March 22, 2013 – 12:00 pm
The graffiti training ground known as The Mullet spent much of this week pleading on Facebook for donations to help cover $2,000 in rent and avoid a lock out of the repainted warehouse at 10902 Kingspoint Rd. between Fuqua and Almeda Genoa Rd., reports the Houston Chronicle‘s Francisca Ortega, but it appears that the spraypainting will be able to go on a little while longer: “After making the plea they received about $800 from about 10 different donors. A benefactor then agreed to cover the rest. . . . With the next 30 days of rent covered, [co-curator Justin] Hinojosa said they are looking forward to next month and raising money to help cover the final facility structural improvements.” [Houston Chronicle] Photo: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77075, Art, Graffiti, Leasing, Public Art, South Belt, Warehouses
Iterative Obama muralist Reginald Adams relays his account of the 3 separate murals he designed for the West Alabama St. wall of a Travis St. building for Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis — and his responses to the 4 separate paint adjustments made to it by successive vandals: “It triggers some things I was raised around — if someone knocks you down you get back up. Now other people are invested so I feel obligated not to let someone’s ignorance deter my work. I’ve got a lot of paint and a lot of life ahead of me and I think I can outlast the vandal. As crazy as this has all been it hasn’t hurt my brand as an artist. I’ve gotten more PR out of this work than from 150 projects I’ve done. If the vandal wants to keep playing, I’m in it until the end. . . . the vandalism is creating new opportunities for me to think about the imagery, to engage the public in new ways, create new conversations, and to meet new amazing people. The GE corporation wants me for a new mural because they saw the Obama story. The vandal is not thinking it — but he’s enriching my art career.” [Glasstire; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77002, Graffiti, Midtown, Murals, Public Art, Vandalism
February 14, 2013 – 3:00 pm
Look at the baby! Wednesday night Reginald Adams led a team of volunteers in painting this archetypal smooch in place of the ever-changing mural on the side of the former Democratic campaign headquarters at the corner of West Alabama and Travis in Midtown.
Photo: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77002, Graffiti, Midtown, Political Campaigns, Public Art
February 11, 2013 – 4:00 pm
Quite a few of you have sent in similar photos of this befaced sign at Hyde Park and Waugh for Urban Living’s proposed Hyde Park Maison — that’s French for a 4-story, 3-bedroom townhouse. According to the development company’s website there will be five such maisons, ranging from $589,000 to $689,000, squeezed onto the corner lot bound by Waugh, Hyde Park, Fairview, and Upas, just north of Westheimer. Want to see them without the commentary?
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Read more about: 77006, Graffiti, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Signage, Townhomes
February 1, 2013 – 12:30 pm
Before Daniel Anguilu started redecorating Midtown, he tagged trains — and, apparently, he drives one, too, says a press release Metro released yesterday: The official housepainter of Houston Texans linebacker Connor Barwin works as a light-rail operator. (Interesting, isn’t it, that so many of his murals — including the ones pictured here, on the for-sale former Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority building at 2850 Fannin — can be found within walking distance of the Red Line?) Anguilu’s moonlighting work can be seen — you’ll have to go inside, though — at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art through February 17.
In related news, Metro says all stations will be closed this weekend for rail construction and maintenance.
Photos: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77006, Art, Buildings for Sale, Graffiti, Light-Rail, Midtown, Public Art, Public Transportation
January 28, 2013 – 3:00 pm
Facing W. Alabama, Reginald Adams’s 2012 mural of President Obama was recently given a few extra splashes of color. Of course, this isn’t the first time the mural on the side of the former campaign headquarters at 3710 Travis has been the subject of political back-and-forth. Candace Garcia’s photos show the changes over the years, starting with a replica of Shepard Fairey’s Hope poster in 2008:
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Read more about: 77006, Art, Graffiti, Midtown, Murals, President Obama
Sebastien Boncy wishes Houston had more street art that made sense for Houston, where the viewers aren’t walking by. Like this sort of thing (pictured) “from a couple of months ago. Post-retinal butter on a stick. I saw it from the passenger seat, driving through downtown. Once more, only seconds are needed to take in this bright rupture in the space-time continuum. One look and you have a pretty good idea how it was made. As you are taking in that visual break with the dull aesthetic of yet another Downtown building, you are also processing the bratty action that made it possible. My day brightened as I saw it, I felt a twitch in my muscles that let me know how easy it would be to be part of the vandalism. I hadn’t felt that sort of adolescent rush since the first Twilight.” Alas, he continues, “Such examples remain rare and singular. I wish I had pictures to share with you the wonders of fire hydrants dressed in Lacoste (circa 2003) or the Twombly-like mural of poop smears (2005?) next to Mai’s. I have no idea who made any of this. Were they artists? You’re right, stupid question.” [Glasstire] Photo: Sebastien Boncy
Read more about: Art, Graffiti, Streetscapes
Those fishy figures in the photo above might look like just another bit of street art wheatpasted onto just another dilapidated East Downtown building, but they signaled a life-changing event for one Swamplot reader. QR code included. The images are based on the work of Spanish graffiti artist El Pez — the reader’s favorite. So what happened when she and her boyfriend drove past them on Congress St. between Hutchins and Bastrop last Sunday?
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Read more about: 77003, Art, East Downtown, Graffiti
A reader sends in photos of several signs posted near the corner of Spring and Goliad streets, in the shadow of the 45 overpasses not too far north of Downtown. And there they are, like halved pears, stripped skinless, golden in heavy syrup. Our tipster wants to know who the artist is. (And really, don’t you?) Also, if this qualifies as . . . graffoetry? Grafauxetry?
More First Ward sign findings below:
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Read more about: 77007, Art, First Ward, Graffiti, Public Art, Signs
Groinal abnormalities painted onto the recreated Mary’s mural at 1022 Westheimer only hours after it was completed were quickly removed in time for Saturday’s Houston Pride Parade, on-the-spot culture reporter Steven Thomson assures us: “The sexual playing field and artistic integrity were quickly restored on Friday morning as [artist Cody] Ledvina sanded down the unwanted addition and repainted the former crotches, true to form.” [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Cameron Blaylock
Read more about: 77006, Graffiti, Houston Landmarks, Montrose, Murals
Okay, well at least it’s a history of the mural version of the Shepard Fairey poster based on Mannie Garcia’s photo, painted back in February 2008 onto the West Alabama side of the former Obama campaign headquarters at 3710 Travis St. Candace Garcia’s photos show the mural as it appeared a few days after the 2008 election (top) and shortly after the President’s midterm shellacking — and the mural’s Midtown spattering — late last year (middle). The bottom photo shows the result of a little rehabilitation work completed late last week, clearly meant to cover up and gloss over all the wear and tear Obama’s image has suffered over the last several years, and put it in brighter shape for the 2012 election season.
Photos: Candace Garcia
Read more about: 77006, Art, Graffiti, Midtown, Murals, President Obama
What’s it take to get a little paint or something thrown up onto a languishing and partially boarded-up Washington Ave building? If you’re landscape architecture firm Asakura Robinson and you’ve just moved in upstairs in front of the Drake in the building at the corner of Washington and Silver, you just put out a little invitation to Houston Street Art: Free . . . canvas! Bring on the street painters and poster kids! Nine of them showed up yesterday, including your pals weah, Article, Info, Wereone, Marbles, Sode, D-Falt, and COW. Swamplot photographer Candace Garcia caught up with the action as the paint and wheatpaste went down:
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Read more about: 77007, Art, Graffiti, Public Art, Renovations, Washington Ave.
Look out for a migration of flamingoes, and a few more bunnies for Easter, announces the Houston Press‘s John Nova Lomax, after an interview with stencil artist Coolidge. “A lot of people are like, ‘Aw, you need to do a cat!’ or ‘You should do a rhino!’ or something, and I’m like, ‘Well, if I was gonna do that, I’m not now.’ . . . It’s almost like I should stop doing them on city property. I should probably stick to private property. Some people have contacted me to thank me after I’ve done their buildings up. The city won’t mess with that stuff, but if it’s on their property they’ve been taking them down pretty quick.” [Art Attack] Photo of Taylor St. bridge at I-10: Alex Luster
Read more about: 77007, Critters, Graffiti, Public Art, Sawyer Heights, Streetscapes
