defined tag a stylized name or signature character cute or creepy, cartoonish or realistic, a character serves as a signature or visual shorthand
wildstyle elaborate, interlocking letters or symbols used when tagging piece short for “master piece�, used to describe a labor-intensive work mural a huge work done on with permission of the building owner stencil a design cut into heavy paper or cardboard, then spray-painted onto a wall
graffiti writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illegally on a wall or other surface in a public place
street art writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed onto a wall or other surface in a public place that is focused on the viewer
wheatpasting posters that are hung using wheatpaste, a liquid
adhisive made from wheatpaste or starch and water
Vandalism is a crime .K.
ART AT UR OWN RIS
#sprayjxn sprayjxn@gmail.com
artist - unknown
photo credit - Will Brooks
wordS Wi AMY A.
Q
WHY DO YOU PREFER WHEATPASTE?
Wheat paste is the way to go. Ethan introduced me to wheatpaste. It's really easy to make and almost free. It's just water and flour. It's really easy to make tons of it. I was skeptical at first, I mean, how well could flour and water possibly hold, right? It holds rather well, actually. You can stick up huge sheets of paper without buying a ton of glue.
Q HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON A SINGLE DESIGN? I never can decide on a single design. I just start with one idea and keep moving through the list in my head. The LO_E was Ethan's idea. He had come up with it before he met me to lure another girl into hanging out with him. But it didn't work on her, just me
Q HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE FONDREN'S MONA LISA? Well, it's like Fondren's biggest honor, isn't it? I mean, I'm immortalized on a wall! That was painted years ago and I'm still excited about it. Scott S. is the artist. He is also a genius.
Q HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN STREET ART? I think the road to street art really started with a T-shirt. Scott Sorensen and I had teamed up and we wanted to make a shirt with our faces and logo, "It's okay, I'm famous." We didn't want to pay for screen printing, as our whole gimmick was coming up with art from practically nothing. So, I took our images, cut it into stencils, and spray painted on T-shirts. Then with the door to stencils and spray paint open, things just happened.
Q HOW COULD THE CITY HELP THE ART COMMUNITY? Well, the city could be far more lenient to street art, especially in art districts like Fondren or Midtown. Street art should be encouraged. It gives voice to artists who haven't had the chance to shine. The street is the stage and it's all about making a name for yourself. It's fair game on the street too. You can't buy a better spot; you just have to create a better picture.
artist - scott s. TOP / amy a. BOTTOM
photo credit - will brooks
wordS Wi Q
WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS OF GOING FROM CONCEPT TO WALL?
For me, a mural almost always starts with a simple sketch. Next I will scan and import it into photoshop to play around with the colors and scale. This also allows me to do a mockup of the artwork on the wall. This is an important step because it really helps the owner of the wall visualize the end result. Especially if it is being done as a paid commission. Once the design process is completed and approved by the customer, I then choose the best method for transferring the outlines to the wall. This can be done with projectors, paper patterns, grid patterns or any other method, depending on the time line and artwork. It always helps to keep in mind that process is just a means to an end. The viewer only sees the final result and typically does not care about the process or how you achieve it. If you prefer to freehand it onto the wall, then go that route. A lot of my work lately is commercial and involves typography and or logos, so this is usually not the preferred method.
Q
HOW COULD THE CITY HELP THE ART COMMUNITY?
Gosh, there are so many things we could do in Jackson. Funding is always one of the biggest. Without money, it can be hard to get things done. This is a challenge in every city, though, and can be as much as an uphill battle as trying to persuade someone of the fundamental importance of art education or a well-balanced, artistic society. Jackson is not as progressive and forward thinking when it comes to public art in a number of ways. When permits are required, some city officials seem to simply lack the vision. They follow outdated codes, which do not allow for many types of murals, especially when it comes to hand-painted advertising. I recently visited the Rhino district of Denver, which was exploding with great public art. After talking with some locals, most agreed that one of the main factors was the permitting process. City officials were much more hands off, allowing organizers to hold mural festivals and offered up public buildings and spaces for murals. This doesn’t mean that the city did not curate the process in many ways, but they were much more willing to take risk, especially when they started to realize that "placemaking" was equating to real economic dollars.
Q
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
scott allen, continued
I painted my first mural on my bedroom wall when I was around 9 years old. It was a huge version of Falkor from the Neverending Story, flying over a field of flowers. It was not great; I think I remember it actually looking like a sloppy mess. But, I never stopped and have been painting murals ever since.
Q
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WHEN CREATING A MURAL?
Unfortunately, the biggest challenge is not with the art itself, but finding someone with a good wall that is willing to pay you to paint it. Although many of my murals were done for free as a way to give back to my community, it is very important that artists get compensated well for their work, if not they cannot sustain the income they need to do it for a living so to speak.
Q
DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS LINED UP?
I typically always have several projects in the works, mainly because so many of them fall through for various reasons, like the ones mentioned above. Lately I am focusing on a large project to create several murals for a local shopping center. Often times it can take months of planning and, in some cases, even years, so it seems to work best for me when I keep a lot of hooks in the water.
artist - scott allen
photo credit - will brooks
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artist - unknown TOP/ BOTTOM
photo credit - will brooks
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midtown street art
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(
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math
)
Inspiring the next generation in the arts. FOR MORE INFO dhmm39401@gmail.com Downtown Hattie Maker’s Market
THINGS TO DO IN
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BEFORE YOU
From the popular to the obscure, explore the City with Soul with this bucket list of 100 can't-miss things to do in Jackson! Available locally at Lemuria Bookstore, Offbeat, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million or online at Amazon.com.
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PATTON AVE
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street art murals
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Marketing Services for creative geniuses who are great at what they do (but not so great at putting themselves out there). Call or text Natalie.
601.750.4497 / crowdqwest.com
HOT SPOTS LAT 32.323662 LNG -90.186835 Midtown LAT 32.322290 LNG -90.186389 Offbeat LAT 32.303264 LNG -90.188797 Frank Jones Corner
LAT 32.296288 LNG -90.185645 Ms Museum of Art LAT 32.312420 LNG -90.172010 The Painted House LAT 32.334982 LNG -90.176425 Portrait of Amy A