Daniel Covarrubias (2018)

(2018) designed and hand painted poster

 

The family of Daniel gave their blessings for No Touching Ground and I to create this portrait. De Escalate Washington acted as an intermediary between us and the family as we worked to create this memorial. NTG painted the portrait and I the text. Daniel, the proud father of seven, had been dealing with mental health issues and drug use before being murdered by Tacoma police. Daniel was unarmed when police shot him. This is another example of police killing a person experiencing mental distress. Death could have been avoided if a properly experienced social health response team could have responded instead of unprepared police. No officers have been charged in the murder of Daniel.

 

Photo NTG

Charleena Lyles (2018)

(2018) designed and hand painted poster

 

With the blessings of the family, and working with De Escalate Washington, No Touching Ground and I painted this portrait of Charleena Lyles. NTG painted the portrait and I the text. Charleena was murdered by Seattle police officers during a call made by Charleena regarding a burglary in her home. Although Charleena had dealt with mental instability there is no excuse for this loss of life. Police responses with death and excessive force to routine calls happen far too often. Defund the police and divert those funds to humain social/community based services that are better equipped to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities.

 

Photo NTG

Redlined Poster (2018)

(2018) group show, SPACE gallery, Seattle

 

Curated by Lhorna Murray, this group show featured works that explored race, class, gender and activism. I hand painted an asymmetrical fourteen by seven poster that reads We Deserve Rent Control. After the run of the show this poster found a home out in the streets.

 

Time laps

 

 

Rent Control (2017) film

(2017) video, with New Mystics collective

 

Collaboration between Wizdumb (beats/rhymes), DK Pan (video/editing), No Touching Ground (helping hands) and myself. The location and color choice of this poster aimed to confuse viewers into thinking this was an officially sanctioned message provided by 7/11 management.

 

Photo DK Pan

Mary’s Place (2017)

(2017) Commissioned public art mural, Urban Artworks, Seattle WA. 

 

Mural painted to beautify the temporary play area for children of residents of Mary’s Place. Commissioned through Urban artworks. This work was painted freehand using acrylic brush paint, rollers and paint sprayer. I am always quite happy to create works that enliven those that have fallen on hard times. It felt quite powerful to give this simple work to the kids making their play area all the more realised. 

 

WE ARE (2017)

(2017) poster collaboration

 

Collaboration between myself and No Touching Ground. This poster reads WE ARE ONLY AS HEALTHY AS THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US. With this imagery we are saying, we as a society must recognise the form that addiction takes around us, we can not dismiss the epidemic of over prescribed opioids in America. At the same time, we must lift up those most vulnerable, support these humans, give them the dignity of not only a safe place to come to terms with this addiction, but the resources and support to find a new path. Safe Injection sites are the first step towards a better path.

Barcelona Bald (2017)

(2017) Public art mural, Barcelona Spain.

 

Mural location acquired through Wall Spots Barcelona. I love when given the opportunity to paint without any needed draft of the proposed work. I am in my most happy place when I get to freehand paint, choosing shape and color as informed by the location and atmosphere. This work took all of one day, and was painted with acrylic paint. The image created is a recurring character named the bald man, I have continued to paint this character since 2001. I explore through this character the idea of how my creativity changes over time with one fixed point. Acrylic paint, dimensions 22’x10′.

 

Owl House (2017

(2017) poster collaboration

 

Three-way collaboration between Baso, No Touching Ground and myself. Placed in the doorway of The Northwest Film Forum, right above a regular sleeping location for people experiencing homelessness. We as a society have the means to provide a roof over the head of each and every human in the US, the only thing that stops us from achieving this most basic of human needs is, the rot and greed of capitalism.

 

Nikitta poster (2017)

(2017) designed and hand painted poster

 

No Touching Ground and I teamed up to create this large poster for Seattle mayoral candidate Nikitta Oliver. We worked together to create the overall design, chose the intended location, and hand painted both the portrait and font. Zorn B Taylor generously allowed the use of his photograph as reference for the portrait. It felt really good to look back at my path as a street/graffiti artist and see all the steps that lead to creating a work like this. In a lot of ways this is what I would love to do more of in the future. I feel graffiti artists have a unique perspective when it comes to, among other things, location and placement, very relevant attributes when dealing with messages that need a high level of visibility. I’m proud to support progressive candidates for office locally and nationally.

 

SEE TALK (2016)

(2016) Commissioned art mural, On The Boards, Seattle WA. 

 

Commissioned mural placed in the lobby of OtB for the duration of their 2016 season. Painted on a repurposed vinyl banner using rollers, brush and tape masking. Abstract characters, lines and geometry made up the design. Acrylic paint, dimensions 20′ by 9′.