ART. STYLE. CULTURE.
INTO THE
LIGHT THE ART OF LIGHT PAINTING
STREET TALK GET TO KNOW ONE OF BALTIMORE’S FINEST STREET ARTISTS: SORTA STREETART
SNEAK PEEK BALTIMORE’S NEWEST CLOTHING LINE: BALTEES
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FEATURED ARTISTS
SORTA STREETART LAUGHING SQUID OMEN NEWFIE BULLET JULIEN BRETON LICHTFAKTOR AND MORE...
SUPER SHADY A LOOK THROUGH RETROSUPERFUTURE LENSES
NEW ISH UP AND COMING STYLES OF 2012
8 MUST-SEE
U.S. GRAFITTI SITES
VISIT CHARMMAGAZINE.COM
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CON TEN TS FEATURES
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STREET TALK Interview with Sorta Streetart
INTO THE LIGHT The Art of Light Graffiti
TRENDSETTER 33
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SUPER SHADY A Look Through RetroSuperFuture Lenses
8 MUST-SEE
Top Graffiti Sites in the U.S.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE ARTISTS
STYLES BALTEES MNML SOIREE
CREATIVE REC MATIX
SORTA STREETART XZENZ LAUGHING SQUID
FIND US ON TWITTER @CHARM_MAG | CHARMMAGAZINE.COM
EXTRAS MARCO OMEN AND MORE...
PG. 37 ON THE LOOKOUT PG. 65 HIDDEN IDENTITY PG. 73 BALTEES
ON THE COVER: Julien Breton Light Calligraphy. Designed by Alexandra Pearson PHOTOGRAPHY by Alexandra Pearson and Sorta Streetart. Photographs curteosy of Instagram and Flickr.
NEW ISH Up and Coming Styles of 2012
CHARM // TRENDSETTER
Clockwise from top: DC Shoes logo hat $24 | dcshoes.com Penfield short-sleeved gingham shirt $42 | penfieldusa.com Johnny Cupcakes mini check tie $32 | johnnycupcakes.com Levi’s black and white lether belt $25 | levis.com Etnies backpack $54 | etnies.com Knowledge The Hensley chain wallet $19 | karmaloop.com
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UPCOMING STYLES FROM THE HOTTEST BRANDS
PHOTO COURTESY OF INKED MAGAZINE
Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Scribble Plaid sneaker $60 | converse.com
CHARM // TRENDSETTER
SUPER SHADY
Left to Right: Classic Resin Poison $195 Classic Red $138 Chicano $163 Chicano $163
Super, by Retrosuperfuture®, ignited the phenomenon of acetate sunglasses. They are made in multiple color graduations, which has generated a big trend starting in 2007. Super is the 1st brand to produce a complete range of colorful fashion sunglasses combining these characteristics together with a very high quality manufacturing process. Super sunglasses are made to the highest possible standards, hand made in Italy by the best manufacturers and with the best materials. For this reason, Super also decided to adopt ZEISS lenses, which guarantee an extremely high level of protection to the eyes in all conditions. Since their introduction, artists, celebrities, sports athletes and trendsetters have been wearing Super sunglasses. Kanye West, Daft Punk, Who Made Who, Justice, Pedro Winter (and his “Ed Crew”), Simian Mobile Disco, CSS, St. Vincent, The Kills, Elio Fiorucci, Sienna MIller, Jessica Alba and Valentino Rossi are just a few who have been seen sporting a Super. It has been making headlines through their collaborations with ALIFE and Barneys. Here we’re showing you their own sunglasses and glasses that is consistent with the signature style by putting a modern twist on classic frames. For this reason, Super also decided to adopt ZEISS lenses, which guarantee an extremely high level of protection to the eyes in all conditions. In other words quality is amazing and style is on point!
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Offcially launched in spring 2007, SUPER is today currently distributed in over 350 shops worldwide. You can find them in some of the most infuential trend leaders stores such as Colette in Paris, Barneys New York, 10 Corso Como in Milan, Bodega in Boston, Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Steven Alan, Paris Texas in Denmark, Caliroots in Sweden and many others. The sunglasses come in black straight frame with a metal stripe on the front and small gold logo at the ends. The glasses come in red, black, and jaquard, a mixture of brown and gold. The frames are all very thick and bold providing the ultimate nerdy look. The people from Italian Pig Magazine took it into their hands to create this sunglass brand in 2007. Super sunglasses are made to the highest possible standards, hand made in Italy by the best manufacturers (same as Ray-Ban) and with the best materials. Super introduced its optical range in Spring/Summer as a response to an eyeglasses market lacking in fresh design and appeal. The optical range offers unique and stylish eyeglasses, with the guaranteed super seal of handmade excellence. This Autumn/ Winter sees an extension of the OPTICAL line, with more of our signature silhouettes transformed into stylish eyeglass frames and the addition of two brand new colorways. The OPTICAL range is available in both opticians and select retailers.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUPER.COM
L O O K I NG T H ROUG H R E T ROS U P E R F U T R E LENSES
CHARM // TRENDSETTER
8 MUST-SEE U.S. GRAFITTI SITES
Allan Dalla San Francisco, CA Unlimited in terms of time and space, Allan Dalla the fictional character of the planetary art hereby represents the black and white, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, peace and war, love and hate, the link between the terrestrial and the extraterrestrial.
Michael.jh Miami, FL Michalel.jh was already a fixture in the Los Angeles graffiti scene by 1997 when he completed the largest graffiti piece ever created. His piece on the sloping cement bank of the Los Angeles River was nearly the size of a professional football field, and took 97 gallons of paint and 35 nights to complete.
Marco St.Louis, MO Marco was raised by creative parents and discovered his passion for art at an early age. At age 13, he was introduced to graffiti when they took him to see the spray paint-covered Belmont Tunnel. From that moment on, he was hooked. After honing his skills on local walls, Marco joined MSK.
Mrzer Minneapolis, MN In 2011, Mrzer’s solo show, The American Graffiti Artist opened in New York to great acclaim. Additionally, his art was featured in two museum exhibitions, Street Cred at the Pasadena Museum of California Art and MoCA Los Angeles’s blockbuster Art in the Streets.
Sorta Baltimore, MD Sorta Streetart pastes up his giant art work on abandon buildings around Baltimore city. He’s made a recent run through Philadelphia putting up wheat pastings, and has also been showing his work in several galleries in the area. He also goes by the nickname Sorta Rican; a nickname given to him by his Puerto Rican mother.
Xenz New York, NY Michalel.jh was already a fixture in the Los Angeles graffiti scene by 1997 when he completed the largest graffiti piece ever created. His piece on the sloping cement bank of the Los Angeles River was nearly the size of a professional football field, and took 97 gallons of paint and 35 nights to complete.
Laughing Squid Houston, TX Laughing Squid features interesting art, culture & technology from around the web. It is also an independently owned and operated cloudbased web hosting company. Laughing Squid was founded in 1995 by primary tentacle Scott Beale, who is the Editor-In-Chief of the blog.
Newfie Bullet Lincoln, NE Rarely do we see a street artist with the skills of Newfie Bullet. Rapidly establishing himself as one of the greats of the genre, Newfie Bullet is compellingly repulsive. His complex, seductive, appealing and ambitious yet equally mischievous, brutal and insular demonstrate what an angry, intelligent talent can achieve.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF APDESIGN
Street culture and graffiti are well-known for being provocative, appealing, and uncompromising. Originally used by gangs to mark their territory in some urban area, graffitis have now become a rich medium for unrestricted expression of ideas. In fact, creative designers and artists across the globe use this form of art to deliver their message and showcase their work.
PHOTO COURTESY OF APDESIGN
GETTING TO KNOW
S O RTA STREETART
INTERVIEW BY
LEXI PEARSON
PHOTOS BY
SORTA STREETART AND LEXI PEARSON
S T R E E T TA L K / /
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orta Streetart is one of Balitimore’s most active and highlighted street artists. Lexi Pearson from Charm Magazine sat down with him to find out more about his hidden identity, his process, why he chose to do street art in Baltimore city. Your art is seen all over Baltimore city, but nobody knows something about you, so who are you and where are you from and what does “Sorta Street Art” mean? I’m from Baltimore. Born on the westside. I’m a father of 2 boys and one stepson (even though I’m divorced, I still play that role). My children’s mother is who gave me the name “Sorta.” My mother is Puerto Rican and since I’m not full blooded, she calls me Sorta Rican. It’s quite funny actually. 50
Street art is such a growing part of the urban art movement. Why did you choose this particular way of recreating the city? What’s the difference to other street art forms? Street Art is the biggest art movement since the renaissance period. I have always been drawn to the street and everything about it. When I was younger and even into my adult life, I wrote graffiti. I kinda outgrew it once I had kids, but always picked up a can when I could. I placed first in 2 graffiti competitions in south Florida within the last couple years and it sparked the drive again. So wheatpasting is a less frowned upon form. I have been confronted by police and they usually just appreciate it, or are concerned for my safety. There are thousands of vacants in the city and they make for the best canvas. They can only be improved. But street art is really anything art related that’s done on the street, in public view. It’s for everyone
and it’s free to look at., and hat’s why I love it. Would you consider your work “graffiti”? What meaning does Urban Art have for you and what do you think the difference is between street art and graffitti? That’s why I love it. Under no circumstances would I label what I do graffiti. Graf is writing a name or drawing a character on a surface. Often, it’s some glue sniffin punk with no handstyle just trying to be cool. But it’s the pieces of talented writers that keep my attention. Like El Mac... he’s my favorite. He’s got skill. Or Retna, I love his shit too. What determines the spots in which the work is installed? I want to find the most rundown of vacant properties. If they have an overhang, or awning that is better. But the uglier/dilapidated the vacant, the better.
A lot of your work seems to reflect the environment in the areas in which they are installed. What’s your intention and what’s the message of your artworks? Part of my reasoning for doing what I do is to give the people something beautiful to look at other than the run down, shit holes that are surrounding their residences. in a sense I like to kind of cater to the people. This is why I like to use the very same people I encounter in these neighborhoods in my art. I also use my own children because I feel like there is nothing more beautiful than the
innocence in a child’s face. In addition to that, I sometimes shape my pieces to fit doors or other surfaces I find while I’m out there. Here’s the thing, imagine working your entire life to provide a safe comfortable home for your kids and your grandchildren only to eventually walk out of your front door and your neighborhood looks like Beirut. And now, you are too old to do anything about it. That’s what a lot of people in the inner city are dealing with. I know that my efforts are small... but at least I am putting forth some effort.
How much does your art affect/ influence your everyday life and are there any role models or artists who inspired you? I live and breathe to create art. I HAVE to do it. I have no choice. So it affects everything. I parent my kids with art. I encourage any kind of creativity. My biggest influences are Swoon, El Mac, Shepard Fairy (despite a lot of people thinking he’s a sell out), Gaia and on a more personal level...Nether. He taught me a lot and he is currently my running mate on a lot of my late night runs.
" I HAVE BEEN CONFRONTED BY POLICE AND
THEY USUALLY JUST APPRECIATE IT, OR ARE CONCERNED FOR MY SAFTEY. " 51
This peice was drawn out from a portrait of Sorta’s son.
How long do you need to elaborate your next action and what inspires your next piece? There isn’t much thought with my head that goes into my work. It’s more heart felt. I know that’s kind of cliché to say, and borderline lame to say...but it is the truth. I paint/draw/paste what my gut tells me to do. So once my subject matter is in my heart, my hands create it with little effort.
Have you done other types of artwork than what we see around Baltimore? Has any of your work been in galleries? I made a recent run through Philadelphia putting up wheat pastings, and I have shown my work in several galleries. Can you give a quick run down of the process of your work, starting from the time it is thought up to the time it is put on a wall?
The subject matter isn’t premeditated. I just draw whatever comes to mind. Sometimes it’s local people from the city that I photographed. Sometimes it’s my own kids. So I draw or paint them in my studio, photograph it, then print it. I take the prints, cut them out, sometimes paint on them and then I ride around and look for vacant places. Then I just paste them up. Day or night.
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If your art would be a musical genre – which one would it be? Dubstep. Just kidding, I’m mostly influenced by hip hop and reggae... so let’s go with that. Have you ever been in trouble with the police? [Laughs] Sure have. However my trouble with the law and my experience with the court system has absolutely nothing to do with art. I am a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. Finding a spiritual solution to my past life has offered me the opportunity to experience everything that life has to offer. It has also given me the privilege of helping many people with my experiences, whether those were good or bad experiences. So my past life choices have landed me in jail multiple times. And my current life choices allow me to help people. My art is directly impacted by my past drug addiction. And my current spiritual stance also is reflected in my art and my day to day life. (Bet you weren’t expecting that answer, huh?) What would you recommend to someone who wants to get active/make street art him or herself? I would say to find someone who knows what they’re doing and ask for help. Then it’s mostly trial and error. Don’t give up. And don’t destroy occupied homes and small businesses... that’s just wrong. Also, be original, don’t bite someone else’s style...find your own voice.
" Finding a
spiritual solution to my past life has given me the privilege of helping people with my experiences. " 54
Sorta pasting up his work located on Park Ave. in Baltimore. This peice is 14ft wide and over 10ft tall.
HIDDEN IDENTITY Street artists and graffiti artists prefer to keep their identities anonymous, preferring to stay hidden and unattached from their works, whilst marveling at their art from afar. While they do sign their names on their works (as can be seen in the photo on the left and the photo above, Sorta Streetart usually has a unique rendering of his name, ‘Sorta,’ somewhere on every peice he pastes up), they hide it in plain view, including it in their spray paint masterpieces or wheat paste pin-ups, and thus protecting their identities in this particular art form. This became very popular with street artist ‘Banksy,’ who’s work can be seen all around the world. Almost everyone in the art world is familiar with his style. 55
“Attention Baltimore, get ready to see this image of Art Modell all over the city by the next Ravens game.” - @sorta_street_art on Instagram
" I LIVE AND BREATHE TO CREATE ART. I HAVE TO DO IT. I HAVE NO CHOICE. "
What are your plans for the future? What do we have to expect from you to see? Your guess is as good as mine.
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INTO THE
LIGH THE ART OF LIGHT GRAFFITI
HT
The art of light painting is amongst the final visual frontiers of human creativity. It requires precise photographic skill, carefully choreographed performance and a wild imagination. Light graffiti as an art is not yet a century old, a discipline born from photographic mistakes and years of experimentation. Just how good can light painting get? Light painting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera. The term light painting also encompasses images lit from outside the frame with hand-held light sources. Light Painting Photography can be traced back to the year 1914 when Frank Gilbreth, along T
with his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth, used small lights and the open shutter of a camera to track the motion of manufacturing and clerical workers. Man Ray, in his 1935 series “Space Writing,” was the first known art photographer to use the technique and Barbara Morgan began making light paintings in 1940. By moving the light source, the light can be used to selectively illuminate parts of the subject or to “paint” a picture by shining it directly into the camera lens. Light painting requires a slow shutter speed, usually a second or more. Light painting can take on the characteristics of a quick pencil sketch. In 1949 Pablo Picasso was visited by Gjon Mili, a photographer and lighting innovator, who introduced Picasso to his photographs of ice skaters with lights attached to their skates. Immediately Picasso started making images in the air with a small flashlight in a dark room. This series of photos became known as Picasso’s “light drawings.” Light painting by moving the camera, is the antithesis of traditional photography. At night, or in a dark room, the camera can be taken off the tripod and used like a paintbrush. An example is using the night sky as the canvas, the camera as the brush and cityscapes (amongst other light sources) as the palette. Putting energy into moving the camera by stroking lights, making patterns and laying down backgrounds can create abstract artistic images. Here is Charm Magazine’s collection of 10 excellent light graffiti artists from around the world, dating back to the days of Picasso and times more recent. So grab a flashlight and prepare to experience the best light painting the world has to offer.
INTO THE LIGHT //
Pablo Picasso One of the 20th century’s greatest artists was quite adept with light painting himself. The great Pablo Picasso experimented with light painting in his later days. Picasso stood in front of the camera, armed with a flashlight, and traced his style of imagery in the air before the shutter slammed shut. The result was an illuminating set of photos set of photos that show the artist at work - a wild set of set of self portraits where this famed painter shared the focal point with his art.
Taylor Pemberton The multi-disciplinary graphic artist and designer Taylor Pemberton has tried his own hand at light graffiti, and the resulting images are stunning. Much of Pemberton’s work with light painting is rooted in traditional graffiti, as the swirls and curves of his flashlight reflect the pieces shown on walls in cities throughout the world. This next gen graffiti is set in abandoned places where concrete, steel and a sense of decay frame these brilliant shapes of light.
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“ Unerringly precise, a collection of Arabic-inspired characters that come alive.”
Julien Breton The French calligrapher and graphic artist Julien Breton has extneded his calligraphy into the world of photography and light. Julien Breton’s Light Calligraphy is unerringly precise, a collection of Arabic inspired characters that come alive in the set for Compagnie Cortex, a french dance crew. As light graffiti is as much about photography as it is about performance, Breton’s collaboration with this dance crew is representational of the nature of this art form. The dancers hold their pose, the lights are set and Breton outlines their forms with light calligraphy before the shutters close. 63
INTO THE LIGHT //
TCB TCB, the artist also known as Twin Cities Brightest, creates some of the most vivid and complex light graffiti we’ve seen. The lines within TCB‘s light graffiti are flawless, unbroken ribbons of light that weave into complicated shapes and patterns. TCB is quite prolific with his light painting and light graffiti, an artist whose body of work most certainly deserves a close look.
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Lightmark Lightmark Light Painting by Cenci Goepel and Jens Warnecke focus more on minimal shapes within nature than outright light graffiti. Their light designs appear to be a part of the environment, organic shapes that fit within the context of nature. Light spheres within snowy fields, stalks of light above waterfalls and subtle forms on water are amongst some of their better designs. Their light painting may not be inspired by graffiti, but the introduction of alien light into the natural world leaves their own mark in this imagery.
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INTO THE LIGHT //
Lapp Pro The photographers and performance artists Joerg Miedza and JanLeonardo Woellert are the creative minds behind LAPP Pro, a crew that has experimented with the full gamut of light painting. LAPP Pro’s secret is both the setting and the tools with which they create these amazing images. Sparks fly into the night air, spheres of light form in desolate places, and shapes converge around the artists themselves as they take part in these photographs. Throughout the years of their light painting experiments, many visually stunning works have been created.
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“ Sparks fly into the night air, spheres of light form in desolate places, and shapes converge around the artists themselves.”
Lichtfaktor Lichtfaktor‘s work is unparalleled in the world of light graffiti, where urban environments meet a form of lightbased architecture that merge into amazing imagery. While we loved the Lichtfaktor London Light Graffiti before, the group’s full body of work is entirely impressive, even featured on magazine covers and advertisements in ultimate style. Beyond the teaser gallery below, a long look at Lichtfaktor’s work is required to understand just how brilliant light graffiti can be.
Michael Bonsanko Michael Bosanko is a photographer who’s taken on light painting in a series called “We Come in Peace”, in which figures made of light seem to interact with their surroundings in a way that’s comical, fun and highly engaging. The series features giant spiders crawling down a highway, “alien” rocks gathering around a central “spaceship”, a light figure skateboarding on a ramp and another hitchhiking on the side of a road.
Sola Light The light graffiti artist known as Sola has produced a wide, colorful and bright range of light graffiti that must be seen to be believed. By that, we mean that his work may appear to be manipulated, but the images are untouched after the camera shutter closes. Sola has weaved an impressive number of light graffiti images, ranging from swirls and shapes on urban backgrounds to intricate graffiti patterns with wild backgrounds.
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INTO THE LIGHT //
“ The art of light painting is amongst the final visual frontiers of human creativity. ”
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Toby Keller Toby Keller of Burn Blue Photography has himself experimented with light graffiti, in forms that share inspiration in the work of artists like Lightmark and Pemberton, shown above. Keller’s canvas is nature– the quiet, sandy beaches of Santa Barbara and brick ruins elsewhere, onto which he paints bright, vivid forms of light. The result is entirely natural, where the patterns of light appear to be a part of the environment around them.
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CHARM // ON THE LOOKOUT
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY BMORE’S NEWEST LINE OF STREET WEAR AND URBAN STYLE
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BALTEES, Baltimores newest, freshest, urban clothing line, has hit the scene and is taking off fast. Baltees is mostly tees, for men and women, that take some aspect of Baltimore and tie it into the design of the shirt. Whether it’s an area code, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, or nickname, Charm City, Baltees nails the city chic enviornment that is Baltimore. Baltees began with sports apparel for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens. Their black and orange “BAL SWAG” tees and their black and purple “BALtimore So Hard” tees were a huge hit to get the business up and running. The founder, MICA graphic design student Lexi Pearson, wanted to spread the love for Baltimore city to its residents. After attending school in the city, she wanted a way to express this and allow other people to express thier love for the city as well. She also wanted to give back. Each purchase of a Baltee gives ten percent to the “WBAL Kid’s Campaign” to support the kids in Baltimore. The business plans to expand to other apparel such as sweatshirts and beanies in the very near future, so keep an eye out at baltees.com.