www.WAFOO.info

Whenever it starts to get really cold here in NEW YORK, I listen to some HOT JAZZ FUSION by the Japanese ensemble WAFOO (www.Wafoo.info)
What better way to warm up the heart & spirit then to enjoy some lyrical improvisation by this group of friends who blend Japanese philosophy into a variety of musical styles and what better place to see them play then in the natural settings of the GREENBELT NATURE CENTER of Staten Island. (www.BlankMeasures.com) (www.siGreenbelt.org)

Support the arts, invest in an ARTIST

The image above is titled "Alter Ego" and was in the "Looking Out, Looking In" show in Staten Island December 2009. For years I wanted to find a way to combine my art with my photos but never acted on it. Until I was forced to recently. After I submitted a framed photo to a local gallery for their upcoming exhibition, I got a call that the image has slipped in the frame. When I arrived at the gallery, the painter Jenny Tango (www.ArtCritical.com/Youens/ryTango.htm) excitedly told me how much she like the fact that I didn't do the "tradition photo centered in the middle of the matt thing and broke some rules by having the image angled the way it is." The curator Susan Grable (www.SusanGrabel.com) wanted me to re-frame the work and I admitted that it DID look like it the photo slipped in the frame. BUT my mind was working to make the work of art even better! Susan called two days later and was waiting for my artwork. I told her just like my life, it was unfinished! You can't force creativity but I did just enough to make it look complete, I think it will be the start of a whole new line of products. You pick the image of mine that you want and I'll draw freehand around the photo in my own intricate style. I promise it will be interesting and an investment that you will love. Starting at 999.99 for a 16x20 (total area) ready to be framed, these works of art are one of a kind and you get both original photo and original art!

www.Fondation.Cartier.com, pour l'art contemporain

The Fondation-Cartier is housed in a airy building filled with light that was designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. In this unique setting, exhibitions, conferences and artists productions come to life. (www.designboom.com/BornInTheStreetsGraffiti)
The Exhibit itself was a joy to behold- a collection of street art from the far corners of the world...
My contribution was my black / white project called "Just Writing On Walls"
with images from the chapter " A Day In The Life" which followed FLIP 1 & DIME 139 (President of Soul Stoned Brothers ) as they tore up NEW YORK CITY back in 1974. I made a movie back then and it was broadcast on the Channel 7 Graffiti Special (ABC Network) with Roger Sharp doing the narrating.

The most important aspect of the show in Paris for me was sharing space with the great artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (www.Basquiat.com) whom along with my classmate (and fan) Al Diez took my idea of writing sayings (with the three dots) and brought it to a new location (Downtown NYC). That placed him where he needed to be to be seen and propelled him to the next level.  See my interview with Al Diez on www.YouTube.com "The Samo Story" or visit www.ExVandals.com for the compressed version http://worldwideurbanartfestival.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-video-showcases-true-story-of-samo.html

Reflections Of A Decade Gone By-

For me the year 2000 started with a invitation by Hasselblad Cameras (www.ClubHasselblad.com, www.Hasselblad.com ) to tour Sweden, (www.VisitSweden.com) partake in their generous hospitality , visit their Facility and buy some custom made cameras. It was the height of my LIGHT PAINTINGS work (www.FlintFotos.com) before my world turned digital.

Little did I know that it would be the first of several invitations by Galleries, Museums or Artist Groups to request me and/or my Artwork in Europe. I was given a villa in Teramo, Italy (www.ItalyTravelNotes.com) overlooking the Adriatic sea and asked to put on a spray paint demonstration of my BROOKLYN STYLE. In London, The OUTSIDE INSTITUE hung my Exhibition Banner from the STATEN ISLAND INSTITUTE OF ART AND SCIENCE (www.StatenIslandMuseum.org) when I participated in a major art show there.

The Decade is not quite over for me yet as my photo display in France (www.AirFrance.com, www.AirFrance.fr, www.franceTourism.com, www.FranceGuide.com,
www.FranceTouristboard.com) has been extended to January 10, 2010. Many Thanks to the Fondation Cartier Pour l’Art Contemporin (www.Fondation.Cartier.com) and curator Alain Ket Maridvena (www.SupportKet.org) for seeking me out to be part of the hottest show in Paris! In the three days I was there, I took THREE THOUSAND PHOTOGRAPHS! Memories for me for sure and a new body of work to explore and examine- don’t know what 2010 will bring BUT IT WILL BE AWESOME!!