El Mac & Retna have risen to worldwide prominence in recent years with their graffiti, murals and canvases attracting massive praise. This superb new book documents the artwork of these two artists over the last six years, and is the first to fully present their collaborative murals.

Each of these artists has developed his own distinctive style and technique; Retna is renowned especially for his bold calligraphic brushwork, and Mac for his uniquely stylized painting of lifelike faces and figures; El Mac uses spraypaint and Retna uses spraypaint and acrylic for paintings; oil, acrylic, enamel, pencil, and other mediums on paper, canvas, and wood.

El Mac and Retna have combined forces a number of times in recent years, and have gained increasing attention and applause for the powerful and beautiful murals they’ve painted in Los Angeles and several other cities around the globe.

Alianza – El Mac and Retna features the highlights of these collaborations, along with a selection of individual paintings and photos by each artist, as well as a collection of lifestyle photos, photos of the artists working and their travels, and close-up views of the murals themselves.

96 pages, Hardcover, 6 ¼” x 8 ½” (159 x 210 mm)
85 Illustrations, English

RETNA / The Mac from RVCA on Vimeo.

To See more photos from Revok’s recent trip visit :  REVOK1

I just got back from hanging with the RVCA fam.  I was invited to come paint the new training facility for the BJ PENN camp, as he is in the midst of training for his upcoming fight.  It was an honor to come hang and paint a Roll Call of all the fighters and people who are affilated whom make everything possible down there.  My VA motha LIZ ROC took care of me as always, and got to see George, KC, Kevin Ancell, Pm Tenore, and the rest of the RVCA players.  I think I can move down to Costa Mesa / Newport one day, seems like a nice way of life.

It starts out ;

RVCA . VA . AWR. MSK. RVCA. VA. CLUB. CA

BJ PENN.JD PENN.REGAN PENN.PARILLO.UNCLE RUDY. TRACTOR. VITOR BELFORT. DR. G. SUGAR SHANE NELSON. IRON CHEF EVAN. KJ THE POET. PM TENORE. RICHIE RICH. VA . DIAZ BROS. LUCAS. MAKUA. LEO VIERO. RV. JOHNSTONE. FRANCO. ANTONI. HENRY. APPLE. KRON. YVES. GORMAN. PETE ROCK. PUNKER. BRADLER. EMERSON. MC CULLY, YOUNG SEF.

Then I painted a wall behind the ring that reads:

RVCA. WE ARE A BROTHERHOOD OF AN ANCIENT TRADITION OF OUR ANCESTORS WHO FIGHT WITH HONOR AND RESPECT FOR OUR ADVESARIES ALTHOUGH WE HAVE COME TO HUMBLE YOU. DONT TRIP. VA

BRIMSTONE.

BEHIND ME STAND A HUNDRED MEN, WARRIORS OF THE AGES, THROUGH OUT THE STAGES OF OUR LIVES, WE HAVE SPARRED AND BRAWLED OUR WAY TO VICTORY, WE STAND AS ONE TIMELESS MOVEMENT, NOW LETS BEGIN THE RITUAL OF OUR FATHERS AND BROS. MANO A MANO.

Then My friend Young Sonia, came to visit me and took me to chill on the beach and relax the mind.

 

This is a painting MAC and I just did for an upcoming show we have in LA in the fall.  I shot the photo of model Marlena Posa and the rest is history.

 

Taken from Knowngallery.com

The Seventh Letter crew members RETNA and THE MAC recently did this amazing wall in Miami that Barneys New York used for their newest COOP catalog. Be on the look out for upcoming projects with RETNA, THE MAC and Barneys New York.

Mac and I just finished this installation for Taylor now a good friend, He expressed what interest him and we took his thoughts and ran with it from there.  This was the end of a 3 week run with Mac out here right after we did The Knight.

From Mac: “This is a mural Retna and I just painted in Los Angeles called Memento Mori. This is a Latin phrase meaning ‘be mindful of death’ and can be translated as ‘remember that you are mortal’ or ‘remember that you must die. That could seem a little grim, but the point is really to encourage us to properly value and make the most of our time here.”

Mac continues, “I painted the figure and Retna did all the rest.  Retna’s lettering in the background is from a pre-Hispanic Nahuatl/Azteca poem:

Must I go like the flowers that perish?
Will nothing remain of my name?
Nothing of my fame here on Earth?
At least my flowers, at least my songs.
Earth is the region of the fleeting moment…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We played him Spanish music, some Black Sabbath, some old Jazz n a lil 2pac and we reminisced about old friends we have lost, and sprinkled him with love.

Today I play it a lil Beatles.

Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
I’m not half the man I used to be,
There’s a shadow hanging over me,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thank you to everyone who always find a way into our lives to encourage us to stay diligent and true to the heart..

Peace Brothers and Sisters…. Que Dios Te Bendiga

 

 

THE KNIGHT

The text reads:

“SOMOS LOS NINOS DE LA CALLE BAGO QUE QUEREMOS
LA BARRIOS DE EL MUNDO, UN DIA TODOS VAMOS A REGRESAR,
A REGRESAR A RECOGER MI GENTE QUE AMOS PERDIDO AQUI…”

On the right:

“MOTHER MOTHER THERES TO MANY OF YOU CRYING. BROTHER BROTHER THERES TO MANY OF YOU DYING YOU KNOW WEVE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO BRING SOME LOVE.”

The Brim on the hat reads:

“FOR ONLY LOVE CAN CONQUER HATE.”

THANK YOU

Photos by Ron Finley

 

Photos Courtesy of Sergio Esparza