Graffiti in the Woods

Graffiti in the Woods

Los Angeles has woods. Sometimes I like to hike in them. It is usually a nice way to escape the concrete and steel that is the every day in Los Angeles. A chance to get as close to nature as possible when living is such a densely populated metropolis.
Often times I run across a scene like this. No place is safe from the spray-can. I found this in the mountains between the San Fernando Valley and Pacific Palisades. It was a stark reminder then there is nothing in these parts that is untouched. Yet it is also a reminder of our roots as humans, and far (or not) we have come.
The oldest "art" we have yet to find, created by humans, was painting on rock walls. The El Castillo cave in Cantabria Spain has wall paintings that are approximately 40,000 years old. Look how far we've come.

Audrey Hepburn Stencil

Audrey Hepburn Stencil: Hollywood 3/13

Some celebrities still haunt the streets of Los Angeles. peering out at us trough dried spray-paint on the sides of buildings. I saw this stencil of Audrey Hepburn on the side of a building on Melrose in Hollywood. A fitting place for Audrey. Melrose (Between La Brea and Fairfax) Has been known as the "Hip and Trendy" shopping are of Hollywood. It's boutiques, and thrift shops have long serviced the young, cool kids that stream into Hollywood looking for stardom. Who better to pear at them from the stucco Then Audrey Hepburn.
Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4th 1929 in Brussels Belgium. She started her career as a dancer, but soon went into acting. Films like "Sabrina ", "My Fair Lady " and "Breakfast At Tiffany's " made her a household name. Her final film was the Steven Spielberg Directed "Always ".
Audrey Hepburn was the epitome of glamor in her day. A true Star. She was always a humanitarian, and that work lives on with the wonderful work being done by the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund

Children Playing in the Freeway

Kids Playing in the Freeway

Some graffiti is political, some is to mark territory, some is just to entertain. This is a mural of children playing taken in downtown Los Angeles. 

Revolt of the Homosexual

Revolt of the Homosexual

I saw this bit of graffiti in Hollywood on Melrose a bit to the east of Fairfax. Graffiti tends to be a voice of the social undercurrents in society, and as the Supreme Court deliberates gay marriage, the voices of the streets will state their piece.
I find this bit of graffiti interesting. Honestly, I am not sure if it is saying the LGBT (did I get that right?) is rising up in rebellion to fight for their rights, or if it is just calling them revolting...

I'll tell you my opinion. I think homosexuality is revolting. It makes me sick. So, do you know what I do about it?

• I don't have gay sex. 
• I don't look at gay pornography
• I don't go to gay bars.

Do you know what else I don't do?

• I don't tell other people how to live their lives.

If a gay person wants to marry another gay person, what does it matter to you? Why would you want to screw up someone else's happiness?

But what about the "sanctity" of marriage?
What "sanctity"? Marriage has been around since before mankind had any written language. So no one knows exactly how it started. But you can take a pretty educated guess. In ancient Summer, we have some of the earliest records of marriage. There, marriages were arranged by the father of the bride. The husband was allowed to divorce if the bride did not bear children, and although permissible for the husband, if the wife committed adultery, it was punishable by death. The Code of Hammurabi (1750 BCE) even states "If she have not been a careful mistress, have gadded about, have neglected her house, and have belittled her husband or children , they shall throw that woman into the water."

Marriage was created to force women to be submissive, subservient, and loyal to their husbands because a mans wealth was divided equally amongst his sons when he died. In a time before DNA testing, only the woman would have been sure if the child that was getting the fathers wealth was really the fathers. (hence the laws against infidelity that only applied to women.)

We destroyed the true meaning of marriage when we realized women should be treated equally. And you still want to talk about "sanctity of marriage".

Instead maybe we should talk about a few other thing:

• John 8:7 "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone"
• Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
• Luke 6:31 "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."

Anyway, enough about gays and marriage. I don't like either. So I am not gay or married. Remember folks, this is America. Americans are free. Yes, even ones that aren't just like you.

L.A.'s Love Bandit

Out in the West San Fernando Valley (maybe other places, leave a comment if this tagger is in your area as well). There is a tagger that I have dubbed the "Love Bandit". His/Her work is not very artistic. I guess that is not the point. To be honest, I don't know what the point is. Is there one? Could it me just a tagger in love that wants to tell the world? Or is it a person who wishes to remind us of Love? Whatever the case may be, the word Love, and sometimes just simple hearts have sprung up in the west on Ventura Blvd.

It is also interesting to note in these photos the persistence of L.A.'s famous "Grey Ghost". The Grey Ghost is a tagger or anti-tagger-tagger, who goes around with a bucket of grey paint, and paints over tagging. I personally feel his grey paint is uglier then the tagging, but whatever floats his boat...
At the time of writing, the new "love Bandit" tags have stopped. I do not know if the Love Bandit has moved to a different are, or given up on Love. Either way, they will be missed. Because after all... All You Need is Love.

Written on the Subway Walls

Los Angeles Crimes

 Los Angeles is a living breathing city. Constantly changing, constantly evolving. The streets of LA speak to us. From Large artistic murals, to scrawled tagging, the Graffiti is the story of the city. As Simon and Garfunkel once sang "The Words of the Prophets are Written on the Subway Walls..." The picture above was taken just north of La Brea and Melrose in Hollywood.

Love: Tagged on a Streetlight

Sometimes the Graffiti is positive. A simple word or phrase that lifts the spirit, and wondrous artistic mural, a though provoking stencil. Sometimes the Graffiti is a message. A message to a person, a gang of people, or everyone.
Some graffiti lasts for years, some is covered within days. That is why I decided to create this blog. To preserve the message, whatever it may be. I will admit, that territory tagging won't be as prevalent on here as some of the other graffiti, but it will show up from time to time.
A couple of years ago, I bought a used U-haul truck. I was still working as a motion picture Gaffer and had amassed a bit of equipment. I figured having my own lighting truck would be useful. Below is a picture of the truck the day I bought it, and then the next day.

Overnight Tagging

I paid for secured parking after that one night on the street, and I never had any more graffiti. I gave up the truck after about a year. I though having my own gear truck would jumpstart my floundering career, but it didn't. I wonder how the new owners are doing with the graffiti. Below is a picture of a truck much like mine. I saw this on the street the other day, and wondered...

Tagged truck

I am sure this isn't going to be a thorough collection of Los Angeles Graffiti, but it will give some insight. Maybe one day, the stories told by these spray-can prophets will be appreciated. 

Lions Face Stencil