This is a new mural my good friend Mac and I just did.

I was a great time as usual hanging with the brethren, Miami what can I say, again my gratitude to all who made it possible Primary Flight, Books , Typoe, Lynnieroc, my man Hox had a few tricks up his sleeve, to make it work, Slow n the TCP fam, the MSG players.  To all the good people of Miami who always have a way of putting there best foot forward and dealing with all their lil step children who come in town to parlay for the holiday, THANK YOU.

So as you know MacDog paints the magnificent portrait of a man he met in SF, he told me a lil about him, so I took off from there.

Two people came by and helped with the title the first was the photographer for the Herald. He Said “Seeing Signs” which I liked a lot. Then another lady came buy and said her and the city of Miami had already taken ownership and called it the “CONDUCTOR” hence the name .  Seeing Signs ” aka the Conductor…. Playing the sounds of the street following the signs on the walls.

Heres what is sais,

IF I TOLD YOU A STORY
WOULD YOU LISTEN TO WHAT
I HAD TO SAY,

THE VOICE
IN MY HEAD NO ME DEJA
DESCANSAR, LA VIDA,

SO AQUI VA LA CUENTA

HACE MUCHO TIEMPO
NACIO UNA TRADICION DE
MI GENTE
CALLEJERA

DE LA TIERRA SOMOS
COMO LAS CENIZAS VOLANDO
CON EL VIENTO, A UN
DESTINO
ESTRANO,
LA NOCHE ESTAN LLENA
DE COLORES

PINTAMOS LAS PARED
DE TODOS NOS VARRIOS
DE NUESTRA TERRITORIAS
Y TE DEHAMOS LA
MURALIA HECHO CON
LA SANGRE DE MI
PERDIDAS HERMANOS

UN DIA REGRESERAMOS
UNTIL THE END OF TIME,
TO RUN THIS AGAIN

LET ME REST ON MY LAST DAYS
THROUGH PEICES

LOS VAGOS DE LA CALLE SOMOS
LOS NINOS DE FUERZA
Y TENEMOS LAS MARKAS

Translation

IF I TOLD YOU A STORY
WOULD YOU LISTEN TO WHAT
I HAD TO SAY,

THE VOICE
IN MY HEAD, DOESNT LET ME REST
IN LIFE.

SO HERE GOES THE ACCOUNT

A LONG TIME AGO
A TRADITION WAS BORN
FROM MY PEOPLE
OF THE STREET.

FROM THE DIRT WE ARE,
LIKE THE ASHES FLYING
WITH THE WIND, TO A
UNKNOWN DESTINATION

THE NIGHT IS FILLED WITH COLORS.

WE PAINT THE WALLS
OF ALL THE HOODS
OF OUR TERRITORIES
AND WE LEAVE YOU THE
MURALS MADE WITH THE
THE BLOOD
OF MY LOST BROTHERS.

ONE DAY WE WILL RETURN
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
TO RUN THIS AGAIN

LET ME REST ON MY LAST DAYS
THROUGH PEICES.

THE VAGRANTS OF THE STREET WE ARE
AS WELL AS THE KIDS OF FORCE,
AND WE HAVE THE THE MARKS.

 

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This are a few photos of a piece titled Ave Maria - Mac and I just created at Fice in Salt Lake City.

The Mac & Retna “Vagos y Reinas” / Limited edition exhibition catalog

The catalog offers a unique glimpse into the the preparation, installation, and execution of the artist’s first ever collaborative exhibition.

Documenting photography by / Yuri Hasegawa

Introductions by / Owen Taylor, Robert Berman and Brett Aronson.

Layout + Design by / Arango Designs

The catalog is limited to 100, and will never be reprinted.

- Signed by both artists
- Numbered out of an Edition of 100
- Embossed cover w/ printed slip collar
- Crated in a screen printed kraft mailer
- 54 Pages

$100 + S&H

AVAILABLE HERE

I was always impressed by Retna’s eclectic technique, his lines, his calligraphy: his handstyle is awesome. I had the pleasure to personally meet El Mac some weeks ago and I found not just a pure talented artist, also a really genuine person. Their work together is a perfect combination, well, even more, a symbiosis! Their styles fit together in such great harmony!

-Angelo Lospinuso from Montana Colors

Upper Playground recently announced a collaborative project with Montana Colors to create artist series Hardcore cans by four artists. The third MTN x UP Limited Edition artist can in the series features the collaborative work of El Mac and Retna.

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. Last month, they released Alianza, a 96-page hardcover book that highlights their 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.

The MTN x UP El Mac/Retna Limited Edition artist can and Alianza are available now in limited quantities and will be sold at Upper Playground retail stores and online on the Upper Playground web store.

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

These photos are from a set that Yuri took while she came to visit while I was setting up for the show with MAC, Vagos Y Reinas.

Taken From Revok:

My man from the CHI KC just went to Vietnam to shoot the fucking horrifying aftermath of the US’s use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war…

KC writes:

During the Vietnam War, the American military sprayed over 18 million gallons of the defoliant named “Agent Orange” on Vietnam. The military claimed it was harmless and was only used to clear the leaves off of trees to spot North Vietnamese soldiers. The harmless aspect of Agent Orange would later be challenged, and proved wrong. The dioxin in Agent Orange can lead to many health and enviromental issues. Health issues range from liver cancer to severe birth defects and miscariages. The dioxin in Agent Orange can actually change a person’s DNA, reacting in diferent people in diferent ways. One of the reasons why studying the effects of Agent Orange is such a monumental task. Not to mention the potential political ramnifications of a full scale study of its effects. Enviromentally, Vietnam and its landscape were forever altered once the herbicide rained from the skies onto the land. Animals disapeared, jungles died never to come back, livestock, fish, and some game became carriers of dioxin, passing it on the human population. People that were not yet born, or never came in to direct contact with Agent Orange, became victims of its effects through the land they lived in. Today, over 3o years later, the effects of Agent Orange are stronger then the day it was sprayed.
The following photos are part one of a larger series. These photos focus on the residents of 2 Friendship Villages, Vietnam Friendship Village outside of Hanoi and Tu Du Friendship Village in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). These Friendship Villages care for and house supposed victims of Agent Orange’s destructive dioxin.

-Check out more of his photos from this project plus many more at his site HERE

These photos are from a shoot I did with Sistah Rosalee as the model, Yuri Hasegawa for the photos and Dianne Garcia as stylist, and I as this lil troublemaker.   Young Rosa is a multi-talented artist who makes music, paints graffiti, models, and skateboards. Check out her work at www.myspace.com/missradhe or her blog missradhesland.blogspot.com/. You can see more of Yuri’s photos at yurihasegawa.com and Young D, well just be on the look out shes on the prowl.

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.

 

LA Times recently did a new ad campaign promoting the newspaper.  The theme was iconic figures who represent LA.  The piece MAC and I did on LA BREA and 3rd makes an apearence.