Tim Hans shoots… Sweet Toof

Sweet Toof 1

The secretive Sweet Toof recently invited Tim Hans over to his studio as part of Tim’s continuing series of photo-portraits of street artists, and Caroline Caldwell has interviewed the artist.

Caroline Caldwell: What influenced you to do street art? Do you remember your first time?

Sweet Toof: No one forgets the first time, its like sex, started in 1986, and still at it. I blame Beat Street and Style Wars.

C: Do you try to do different things with your work or do let it evolve naturally?

ST: It is always good to experiment, working on the street fuels the studio work. One feeds another, what ever it takes a fat roller to a fine brush. The work evolves from mission to mission.

Sweet Toof 2

C: Burning Candy represents like a graffiti crew however the work is almost entirely character based. When Burning Candy was coming together, was there discussion over whether you all identified as a “graffiti” or “street art” crew?

ST: I left BC 3 years ago…. Burning Candy is what you see is what you get. We are like minded people working with characters, letterforms, tags, pieces, throw ups. Canvas sculpture print etc.

C: What’s one of the most interesting experiences you’ve had painting alone?

ST: Sinking in Quicksand was a strange experience.

Sweet Toof 3

C: And what about when you were painting with someone else?

ST: New York with friends was killer.

C: Have you been working on anything or collaborating with anyone lately?

ST: Working on a new body of work at present, watch this space for the rest.

Photos by Tim Hans

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Brad Downey has a website again.

1.retouched
“Bike and Sidewalk” 2012. Berlin.

Brad Downey has a website.

"This is How We Roll" 2011. Copenhagen.
“This is How We Roll” in collaboration with AKAY, 2011. Copenhagen.
"Wehrmann with Magnets" 2011. Vienna.
“Wehrmann with Magnets” 2011. Vienna.
"Portrait of My Father" 2012. Atlanta.
“Portrait of My Father” 2012. Atlanta (Part 1)
"Portrait of My Father" 2012. Atlanta.
“Portrait of My Father” 2012. Atlanta (Part 2).
"Portrait of My Father" 2012. Atlanta.
“Portrait of My Father” 2012. Atlanta (Part 3).
"Domesticated Waterfall" 2012. Grottaglie, Italy.
“Domesticated Waterfall” in collaboration with AKAY, 2012. Grottaglie, Italy (Part 1).
"Domesticated Waterfall" 2012. Grottaglie, Italy.
“Domesticated Waterfall” in collaboration with AKAY, 2012. Grottaglie, Italy (Part 2).

Photos by Brad Downey

New piece by Mr. Thoms

mrthoms

Well, I think the content of this new piece by Mr. Thoms rather self explanatory. I was almost disappointed by the location outside Florence, since it looks as though this wasn’t done in a highly visible spot, but on second thought, the people who will most likely encounter this are the probably the people who should: explorers, graffiti/street artists, homeless, basically those who rely very little on the stock market for happiness.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Thoms

Via Arrested Motion

ETAM Crew

-halle-jpg-1600-900
“All You Can Eat” Halle, Germany, 2012

Polish duo ETAM Cru consists of Bezt and Sainer who paint with an imaginative, quirky and illustrative style. The talent these two use to create these surrealistic murals is phenomenal, and even a bit reminiscent of Aryz or Ericilcane. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the last 2 years.

"Traphouse" Urban Forms Gallery, Lodz, Poland 2012
“Traphouse” at Urban Forms Gallery, Lodz, Poland 2012
"Mind Trip" Vienna, Austria, 2012
“Mind Trip” in Vienna, Austria, 2012
"Praying sinner" Katowice street art festival, Poland, 2010.
“Praying sinner” at Katowice street art festival, Poland, 2010.
ETAM with Pener Tone in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, 2010.
ETAM with Pener Tone in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, 2010.

Photos by ETAM Cru

KRSN is lovin’ it

-1

Here’s  new piece by KRSN in France. I suppose that “Marx Do!” is a reference to McDonald’s, judging by the quote bubble with the McDonald’s slogan. The only other clue I have is that the photographer of the piece mentioned the French socialist politician Marx Dormoy. Does anyone have a guess?

Photos by Chrixcel

One Vision (of Barcelona)

Blu-by-Miss-Kaliansky_Barcelona-2013
Blu

We get emailed the latest-and-greatest of many different street artists, but it is unusual to get sent photographs of old and worn down pieces unless they are historically significant. Miss Kaliansky may not have a website, but what she does have is an eye for beauty. She sent us these photos taken in Barcelona in January 2013, saying “Nothing new, but beautiful…”

Aryz-by-Miss-Kaliansky_Barcelona-2013
Aryz
Miss Van
Miss Van
Pez-by-Miss-Kaliansky_Barcelona-2013
El Pez
Ripo
Ripo
Suso33
Suso33
TVboy
TVboy
Xupet Negre
Xupet Negre

Photos by Miss Kaliansky

“Second Cities” a new zine by Gaia

gaia

Over the last two years, Gaia has traveled the world, from Europe to Asia, South America to Africa, and all across the United States, not to mention he also brought in artists from across the globe to Baltimore for his mural festival Open Walls Baltimore. Gaia’s effort to connect his street art with the historical context of its location has resulted in homages to architects, images representative of carefully researched histories, and murals that have meaning to the people who will interact with them everyday.

Recently, Gaia published a zine entitled “Second Cities” that speaks to the street art experience; both of the artist and of the audience. He addresses the dialogue that is created by street art in its physical context. With that context, readers follow Gaia with a personal anecdote on how he disguised himself as a construction worker and attempted to put up a large wheatpaste on a failed housing project in Chicago as cops watched.

Gaia illustrates the importance of cities’ infrastructure and the frequently interesting yet ill-regarded histories of the places he tries to beautify.

The best part of all is that the zine is available and free for download here.

Image courtesy of Gaia

Update on Stinkfish and Zas

02_stinkfish_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Graciela Iturbide (left) and Stinkfish (right)

Last time we saw Stinkfish, he and fellow APC member ZAS had been traveling around Chile and painting. The two have thus moved on to Bolivia, where they found and had a field day in a “train cemetery” in the small southern town of Uyuni,  bringing a whole new meaning to painting freights. Stinkfish says that his piece above is based off of a 1979 portrait by one of Mexico’s greatest photographers: Graciela Iturbide.

04_stinkfish_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Stinkfish

06_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery

10_stinkfish_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Stinkfish
11_stinkfish_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Stinkfish
15_stinkfish_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Stinkfish
18_zas_apc_mdk_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Zas
16_zas_apc_mdk_uyuni_bolivia_train_cementery
Zas

Photos courtesy of Stinkfish