Strange Hidden Piece That Says..

Away from all the pieces that sit back-to-back, well out of view, there was this strange little super colourful hidden gem that I just happened to notice right at the end of the walkway. It's all alone. It will probably burn for years! What does it say? Well, I'm not sure if it says anything, but there is a crew in this area called CRZ. And it looks as though it could possibly read that. Or just CS or CRS. Open to suggestions. Regardless of what it says, I think its a superb little piece. The sun was out in force just for the time I was taking photos of this artwork (just my luck), so please excuse the slight glare.

Nice 3D Graffiti Wall Piece

Nice colourful 3D style Graffiti Piece. A piece of two halves. Pretty sure it says either "Some" or "Same". I think its Some though. I like the 3D detailing on this, nicely done. This one's been burning for a while. Good work.

Burner King Urban Wall Art

Nice piece here. Burner King designed and written to resemble the Burger King logo. The piece itself has been burning for quite a while. But the character to the side (see 2nd image) has sustained some marking / capping. Overall, good work. Found it difficult to get a good picture due to sun glare and using a far zoom, which makes it more shaky when pressing the shutter.



 

Straight Throwie One Worder: Harm

Here's another good straight throw up by HARM. I recently posted a similar throw up by Harm in almost the exact same word design. This one is in a different colourway. I like it. Simple but really clean and well done. Top throw. Stay tuned. Lots more to come in 2017.

Quick Graffiti TOY Collection 2017

For each of the really good pieces that are out there, it doesn't come without its fair share of TOY. If you don't know what toy means it basically means work that is not very good. Or in a lot of cases, terrible. TOY usually outweighs good pieces by miles. Please don't take offence if your work is featured here. Don't throw your toys out the pram ;-) If you're a beginner, then apologies, as we all have to start somewhere.

The standard here is rather high, as I'm used to seeing some seriously good pieces. If you're an old hand then take this as a cold dose of constructive criticism and step up your game. I should also point out that some of the people who done these throw-ups do actually have some good pieces out there too. Bad day, done when they were just starting out, or just hammered. Who knows. All pictures have been taken by me. This is by no means all the toys in my collection. Just a few of the chosen ones for today. Some of them are not too bad. Respect the toy. Enjoy the TOY! But never be one.

Unknown Purple Orange Wall Art

Quite a strange piece. I can't make out exactly what it says but I'm pretty sure it's been designed by MEF, an artist who puts up a lot of really good pieces all over the Birmingham area. I've seen that squiggly line / tiger pattern effect on a few on his pieces recently. I could be wrong. It has HBR, which stands for hated but rated. I'm not sure if MEF also goes by that phrase. Whoever designed it, good work all the same.

Classic Old Skool Silver DUBS Graffiti

Our world, our Art, is dominated by colours. With so many colourful Graffiti designs out there, some of which are jaw dropping, it makes me think of when Graffiti first hit the scene. Back in the 70's and early 80's when it was a new phenomenon, Graffiti went through some crazy stages of discovery. A lot of experimentation. So many people were rushing to get into it, many never having drawn / tagged before. I suppose everyone has to start somewhere.

But as a result, along with some really good pieces, there were so many terrible (Toy) ones out there too. That hasn't changed. There is still a lot of good and bad. But over the years, and with more practise and experience, some writers have got a lot better. Looking back, and considering where it is now, Graffiti has come a long way in its evolutionary process. Murals and Pieces have evolved with the times. And there are also many more good quality spray paint brands to choose from.

Some of those include Krylon, Kobra, Molotow, Ironlak and Montana. In the UK during the 80's and 90's, there were a lot more pieces that were Silver / Chrome. They are still very much around today, but not like they were back in the earlier days. Silver and Black were / are two of the classic colours used in combination. This is called Dubs.

Using a minimal amount of colours, usually only one or two, makes it much faster to throw up, and certainly takes less effort where transporting spray cans / cannons is concerned. However, with just two colours a good artist (King) can still put up an impressive piece. If you're interested in seeing some really early pieces from the 80's, check out a book called Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant (1984).

That was the first and only book I ever owned about Graffiti. And it is excellent. It showcases some the early, old skool pieces from the New York City Subways / Trains, and also features some of the true old school Kings, such as SEEN.

Green Dinosaur Wall Art

Nice UK wall art of what looks to be an angry green Dinosaur wearing a hat, in a desert-like desolate land with a volcano erupting in the background. Cool little piece.

More Throws From Harm

Here is another throw from Harm. See more from Harm. This one reads Harm - Chor. It is wrapped in what looks to be barb wire and uses a heart as the letter "O". Not sure if they are part of the same piece or two separate throws next to each other. Click the image for a much closer look.

Hated But Rated Artwork

Excellent Graffiti piece by, I think, someone who goes by the name hated but rated. Or uses that phrase sometimes to create a piece. Seen it around a fair bit, on pieces and marker tagging. Had to take sides-shots of this artwork because its so lengthy and the walkway is too narrow to stand further back. Check out the detail on the orange / purple face, specially the eyes. Impressive.

Urban Art Wording: Harm

More from the mile. A short one worder: Harm. Created in one of the classic graffiti fonts. I like it. Basic, but clean and with a nice colour combination.

More Lettering From Brum

Quick piece from Birmingham. Seen quite a few different designs of this guys Graffiti around. SWAE. He has some good stuff out there. I've got more that I've photographed that read "SWAE" in various lettering styles. Will post more soon.

GTA / Scarface Style Graffiti Piece

Check out this graffiti piece. Nasty Ones. Palm trees, Bikini wearing woman, 1980 ish looking, It kinda has that GTA / Scarface - Miami Beach Maine, feel to it. Sadly, with it being in such a main location not far from an entrance that leads to under the motorway, it has been on the receiving end of some abuse. It's been sprayed up quite a bit. But still intact enough to be able to appreciate the work. Click the images for a closer look.

Under Motorway Artwork, Birmingham

Here is a quick piece from under a motorway in Birmingham UK. Not the best picture because the piece is so long, and the walkway is not wide to enough to stand further away. Not a bad piece though, and the first of many more to come.

Bromford Graffiti Mile

Bromford, Birmingham UK. Under the motorway next to the canal, there is a long walkway where people sometimes go and hang about, ride motorbikes. The usual stuff the youth get up to on most council estates. There has always been some decent Graffiti pieces down there, but it has been through some dry patches over the years where you'd see the odd good piece, and the rest is just name tagging, area reppin and swearing.

But within the last few years there seems to be a new generation of Graffiti artists who are down there quite a lot by the look of things. New pieces are popping up all the time. I've been down there taking pictures of the best pieces before the younger kids go over there and scribble over them. Had to be quick before the school holiday's started.

There are some really good pieces down there, a lot of them definitely worthy of preserving. Bromford Graffiti Mile is on fire. Make sure you pop back to this blog and take a look at some of the artwork, as there is much more to come. I'll be posting pictures hopefully every few days.

Saltley Gate Gas Works Gasometer Towers

Between the Saltley and Nechells gas works there is a lot of history. Among other things, explosions, strikes, which were part of a nation wide coal miners strike, and picket lines. The picket lines caused some divide among people who were intent on striking and those who wanted to do a days work. The two Gasometers (Gas Holders) pictured below are now gone, but there are another 3 still standing not too far away (Windsor Street Gas Works - near Avenue Road). However, I don't think they are used anymore and are now sitting there abandoned.