The art of Graffiti

Back in high school when i prepared for my senior pictures by spiral curling my hair and pegging my colored jeans I didn't anticipate that Arnold Clark Photography Studio would drop a 'graffiti' back drop behind my back lit over hair-sprayed 'do' in order to create dimension. I believe that was what they were trying to do...some sort of juxtaposition of a well dressed teenager in front of a beat-up spray painted sheet....the result didn't really do it for me but using graffiti as part of these portraits to add dimension/color/texture was my intention as well. The difference is using REAL graffiti. I find graffiti and the history of graffiti pretty amazing - the true artists that are able to create these masterpieces (IN THE DARK) are inspiring to me. All the different political rebellions expressed through graffiti or just the people that wanted their art to be seen, intriguing stuff. As for my senior pictures..well, i threw away the spiral curling iron but MAN would I look good in those dark green jeans, they are SO back in style ;)

Lesson for the day:
Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire[1] and may range from simple scratch marks to elaborate wall paintings. In modern times, spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions, to others it is merely vandalism. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly evolving artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

For this first image - I'm getting in to some mixed media expression - this was a fun one, printed it on metallic paper...looks pretty darn cool if you're in to the whole modern art thing.