More on the Upcoming Urban Art [ContentUnderPressure] "SprayFest"

OK, all you that are into this amazing art form. I have just gotten information about the event and you can read more here & here.

If you act quickly you can get some VIP Passes Comp from the organizers.

Featuring murals/productions from FX crew, I Wuz Here/CBS, 4 Burners, IWS crew, & Few and Far. CUP 2013 will feature 35 well-known graffiti/mural artists from all over the Nation. There will also be live musical performances, a few VERY SPECIAL guests, b-boy expo, a gallery reception, a meet & greet pre-party, panels/workshops, and food vendors within the two block event grounds.

The epicenter of the event will be the PaintYard @ 525 San Pedro and after the walls are bufffed out, wxpect to see some amazing art by some amazing artists.

Girl in the Electric Blue

It didn’t take long for me to find something to shoot today. At The PaintYard, the place where street and aerosol artists get their supplies, I encountered Phillip (a.k.a. War) a San Antonio artist, doing a lay-up on the back wall of the store. I had been down a few days before and there was nothing on the wall behind the dumpster, but there it was today, the girl in the electric blue bikini staring at everybody that walks the rear streets.

The PaintYard and Owl Cleaners area at 525 San Pedro, just down from Night Rocker Live, is a masterful blend of modern figure art mixed in with character art of another sort, usually a lay up of just the writer’s name or name of his crew. Shouting out in bold colors and jolting styles, this area is a Mecca for writers and fans of this form of urban art.

Hoping to see more of the genre at the spray art festival this May.

War ~ Send me the info on the festival and I will post it here.

Image of the Day 2013_03_29

Ready When You Are

Spray Fest Comin to Town

I heard on the street that there is going to be a great spray-fest at The PaintYard in May (17th 18th and 19th). I don't know who the writers are going to be, but if it is anything like the Clogged Caps, then it promises to be great.

I will keep ya posted.

Catrina (No, Not The Hurricane)

~ San Antonio

11/28/2012

Holy Cow! - A Bride and groom showing how it really
 is in the marital relationship. The engaging art
representing the Calavera Catrina style.

In a burst of color that knocks one dead, the unusual  “skeleton art” at Taide’s Imports, is, in my opinion, a welcome addition to the art scene in the Monte Vista area. 

I found this gallery, located at the corner of San Pedro and W. Mulberry just north of San Antonio College, as I was shooting some of the “urban street art” along the San Pedro corridor.

Although it bills itself as Mexican Art and Decor, my thoughts are that Taide’s is actually more of a quirky little art gallery sitting on the dividing line between high culture and working class, with its tasteful presentation of  interesting pieces, including sculpture, metalwork, and glass works, that are out of the mainstream.

Colorful glass-art bowls form a splash of color on
one of the gallery display walls

I was at first attracted to the colorful display of glass impression-art bowls covering a large part of one of the walls, and then found, back in the corner of the store a  great collection of  what is known as Catrina Art -  after  La Calavera Catrina («The Elegant Skull») a 1910 zinc etching by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.

Gallery staff at Taide's Imports

This image and its reinterpretation, has since become a staple of Mexican imagery, and often is incorporated into artistic manifestations of the Day of the Dead in November, such as altars and calavera costumes, and forms the iconic basis of the Calavara/Catrina art itself.  

Knowing nothing about this style, I asked gallery staff, Jorge and Nettie, about the meaning of the art and was told that this imagery means many things to many people, one of which is that it causes one to consider that  death is the great equalizer.

My Take -  If you want to get something unique for your home or office then I think this is on place that should be on your list.


Taide's Imports
2322 San Pedro
Corner San Pedro and Mulberry just north of SAC

Fish Tacos to Die For

Well, what do you know. I found some FISH TACOS to die for. Of all places they are at Van’s Burgers in Mathis Texas.

A sleepy almost abandoned cotton town located about 100 miles south of San Antonio, Mathis is a step back in time with its boarded shops and one main drag, but located about one block off the main street this nicely appointed Sports Pub is a great place to eat for lunch. The fish is fried talipia put into small corn tortillas and topped with a wonderful green tangy-sweet avocado sauce and red cabbage.

I’ll let the picture speak for itself.

American Beauty