Angel "LA II" Ortiz Tagging Up The East Village

Artist Angel "LA II" Ortiz has been busy. As you can see in the photo at left, (nicked from EV Grieve), Ortiz recently embellished the Joe Strummer mural on Seventh Street and Avenue A with his LA ROC tag and a few highlights. DNAInfo reports he was arrested for tagging a wall on Second Avenue last week. And he once again left his mark on the Bowery Wall, as well as recorded a short video recounting a weekend out with Keith Haring, his one time collaborator, in the 80s. A commenter on EV Grieve isn't happy with Ortiz's recent burst of activity, "who's suddenly leaving his mark all over these days." "Personally," they wrote, "I'm pissed, cuz the E-ville is NOT his, no matter how many places he leaves his name." True, the East Village does not belong to one man. But Ortiz has been around for a few decades, so maybe he can have a just little of it?

More on Angel Ortiz:

• Little Angel Was Here: A Keith Haring Collaborator Makes His Mark [The New York Times]
  
• Keith Haring's Silent Partner [The Village Voice]
  
• The Fabricated History [Clayton Patterson]
  
• LA II Art

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: EV Grieve

Love Sick Graffiti Artist Has More To Say

After being painted over on the corner of Henry Street and Catherine Street, the Lower East Side's love sick graffiti artist came back to add another note. That too, was painted over promptly. One more love note can be seen on Bowery, below.

Kanye West Unimpressed With Graffiti

Seen near Union Square, Kanye West throws a gauntlet at graffiti writers:

Yo I'm really happy for your and Imma let you finish but uh...what you're doing is graffiti writing. Every five year old with a sense of awareness has mastered he art of writing his/her name. So start using your talent for street art. Like this kid did.

Previously:

• Twitter Bird Taunts Soho Residents
• The Hidden Graffiti Of Chinatown
• Lovestruck Graffiti Sprouts All Over Chinatown In Lower East Side
  
• NYPD Admires Freshly Bombed Deitch Wall By Barry McGee And Co.
• Summer Of Jim Joe
• Clowning Around On Chelsea

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Graffiti-Free NYC Under The Cover Of Darkness

In 1999, the New York City Economic Development Corporation initiated the Graffiti-Free NYC Program. Hoping to eradicate graffiti where ever they could, their tools include a fleet of 23 "graffiti removal vehicles...equipped to both paint and power-wash buildings and other structures covered with graffiti." One of those trucks can be seen at work in the video at left, recently posted to NYCEDC's YouTube page. Their services are provided at no-cost for affected properties.

As you can see, they've got their work cut out for themselves on that wall, their efforts oddly being recorded under the cover of darkness with bright lights illuminating their workspace. The NYCEDC did not respond to requests for the location of the wall. They boast that since the programs inception, more than 170 million square feet of surface area has been cleaned of graffiti. 

Previously:
Lovestruck Graffiti Sprouts All Over Chinatown In Lower East Side
The Hidden Graffiti Of Chinatown
NYPD Admires Freshly Bombed Deitch Wall By Barry McGee And Co.
Summer Of Jim Joe
Clowning Around On Chelsea

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. 

Here Today And Gone Tomorrow

Like most everything in New York City, things are here one day and gone the next.

Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Lovestruck Graffiti Sprouts All Over Chinatown In Lower East Side

The lovestruck declaration above appeared recently on Catherine Street deep in Chinatown. It joins two other adoring works around the corner on Henry Street, one of which was painted over just this week. That one declared: "I will braid your hair with gold." As well, there is yet another love note a few blocks north on Bowery, and likely others elsewhere. Two more photos below.

IM Pi The Considerate Cartographer Breaks His Silence

Do you remember the "considerate cartographer" who stenciled compasses outside subway stations all over Manhattan this summer? Recently, someone going by the name of IM Pi and claiming to be the artist reached out to NYC The Blog through an intermediary, offering more information about the project. Though both seemed unnecessarily evasive and mysterious, sometimes annoyingly so, NYCTB was able to get some questions answered.

The Hidden Graffiti Of Chinatown

Some of Chinatown's most vibrant and colorful graffiti can only be viewed from the pedestrian walkway on the south side of the Manhattan bridge. It is from that vantage point you can see where writers have taken advantage of building walls facing the bridge to talk to each other and passersby with a multitude of tags and fillins. You can view more photos on NYC The Blog's Facebook page.


Previously: » Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credits: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

NYPD Admires Freshly Bombed Deitch Wall By Barry McGee And Co.

Even an NYPD officer can appreciate the stunning new work on the Deitch Wall at Houston Street by Twist and company. The officer driving by late last night stopped his paddy wagon well short of a red light to take a few moments to admire the newly bombed wall. It's quite possible he is pleased as everyone to see the uninspired and obnoxious work of Shepard Fairey finally banished from that corner.

Twist, aka Barry McGee, and friends worked into the wee hours of yesterday morning to complete the wall, being questioned by the police on at least two occasions during the process of creating the commissioned and permitted work. The Art Collectors documented all of it and more, from 12am to 6am, including a roll over car accident on the street that happened only yards away.

Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Summer Of Jim Joe

The Summer of 2010 is shaping up to be the Summer of Jim Joe, at least below 14th Street. In addition to reaching the subways, cell phone towers and empty roof lines in Lower Manhattan, the at large graffiti enthusiast seemed never to miss an opportunity to sign his name on every piece of disposed street furniture all over the Lower East Side, Little Italy, Soho and Chinatown. Whether offering a bit of wisdom, leaving an illustration, simply signing his name or encouraging you to call, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has not seen Joe's handiwork.

View a photo album at NYC The Blog's Facebook page containing 36 photos selected to represent a decent cross collection of all Jim Joe's varied tags seen around Manhattan this year.

Previously:
Jim Joe Reaches Higher
Keeping Up With The Jim Joeses
Jim Joe: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Living Room
Jim Joe Is The Wurst
Jim Joe Likes His Dope

Previously: » Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credits: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Jim Joe Reaches Higher

Ubiquitous graffiti artist and self promotion expert Jim Joe reaches for new heights atop this building on the Kenmare and Elizabeth Streets, his tag visible on the mobile telephone antennas high above the street.

Previously:
Keeping Up With The Jim Joeses
Jim Joe: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Living Room
Jim Joe Is The Wurst
Jim Joe Likes His Dope

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Keeping Up With The Jim Joeses

Seen high above Delancey Street, Jim Joe tagged both sides of this building, and the water tower for good measure! See his tags on the easterly side of the building below.

Jim Joe: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Living Room

Jim Joe on Grand Street in Little Italy.

See more Jim Joe on NYCTB's Facebook.

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Clowning Around On Chelsea

Someone is clowning on Chelsea, with this brightly colored display seen on the corner of 21st Street and 12th Avenue.

The painting seems to have appeared sometime this spring. Does anyone know the artist?

Check out a complete photo album on NYC The Blog's Facebook page and one more close up photo below.

Jim Joe Is The Wurst

The work of Montreal born dope supporter and graffiti writer Jim Joe is ubiquitous on the streets of Manhattan. And not just the usual areas downtown...he even hits midtown on occasion. And as people tend to be to themselves, Joe is his harshest critic; he thinks he is the wurst.

Seedr Tribute Piece Buffed From East Houston Street

During the at times annoying and comprehensive online coverage of Shepard Faiery's mural on the Deitch Wall, graffiti artist Seedr quietly put up a tribute piece a couple hundred yards away at the corner of Houston and Mott Streets in April. That piece was buffed last week.

See the before and after below.

Stenciled Compass Project Expands To Most Subway Lines

An unknown street cartographer recently began stenciling directional compasses along the Lexington Avenue 6 line for the directionally disoriented. And now the considerate cartographer has apparently expanded the project to include as many subway lines as possible. Over the weekend, compasses were noticed on the 123 line at Houston and Varick, and on the BDFV line somewhere at 2nd Ave! Stations at the 6 line, the 123 line, the FV and NRW now all have stenciled compasses.

What's more, members of Reddit have discovered the project, and have noted other stencils at varying locations. In addition to the lines spotted above, they have seen on the L train line and at the 14th Street Path station.

Shepard Fairey Not Interested In Bringing Back Keith Haring Mural

Shepard Fairey's muraltisement on Houston Street faces frequent defacement, and it seemed the Fairey team had given up on removing all instances that. The recent call to "Bring Back The Haring" however, was quickly blacked out. It's a moot point anyways, the Haring mural was painted over last year, but the sentiment is understood.

The truth is, Shepard's mural, succumbing to the vagaries of the street and tarnished with various acts of graffiti and vandalism, looks more historic and pleasing than it ever did prior. It is almost iconic, becoming some kind of visual representation of the struggles of a different kind happening all around it on the Bowery. 

» Follow NYC The Blog on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credits: Paolo Mastrangelo/NYC The Blog

Sidewalk Graffiti Provides Navigational Assistance For Subway Commuters

A considerate cartographer wielding a stencil and a can of spray paint has left a helpful navigational compass at the top of the stairs outside the NRW train at Prince Street for commuters exiting the station. As even native New Yorkers cant attest, everyone has exited a subway station and needed a moment to reorient themselves; a directional compass will make it that much easier. The unknown compass crusader stenciled the sidewalk at the uptown 6 train station on Spring Street as well.

[UPDATE: Spotted one at the uptown 6 Bleeker Street station as well.] [UPDATE: 06.21.10: Our anonymous cartographer has been busy, the compasses are appearing all over town.]

Using sidewalk compasses is an idea that has been tried before by both official and unofficial sources. In 2006, a blogger snapped a photo of a compass on the sidewalk at the 8th Street L station; someone else caught one on Bleecker. The City of New York's Department of Transportation got in on the act in 2007, installing compass decals in the ground at selected stations around midtown, in a pilot program that doesn't seem to have been continued.

Below, see the decal on Spring St. at the uptown 6 train station.

Crossing Out Becky

Becky, admittedly one of the more obnoxious graffiti tags on the streets today, has been suffering from a cross-out campaign. Sounds like a follow up might be in order for WPIX and the Graffiti Wars segment they ran a couple of weeks ago that looked at the troubles Banksy and Shepard Fairey's work faced recently in New York City.

Two more photos of crossed-out Beckys below.