The Mecca of Graffiti

 Welcome to one of my favorite places in NY.

5 POINTZ in Long Island City, my old stomping grounds.

ICY and SOT

This past summer I got to visit the east coast, and on my list of places to see again was the mecca, the awesome, ever changing 5Ptz. Before moving out to LA in 2009, I lived in Astoria, Queens for 9 years. And I LOVED it there. I thought for sure it was a permanent home. Alas, the west coast was calling and the move was made. Luckily- having family and friends back east makes it an easy place to go back to every so often.

Local Project

When I was a local, I would stop over at 5Ptz on the way home from work every so often just to walk around and see all the ever changing art everywhere. I even set up a local photo walk there one day, it was a big hit!

Needless to say, I love the place. LA has an incredible street art scene so I definitely get my fix in- but call it nostalgia, I still love LIC. It's such a huge structure and a living breathing museum of evolving talent, it's amazing.

Recently there has been a bunch of trouble brewing with talks of shutting it down. This is not going over well with the art community! And it shouldn't! Lawyers & court dates are happening. It's a day to day struggle for the little guy.

These walls have seen talent from all over the world. All ages, sex & backgrounds come here for their chunk of space for a fleeting moment. It's a sight to see!

Check out the inside scoop on 5 Ptz here and stay in the loop with what's going on with it's future!

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Hollywood Zombie Walk 2013

 The day started off like any other Saturday in Hollywood...

 But then the zombies came! Rambling out of the Hollywood & Highland subway station lurched the horde of undead freaks! Their moans rattling louder then the trains below, they emerged onto the boulevard and began their shuffle through the walk of fame.

 Led by Jeff, the birthday boy- the zombies made their way east on Hollywood Blvd through gangs of tourists, freaking everyone out on the way. It's always a great time when the big H&H zombie walk comes to town. This year was no different.

 From young to old, brides to clowns- everyone came decked out in their bloody finest. The hard part is trying to get all the shots in that you want! Luckily, these guys keep a good pace.

 When reaching Vine, crossing the street and heading back to the beginning also provided for some extra shooting time. This is definitely not a gig for the faint of heart- or the weary, you get your workout in for sure.

 Passerby's always love the entertainment and take the up close and personal photo ops provided!

 The horde at the end gathers just past Mann's Chinese for a group shot. If you are lucky to weasel your arm in there for a photo- you get this awesomeness! And there you have it, another year of Zombie love on the boulevard.

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Echo Lake Park- Revised

For the past 2 years, the gem that is the Echo Park Lake was closed for renovations. The park was pretty much a mess! Well no longer... it's amazing. An incredible oasis for local residents.

Keep up with the goings ons of the park here.

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Michael Ornstein- Let It Fly Project

Waaaaaaay back in July... the artist/actor Michael Marisi Ornstein worked on this birthday art piece for the Let It Fly Project in Burbank. What a great positive energy filled day!

This guy uses pretty much any and all mediums to get to the finish line. It was an incredible show of clarity amid chaos. Depth, levels and layers- so much happening in the blink of an eye. It definitely grew and evolved throughout the day, and it was a pleasure watching it all unfold. 

The piece has come down since July, it sits alongside the previous month's art in Jimmy's driveway. If you ever find yourself in the area though, take a peek over the fence and knock on the door even- Jimmy Arone is always happy to share the wealth and give you a tour!

It's taken me awhile to get this post up, you know how summer is! But I thought it was due time since the latest- and from what I've heard, the last installment -will be going up this week. Stay tuned for the next one, I hear good things :)

Check out more of Michael's colorful work here.

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Chasing clouds

Down here in LA we don't get very many clouds. But drive north a couple of hours and the sky just explodes with puffs of awesome. On a recent road trip up to Bodie, a few friends and I had to stop and stare at all the cloud action we were being gifted. Coming from the east coast, I've just come to expect them up there but after 4 years of living in Southern California- I've learned not to take them for granted anymore!

The light becomes so different with clouds in the sky! At times it's like the world becomes a soft box and the light just touches everything so softly.

Then other times, it's so sharp and bright you think your head is going to explode! Days like this, I would rather shoot sky then anything down here. So here you have it, an abundance of big sky for your viewing pleasure :)

This Peterbilt shot snuck in here just because I love it :)

The Bristlecone Pine forest with the oldest trees in the world (i think?)

The tufas at Mono Lake were like being on Mars. Amazing clouds and light too, perfection. 

BTW- here is what a tufa is as per wikipedia...

Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies.

Get out and shoot some big skies when you get the chance!

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