will be the 2nd home of EVLworld.
How does a thing like this happen you may ask? Or probably didn’t ask but I will ramble upon it regardless.
It started oddly enough several decades ago when I was doing murals in Boca Raton, for reals, I love when life does these strange and bizarre surf circles around your head. In Boca, I painted many a club and one of the places was a sushi restaurant attached to a club called Boca Rock and Sushi and I met the dude in charge, Adam. A very cool and honest guy swimming in a sea of sharks and as the murals came to life I couldn’t almost feel bad knowing his enthusiasm would be destroyed by the dirty business around him.
My Spray Can Tour part 1. with Stern Rockwell
March.2016
A.S.I.A.
Hong Kong was the “business” side of my Asian adventure trip 2016. 4 weeks of travel, 3 major destinations with 3 others slipped in for kicks and fucket list scratch offs.
Having grown up in Chinatown NYC I have a strong fondness to many things Asian, the foods, the cultures, the ladies so having this opportunity to visit the (Asian) mother-land was very exciting. I had been researching the burgeoning urban arts scene prior to my trip and was eager to see it in action. Not many cities in the world can boast a thriving spray paint culture but Hong Kong has that and more!
I want to apologize for my delay in this follow up. I have been traveling a bunch and haven’t had the time to really get into this until now. When I last left off, I believe I was accusing Annie Preece AKA Love Annie, a street artist from LA, and her cohort Justin Bua of basically stealing, or as I’m used to saying, outright biting my style for their own profit.
My dear sweet Wynwood, what can i say, you’ve come such a long way. I barely recognize you now. Just 2 years ago we were hanging out and you barely had a change of wardrobe, your streets were dirty, you never shaved, and somehow, you always managed to keep me safe – you had a simple coffee shop where I often found myself writing about you, and a simple bar, where all of your friends came together to play.
For over 3 decades I have been known to create many styles through my graffiti, paintings and murals. I’d use any medium: spray paint, airbrush, paint brush, oils, acrylics, even Photoshop – my tools to develop my styles. Neither the tools, nor the surface mattered – paper, canvas, brick, steel or screen – the only important thing was, and still is- is the outcome. Creating cutting edge concepts and styles, always pushing creative envelopes to stay ahead of my peers has always been my MO.
I think I have been doing CoLab for over 1 year I’d say, in my gallery in Miami but since my downsizing in January I had to bid a silent farewell to Colab. CoLab needs space, a lot of space and when I hosted it in Miami I was able to run a seamless sheet of white paper, about 5’ tall across my wall which ran about 40’ long. Then I would invite friends, friends with kids, artists, and non-artists to come draw on this stream of white paper. Afterwards I would paint over the collage of drawings, cut the sheet apart into many smaller pieces and then sell those for mostly local charities. It has always been a fun event and I was saddened by the thought that I wouldn’t have any more CoLabs.
This is a topic very close to my heart. A topic, time and place all very close and dear to me. Art and Design high school and those years I spent there, mostly cutting classes to hang in the lunch room then having to make them all up because my spiteful butt refused to transfer to my zone school, Seward Park, school for determined dropouts as it was warmingly referred to.
“I love the smell of aerosol in the morning!”
I remember when I moved to Wynwood in winter, 2010, winter being a very loose term in Miami. Stints in LA, Chicago and the start of a recession that forced me from NYC were the main catalysts of my southern migration.
Miami, for me really became the Magic city in all aspects of the term. I had been searching for a place with energy, excitement and an overall appreciation for urban arts and I found all that and more there.
First of all, let me just say, yes, I am the originator of the popular 3D style of graffiti. Graffiti artists were always trying to get their pieces to literally “bounce” from the walls. Most every piece ever done up until mine in 1993 had similar formulas. The fill or fill-in, an outline and then some type of either frame, or framing background color. Shadow, usually a directional drop shadow that would give the outline of the piece more weight to appear more dominant and lastly a 3D which would also be a directional, usually 45 or 90 or 180 degree angles. These 3Ds were usually in another color from the actual piece, meaning they made the piece take more paint as well as time to do but all still were to give the entire piece the feeling of more weight.
