fumeroism

224: In Memory of Kobe and Gigi Bryant

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:05:36 +0000

I want to give a big thank you to First Street Green Art Park and Centre Fuge Public Arts Project for the public space they provide artists like myself with a stage for visual expression. Together we are transforming NY into an outdoor gallery where people can enjoy fine art on walls seven days a week because not everyone walks into galleries or museums, but everyone walks the streets and at FSG Park, contemporary art is crossing the streets. This is a tribute mural to Gigi and Kobe Bryant, RIP

Thanks to the NY Post for their article to include my mural tribute to Kobe and Gigi, your support for public art is appreciated. Photos by Raphael Gonzalez and Steve the "A M Art Stop" Stoppert.

Jef Campion

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 15:02:33 +0000

It's been six years since Jef Campion passed away, the career long Yonkers, NY fireman (ladder co. 303) known as Camp, 911 First Responder, Ronald McDonald House charity worker and to the NYC street art scene, Jef the activist was better known to us as Army of One; true to his name. Jef was a one man army full of great energy, always helping people especially children. He put his big heart into everything he did and did it with style. For example, Jef raised close to $1,000,000 over 18 years for the Manhattan chapter of the Ronald McDonald House. He was larger than life, a roll model for many and a great friend to those that were close to him. I was fortunate enough to know him, make art with him and see his different perspective of life and call him a friend. A one of a kind human being, a gift to those he embraced with his love and passion. He was very passionate about his message regarding his anti war sentiment and how we the people become used in wars to fight politicians' battles.

After the attack and destruction of the Twin Towers, Jef stayed at Ground Zero for many days and nights helping, digging the dead bodies of innocent victims and his fallen brothers out while breathing in the toxic fumes emanating from the rubble. He was breathing in the cancer causing air, sleeping overnight for 41 days and still assisted beyond that at the sight. 911 changed Jef and made a profound impact on him that eventually led this life long artist into his alter ego, the Army of One street artist. Prior to 911 he spelled his first name with two f 's but post 911 he dropped one f and became Jef. His friend's from Yonkers said one f Jef was not the same guy as two f Jeff. He began going out during the late hours of the night pasting cut out posters of Grenade Boy (Diane Arbus, 1965), Bride of War (Bride of Frankenstein,1935) on public surfaces all over lower Manhattan and Brooklyn circa 2009. This is when I first 'met' Jef, not in physical form but through his street art when I was out and about doing my own art after dark productions. Although the images Jef used are part of pop culture, his approach to Pop Art was not whimsical, on the contrary, his use of these images were quite serious in nature and the message behind them was not intended to be taken lightly. His use of children's alphabet blocks made a poignant juxtaposition between innocence and the evil that men do which is create war, destruction, misery and pain for those caught in the maelstrom of politics, greed and power. The iconic red Krink outline, drips and writing his messages such as "No More War" was not invented by Jef but it resonated with the public and Jef owned it. The Jef Campion Memorial mural along the Yonkers train station trestle located at 92 Main Street is where Jef actually lived, he was one of the first to buy a loft inside the old train car factory building when it wasn't so desirable as it is today. Jef, the pioneer leading the way to help uplift the downtown Yonkers waterfront area into what it has become today was one of many bold moves he made. The mural is a pictorial epitaph about the different facets of his life. The mural begins next to the Pizza Place, Army of One creating Grenade Boy, The fireman and 911 First Responder with Twin Towers with fire engine 303, The Bride of War, Grenade Buy silhouette, Army of One/ Jef Campion alphabet blocks, the iconic "I (red hand imprint) NY" of Jef. The red hand stamping street art began in 2012 when he and I collaborated on the XCIA Street Art book by Hank Oneal. Next is the Ronald McDonald House contributor hugging a sick child. Jef was very close to that little girl and he took her passing very hard. The mural ends with a portrait of Jef with his 'power to the people fist' held high above his head showing all of his charity wrist bands which he never took off. This portrait of Jef smiling captures the essence of his personality, although he was in serious pain from the affects of being a First Responder which destroyed his lungs and it worsened with each passing year, making him cough profusely. The pain he was living with developed into him taking his own life. Jef lived life on his own terms and ended in the same fashion. Nobody told Jef what to do, not even death. He was too proud of a man to let his sickness cause him to whither away and so he chose to end his life. It was 911 that ultimately killed Jef and those close to him know that.

I want to thank Keith Olsen, President of the Yonkers PBA, Lui Vellucci (Jef's best friend) from Ladder Company 303 for funding this very special mural project which was very dear to my heart. I also would like to thank Mayor Spano and NY State Assemblyman Nader Sayegh for being a part of the Jef Campion Memorial celebration which took place on September 10th, 2019 which would have been Jef's 57 birthday. On that day many people came out to celebrate the life of a great and unique human because as I mentioned Jef Campion touched many peoples' lives and he was loved by all of them. Another happy moment during the ceremony was when I was awarded a Proclamation by Mayor Spano and the City of Yonkers making September 10th, 2019 officially "Fumero Day" and Assemblyman Sayegh for awarding me a Citation form the State of New York for my work. I was also presented with a tremendous gift from the 303 Firehouse and that was one of Jef's original artworks and that touched my heart. I was very honored for all the accolades bestowed on me that evening. I have to say I was unaware of these great surprises and very grateful for them, it was a heart felt and glorious event with all the fire trucks and Jef's band of brothers, the city and state officials and the public, including my family and friend who came to remember one person known as Army of One. We will always remember you brother and we will never forget. We love you Jef, God Bless you.

A Decade of Art Basel

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:24:47 +0000

When I made my first pilgrimage down to Wynwood, Miami for Art Basel 2010, I was accompanied by my good friend and artist AOM. Earlier in April of 2010 AOM started coming out with me and became my partner who had the eyes in the back of my head during the ‘art after dark productions’ with the New York night walks I made frequently back then. When we arrived in Wynwood I had no idea how it worked, how to get a wall to paint or who to talk to. It was a crash course in ‘learn as you go’ kind of adventure. I was equipped with wheat-paste poster art pieces but what I really wanted to do was paint a wall. While I was pasting up a Table Series Logo logo in a few spots on and along NW 2nd Street around Wynwood Walls, I received ‘the call’. As I was ‘getting up’ an original oil pastel Grampa a call from an unknown phone number, which I usually do not pick up unfamiliar calls, came in. This time destiny showed its hand and intervened because I did the unusual, I answered the call. It was an old friend from when I was an undergraduate at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Michael Defeo, also known as The Flower Guy, who is an early pioneer of New York Street Art since 1993. He invited me to paint a piece of a warehouse wall located on the other side of Wynwood (eastside) at 101 NE 28th Street, which is close to NE 2nd Avenue. Ten years ago that area was the outskirts of Wynwood. It was dark and quiet just like NW 5th Avenue which was even more desolate at night, nobody was there. Ten years later NW 5th Ave. is all about lights, camera, murals, shows and action, with bumper-to-bumper traffic and people are coming to and fro from NW 2nd Ave. with many places to go.

When I arrived at the warehouse by mid-afternoon on Basel Friday, Defeo was there with the rep from the building, we spoke about which space we would carve up between Defeo, myself and Adam Skewville another artist who is coincidentally also an SVA alumni who came to paint the next day. The Flower Guy and I made the plan to go to the local hardware store on NE 2nd Avenue to get paint and supplies. By the time all of that was done the sun was setting. The next morning, on Art Basel Saturday I began to paint the Grampa, referring to my business card and a wheat-paste poster.

AOM and I climbed onto a lift that was provided for me, which I had never been on before then, nor had I ever drawn at such a large scale prior to that day. I gave AOM a can of spray paint to assist with some color fills. Turned out, that was the first time AOM ever used a spray paint can, that trip was filled with unforgettable moments for both of us. It was a wild experience going down to Art Basel for the first time and painting a three-story high mural on a big scissor lift. Thirteen hours later I completed my first large scale mural in the Fumeroism style which in other words means Grafstract by Fumero. This was a fantastic opportunity and I thank Defeo for the invitation to create a monumental moment in my art life that I will never forget. That was the mural that started it all for me in Wynwood and I was stricken with Basel Fever for the next nine years to come. Since 2010 I have done many murals and the years that stand out in my mind are 2012 (with Army of One), 2013 (Notorious BIG), 2015 (The Grampa), 2016 (Nanny’s Kitchen) and 2017 (Dutch Masters Cigars). A special shout out to Bryan Leaf-Mech , Rob Fogle and AOMLOD for collaborations together and rocking out side by side during the Basel years, super fune, living the dream times they were, that’s for certain.

To say Wynwood has not changed at all would be incorrect, it has grown expediently with high rise residential condos and more and more gallery spaces popping up and Air-BNB’s replacing homes. Massive construction projects have gentrified the former Miami hood into “Hollywynwood” and once a year the visual and audio amusement park of Art Basel becomes a red dot on the planet marking the hot spot which usually happens during the first weekend of every December every year. Ten years of fumeroizing has been a blast and now it’s time to leave it in the past. Thank you Art Basel, you have been very good to me over the years I’ll miss ya!

The History of Passaic, NJ

Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:18:44 +0000

Painting the “History of Passaic, NJ” mural on the exterior wall of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Elementary School #6 located at 85 Hamilton Street for the Passaic Public Schools District, is the type of theme I have wanted to paint. Why… because I consider myself a student of history and architecture is a part of art history. The city of Passaic may stretch only 3.25 square miles but its history is long and rich with tradition and I felt compelled to write about it. Within its small borders lies a petrified forest of nostalgic architecture from the last quarter of the 19th into the first decades of the 20th Century.

This labor of love I physically started on August 8th, came to its final end on September 23, 2019. However, preparation for this project began well before August. Its origins were rooted with visiting the local library, looking through their archives, reading, and taking copious notes. Researching through my architectural design books and searching the internet helped to inspire other choices for the imagery seen in the mural’s composition such as the landmarks that represent once upon a time in America. The mural is really a pictorial allegory spanning almost 342 years, beginning in the 17th century with the landing of the Dutch traders who founded a settlement called Acquackanonk on Dundee Island, presently called Pulaski Park. Passaic’s original spelling is Pahsayek or Pasaik. It is from the Lenni-Lenapi language which translates as “the valley or place where land splits.” The Lenni-Lenapi tribe dominated the central northeast region of the eastern United States. They were the indigenous American tribe living along the Passaic River when the Dutch settlement of Acquackanonk was settled in 1678. For the next 200 years Passaic remained a village comprised of farmland that made up an agrarian society until the late 1860’s when things started to change because of the building of the Dundee Dam and Dundee Canal. Due to this public engineering project, a new source for fresh water supplied by the dam and canal, spurred tremendous industrial growth and a population boom. The height of Passaic’s textile factories and mills began during the later 1800’s and stretched until the pre World War I era. These included the Botany Worsted Woolen Mills, Forstmann Woolen Mills, Manhattan Rubber Co. and Paterson Parchment Paper Co., just to name a few. The need for employment at the mills caused thousands of people to flock to Passaic. This was at the time when the great European migration that filled up the four wards of the city began. From the start of the 20th century up until the 1940’s the Second Ward was primarily made up of Italians from Sicily and Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe While Passaic’s industrial revolution employed many of its residents, the locals were also self-employed and owned many store-fronts and shops. Another great contributor to the rise of Passaic was the Erie Lackawanna railroad line. In conjunction with the Passaic River it was the lifeline that created an upsurge raising the city to a prestigious level built on commerce. This information is just some of what I learned during my research to collect imagery that would represent Passaic’s nostalgic past from yesteryear. There could have been more imagery included into the “History of Passaic, NJ” mural but a much larger wall would be needed to fit all of it, i.e., references to the railroad lines, hospitals, theatres, restaurants and shops that were once staples of Passaic. A mural based off of the Capitol Theatre alone would be a great theme in itself and would also require its own very large wall. The “History” mural design can be viewed from top to bottom or visa versa, it works both ways. From the bottom you see a European family in grayscale to mimic the old photograph surrounded by portraits of actual students that attend School 6 which is a combination of elementary and middle school grades (K-8). The students also represent the new immigrants of today and become educated about those who came to Passaic long ago from countries such as Italy, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Poland, The Ukraine, Russia and Ireland. The viewer may engage and read the theme of the mural from ground level. As the eye ascends upward seeing what the children are looking at and smiling with curiosity and interest, the onlooker’s eyes travel around the composition on a visual rollercoaster of line, shape and color until it reaches the zenith of the mural where a class of elementary students are gathered around an educator who reads to them as they are sitting on the carpeted floor listening closely to the history of their city. As the story gets told and the pages of history are turned, the students think about what they are learning as they view old photos in a ‘then and now’ book and hearing about the old landmarks that were prestigious symbols of the city’s wealth. The students learn about the Lenapi and the arrival of the fist Dutch settlers. They learn about Passaic’s golden age of industrial expansion that brought the old world immigrants, coming to America in the thousands and how the diversity of its citizens created a shining example of America’s melting pot of ethnic cultures living together to make a better world for themselves, through sheer grit and hard work. The immigrants who helped build Passaic replaced the wood structures with stone, brick, cast iron and steel. Because of that, Passaic has an abundance of splendid little hidden treasures predominately in the First and Second Wards decorated with pride but overshadowed by time and neglect.

As the pages of Passaic’s history book are turned the students learn about George Washington and the Continental Army. During the start of the Revolutionary War, Washington crossed over the Passaic River after his miraculous escape from Fort Lee, in November of 1776. Washington led his army over the Aquackanonk Bridge as he and his rag tag troops headed south, making the iconic crossing of the Delaware River, Christmas Day 1776 and they would win decisive victories at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, NJ. The Aquackanonk Bridge, long gone, was replaced by the Gregory Avenue Bridge in the early 20th century and sits 50 yards south of the original bridge. The Acquackanonk Bridge reference represents this historical crossing by our nation’s founding Father, as well as, a compositional metaphor for bridging the gap between Passaic’s past, present and its future. The middle school student holding his chin is pondering Passaic’s history as the story unfolds. Above the equestrian image of Washington stands the tallest building in Passaic. This iconic, twelve story Art Deco design building at 663 Main Avenue was built in 1931 during our country’s Great Depression. It is the crowning capital of Passaic’s skyline and was originally called the People’s Bank and Trust Company. It was built the same year that the Empire State building was constructed in New York City. Today, 663 Main Avenue is the current home of the Passaic Board of Education, a tenant, who just recently moved into this historical edifice. This Art Deco treasure is landmarked (National Register of Historic Places). After decades of neglect and abandonment, the Hanini Bros. firm, purchased and beautifully restored Passaic’s iconic structure back to its original grandeur.

To the right is the once great Paulison Castle commenced in 1873 and finally finished in 1892 when it became Passaic’s second city hall. “The Castle” stood where present day Passaic High School is now. In its day the Castle boasted a beautiful park juxtaposed to a small lake. I could only imagine the aesthetic beauty that was created. This ornate masterpiece of architectural design was torn down in 1954 to make way for the modern minimalism design of the city’s high school (student population 3,000 with a staff of 300).

In the top right section of the mural is the famous and iconic Capitol Theatre. It was originally a vaudeville/movie theatre built in 1921 and could hold an audience capacity of 3,200. Not in the mural, but other iconic landmark theatres worth mentioning are: the first Montauk Theatre first built in the early 1900’s as a Vaudeville theatre with a seating capacity of 2,640, the Second Montauk Theatre built in 1924, as a live theater/movie venue and the Central Theatre, (1940, cap. 2,400) another venue of notable performances that included The Glenn Miller and his Band’s last ever American performance (Sept. 27, 1942), Frank Sinatra and Pink Floyd. The Capitol Theatre was a legendary entertainment venue with a long list of acts performed by American masters such as James Brown, Queen, Rolling Stones, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Parliament-Funkadelic and the Beastie Boys were only a few of the heavy hitters that once performed live on the Capitol Theatre stage. While I was painting this section, Passaic residents passing by would stop, view and comment affectionately about their fond memories of their experiences at the Capital Theater. Unfortunately, this landmark should have been cherished but it was not valued as such and rather was perceived as old and outdated when urban blight began to creep into the city and caused further damage to its existence. Sadly, this legendary entertainment venue was razed to the ground in 1991 after a fatal fire, now stands a Pizza Hut.

At the bottom right corner is an Afro-American girl from the 1960’s civil rights era reading a schoolbook. It is up to the viewer to come up with their own story about her and what school subject she is performing in front of the class. The African American population has been well rooted into the fabric of Passaic society for decades, e.g. the Shirelles were discovered at a Passaic High School talent show in April 1957, NFL Pro Bowl and Super Winner Jack Tatum and NFL running back for the New Orleans Saints Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

The golden age of Passaic during the period between the later half of the 19th and early 20th centuries is very well preserved as seen in its remaining old factories, warehouses and residential buildings from that time period. During that era Passaic went from being a town built with wood to a city erected in stone, brick, iron and steel. A parallel can be made between Passaic and ancient Rome during its own golden age. Under the reign of the emperor Augustus Rome was transformed from a city of brick into a city of marble. The golden age of Passaic lost its luster and began tarnishing towards the later end of the 20th Century. However, that may have been a blessing in disguise because years of urban blight accompanied by the cheapest colored paint you can buy took away the original beauty and grandeur of the city’s pride. I have to commend Hoboken, NJ that they restored 90% of their golden age period back to its original splendor. Many of the old Passaic buildings’ designs are comparable to Hoboken and are heavily influenced by the Greco-Roman Revival or Neo Classical (Reid Library, 1903), Gothic, Victorian, Art Nouveau, English Baroque, Art Deco, Flemish and Mesoamerican. All styles can be seen adorning the city blocks in the form of what most people would regard as mundane structures of no importance to Passaic’s glorious past.

I went around Passaic studying its urban landscape and noticed there were quite a few buildings that have the year marked on the top of these golden age type apartments. If you look at the top of these buildings you will notice some have triangular roofs. This is a direct influence from ancient Greece and is known as a pediment seen on ancient Greek and Roman temples. Old banks, schools, municipal buildings and libraries were built in this classical style. The designs under the building ledges are reminiscent of triglyphs and metopes, which are based from classical Greece architecture, arched doorways and windows are taken from ancient Rome. It is actually incredible that the ancients still dominated late 19th and early 20th century architecture up until the 1940’s (pre WWII) and that employing ancient and Medieval architectural motifs into their buildings’ designs perpetuated the evolution and legacy of architectural tradition passed down over millenniums. Art Deco is reminiscent of ancient Mesopotamia, Egyptian and even Mesoamerican structures. Passaic may be a small city but is gigantic when it comes to freezing a moment in history and encapsulating the persistence of time.

Passaic has many old cathedral style churches and a few old schools from its golden age. These are not included in this article because it is safe to say that those structures are not in danger of being demolished. However, the apartment buildings and red brick factories are presently within the scope of gentrification. There is one glimmer of hope that Passaic and cities alike will see the value in the old and not redevelop but to restore on the outside and renovate on the inside, in order to protect and preserve its rich heritage. Sad when you see a great piece of Americana in the form of architectural history get destroyed by fire as the recent burning down of the Marcal Paper factory in Elmwood Park, NJ. It was built in 1932 and went up in flames and totally destroyed in 2019. That was a landmark building with an iconic red, old school sign. Even sadder when you see the golden age of any American town and city throughout the United States where urban renewal and developers purposely stripped away its character for modernization. All these new gentrified boxes don’t even have fire escapes, again stripping the city of its ‘indigenous’ look. Less is more but rents are higher. The old look created with art in mind as seen in many golden age ornately decorated fire escapes. They are not just boring vertical bars they have a sense of aesthetic design that employ the elements of art just as much as the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.. People like to have roots and to feel connected to something. Cultures are proud of their history and the same can be applied to countries, cities and towns. Contemporary society is also recognizing cities with a historical culture, that’s where people want to live and work. People would love to live in a restored factory. How cool would it be to have a courtyard in an apartment complex that has a six story high smoke stack? It would function as a monument that pays homage to the historical past. The famous quote form George Santayana, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” and this brings me to the NYC city planner Robert Moses who had the original Pennsylvania Station which was built in 1910, demolished in 1963. The present day Penn Station is a mere shoe box design compared to the old decorated train station built during the early 20th century. The 1910 original design was based off of the Baths of the Roman emperor Caracalla (AD 211). That era with its golden age treasures are gone forever, never to be replaced. Passaic is prime for gentrification, it’s inevitable and it has actually already begun. The city that winds along the river is only twelve miles from Manhattan. Passaic has a bus and train line and it’s poised for river front properties, restaurants, cafes and waterfront pedestrian parks along the Passaic River. Hopefully, gentrification will not erase this city’s integrity but keep it real because change doesn’t always mean progress.

I want to thank Principal Stacey Barbetta Bruce for her unbridled passion towards Passaic, the city she was born and raised in as an extended member of the Mistretta/Manney family. Principal Bruce’s grandmother’s portrait is painted below George Washington, having attended the original Lafayette School on the site of the current School 6 in 1931. Her father (Bruce’s great grandfather) worked on building School #11 in 1924. Principal Bruce was very instrumental with getting the ball rolling on this notion to paint a mural dedicated to the history of the Passaic community as well as saluting the old established residents and the new immigrants, e.g., Indian, Mexican, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Columbian, Peruvian and all other Latinos that today make up the great city of Passaic.

I would like to thank the support of Superintendent Pablo Munoz, Assistant Superintendents Jeff Truppo and Rachel Goldberg, President Arthur Soto & the Passaic BOE. Passaic Board and Business Administrator- Erlinda Arellano for seeing the vision for supporting and promoting the arts and allowing me to illustrate a history lesson by means of an art education. Thanks to the City Historian Mark S. Auerbach, for his 125th Anniversary of the City’s Incorporation Year overview (1873-1998) of Passaic history, from 1678 to 1998.

Statue of Tru York City

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:45:05 +0000

After a year and a half later, I returned to paint another mural at the Black Tap restaurant located across from the sports booking and next to the poker room on the Venetian hotel's casino floor. The last time I was here to paint four installation murals inside Black Tap, but this time the request was to bring my 'colors of life' to the exterior wall of the restaurant. As far as I am aware this is the first time a "street artist" has a hand painted mural on a casino floor of a Las Vegas hotel, especially a hotel on the classically elegant caliber of The Venetian is such a great and prestigious honor. The folks at the Venetian were great and I want to give a big thanks to Jeremy who built the enclosure I was working in during the morning hours from 2-10 AM (and it was all performed without coffee, just say'n). It was an interesting experience working inside of a 5' wide, 4' deep by 11' high PVC piped and plastic wrapped rectangular pod that was enveloped by a golden curtain, thus making it impossible to see the work in progress. Although I was in Vegas better known as Sin City with millions of tourists all around, it was a very secluded and quiet time creating the newest installation which I titled, " The Statue of Tru York City". This Fumeroized Lady Liberty is colored in the Grafstract. The figure is holding a 1980's boom box on her shoulders in place of the tablet and the torch is represented by the M I C. Back in the day New York was the place to be. It was a fantastic time back at BTLV and staying at the Venetian was nothing less than extraordinary. You know what they say, well I have my own take on it, what sprays in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Black Tap Mideast: The Fumeroification of Two Nations

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 17:41:28 +0000

One of the two major highlights of 2018 was traveling to The Middle East to create interior murals for two different Black Tap restaurants in two different Gulf countries. I have never been further east of Turkey and that was a hop, skip and a jump from the Greek Isles on a boat. This time it was a twelve-hour, non-stop flight to Kuwait City with a final destination at 360 Mall. First on the list was the third Kuwait City Black Tap under construction inside the 360 Mall. It is called 360 Mall because it is basically one gigantic circle. This Black Tap is located on the mezzanine level close to the escalator inside the main entrance at Gate 1.

Looking up from ground level, the lush green plant life covers the mall walls and beyond the vegetation one can see the contrasting warm colored background with the “Tru York” imagery filling up the very large wall that parallels the terrace. A winding stair case leads up to the Black Tap neon entrance sign. When I was painting this entrance wall into the restaurant I thought about the Propylaea, the ancient gateway to the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The entrance mural combines the iconic blue striped water towers that can be seen across the desert highway in the distance outside of Gate 1. Next is the Empire State Building and the downtown Kuwait City tower on the right. This mural leads into the main room. The bar is next to the 'boom box' booth table seating inside the round circles that represent radio speakers. Above that is the non-objective Grafstraction filled with a myriad of my 'skittled schemed' palette. Beyond the main room is what I call “the monster wall”. This huge wall is almost as wide as Nanny's Kitchen wall in Wynwood, Miami (2016). The dimensions of this colossal wall is 12’H x 49’W (feet) and was was the first wall I targeted for completion. The background alone took 17 hours to finish and more time touching up or adding to.. This beast of a wall, although a worthy opponent, was no match for The Glartiator. When this wall beast was subdued, I began to fill in the 7 images that I had outlined prior to the background design. I chose 7 images keeping in mind the Seven Heavens of Islam. Staying with 80's and 90's old school theme, the multiple imagery, I incorporated a boom box, a Biggie, B Boys (Jamel Shabazz), bus, Table Series Logo, break dancer and subway train. If you notice the Table Series Logo, the central male figure in the family seated at the table is not holding a beer bottle in his hand. The reason is because Kuwait is a 'dry country' and that means there is absolutely no alcohol allowed, it is against the law. The bus is the #529 symbolizing the very first Black Tap in Soho located at 529 Broome Street in Manhattan (2015). The BTNYC #529 to 360 Mall only goes one way and that's my way.

If you are familiar with my work ethics, you know that I was busy painting long hours. I worked nine days strait to get this project done on schedule. If you follow Fumeroism on Instagram you saw the progression as it happened. This was a time sensitive project. Black Tap 360 was scheduled to open to the public in late November. I had a scheduled flight to Dubai prior to the opening date and immediately upon completion of 360 Mall.

Before leaving Kuwait I was interviewed by CP Magazine. Close Up Magazine is a publication as well as internet magazine. CP circulates in Kuwait, United Emirates and other Persian Gulf countries. The three representatives from CP, including a photographer were very nice people and excited to have my art in Kuwait City. It was very humbling to hear what JameeI Arif, the founder and publishing consultant from CP told me. He said that I am the first artist to bring graffiti art to Kuwait. At first, I thought he meant Kuwait City but he said not just the city but to the entire country of Kuwait. It was very unexpected and pretty cool hearing that.

It never crossed my mind about me going to the Middle East that I would be introducing graffiti art to the Kuwaiti people, especially when in actuality I don't paint graffiti but it's a common misnomer that I am frequently labeled with. “It's got to be the spray can in my hand”, is what I said to Jameel, “I wonder, am I still painting graffiti when I create on canvas with acrylic and a paintbrush?” What I do requires a more specific description, one that a common label such as graffiti cannot explain. My approach is an evolved graffiti-esque design specifically among line, shape and color. I'm not painting letter styles even though I am creating complex 'wild-style imagery'. There is an evolution of Classical Art. Classical Greece, Hellenistic and Roman are similar but yet quite different. Even my objective art is abstracted with an abundance of exaggeration and my non-objective subject matter is derived from graffiti motifs to which I combine into what I call The Grafstract. Jackson Pollock is not a direct influence during my artistic life's journey. However, Futura 2000 and Quick, to name just two pioneering NYC graffiti artists are direct influences. It was NYC Graffiti Art where I learned about abstract art first.

Being on a steady New York state of grind made the days and nights go by quickly and before I knew it, it was time to say arrivederci 360 Mall and on to the next.

The day I flew to Dubai was my first day off and a well needed respite was in order, so I enjoyed the hotel jacuzzi and sauna, relaxed, packed and headed to the airport at 7 PM that evening. After an almost 2 hour flight from being 8 hours ahead, I was now 9 hours ahead of NY time. I began working on Black Tap Festival City Dubai the next morning. I had three walls to paint and three columns, and no monster wall to contend with nor did I have to take taxis because Festival City Mall is adjacent to my hotel. Black Tap was an elevator and a short walk away. Upon entering the restaurant from outside (bayside) patrons are greeted with a 15 foot colorful Table Series Logo.

The entrance from inside Festival City Mall is the Biggie Smalls portrait. On the other side of that wall facing the main dinning room and bar is a fumeroized version of Brew Dog's brand logo and the columns for Lagunitas brewing company. Inside the back dinning area is the collaboration of the iconic NYC x Dubai skylines with a B boy (popper) posing along side a boom box and on the far right side is another B boy on the hood of a yellow NYC taxi. I painted a main column and two smaller ones. I began working on this project on November13th and completed it on the 19th with less than 12 hours before my flight back to JFK in New York.

On the last day I visited to Dubai Mall and went up to the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world (Burj ; tower). I came back by 7pm to do a photo-shoot with Black Tap and their very talented photographer, Bob McCaffrey.

Following that I went up to my room, ate dinner and began to pack to catch my flight later that night. That journey began at 2 AM when I left the Crowne Plaza Hotel back to Dubai Airport and back home. It was all work and no play but that is fine with me because warriors come out to spray. The Black Tap restaurants at 360 Mall and Festival City are designed by Chris Barnes and the firm Broadway Interiors He is an incredible architectural designer and all around good guy. This was the first time we collaborated together combing our vision to create an ambiance unique to the Black Tap brand. It was an honor and a pleasure to compose murals surrounded by his interior artistry. Everybody I met at 360 Mall and Festival City were so helpful and they treated me very well. It was an amazing experience and one I will always remember that I walked the ancient sands of Arabia and left my mark sprayed in paint.

Art Basel Miami 2018

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 14:02:31 +0000

2018 Art Basel Miami was my 9th consecutive year painting in Wynwood, Florida. It is always great to be back in sunshine state, especially when NY is cold. This year I painted a mural on the side of a warehouse at 101 NE 28th Street. I went with the boy and the girl holding hands from The Table Series Logo, but with a slight twist. I chose to make the boy taller than the girl and added wavy black outlines to the figures. Art is how one views and communicates with it and a couple who came strolling by stopped and had their friend take a photo of them in front of the mural. The girl said to the guy, "Hey lets hold hands like the man and woman are." I always appreciate how people communicate with my art, yes there is the artist intent but there is also public perception, either way both are correct in my opinion. The mural can be clearly seen from the train tracks crossing over 27th Street as the two figures stand side by side facing the world together. During sundown as the colors of day fade into the grayness of dusk the mural's vivid brightness illuminates a yellow glow from the wall projecting a warm feeling of love, loyalty and togetherness.

Unlike all my other previous years I am working and either have no time or little time to enjoy the global event of Art Basel during Miami Art Week. This year was different because I was able to enjoy spending the day on the sand at South Beach and free time to explore Wynwood with friends and have some fun.

I was not the only artist who painted on the warehouse this year. Three other artists, Tek, Leafand Baston from New York added their creativity as well under a 2011 Roa manatee mural. Actually, the spot where Baston's mural is, is where I painted The Grampa back in Basel 2010 by invitation of New York's pioneering early 90's street artist, Michael Defeo, aka, The Flower Guy. That was the first time I painted in my Grafstract style, aka Fumeroism in public. Tek from Projectivity based in Staten Island added a colorful bird, graffiti artist Leaf utilized a corner section of the wall to add his multiple leaf design and Baston created a tribalzed portrait. I also got in on a lil of that with some colors of life using orange and purple in between the two manatee fins. A M Art Stop was also in town for the event and we all had a great day painting and hanging out together on Art Basel Friday. Next year I plan to paint something even larger, almost as large as Nanny's Kitchen, 2016.

If you have not gone to Art Basel Miami yet and you love art and especially street art, well, let me just say, go! You will love the vibe, the shine and have a great time, it's a lot of fun and that's just walking around seeing all the murals not to mention all the events and shows that take place. Art Basel 2018 was another great December to remember.

FULL VIDEO CREDIT TO OWLEY - @OW.LEY

Photo Credit to Jose Mora - @we.art.as.one

Boycott H&M

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:44:37 +0000

"I will never purchase anything from H&M again". This was my opening statement to a comment I made on my Instagram page regarding this week's recent controversy about the lawsuit by H&M against the graffiti artist Revok. When the public became aware of this legal court battle a tsunami of comments and photos flooded the social networks about boycotting H&M which is a Fortune Five Hundred, multi billion dollar Swedish corporation owned by the 17th richest man in the world, Stefan Persson whose net worth is 28 billion according to Forbes.

The controversy began when the attorney for the LA based artist sent a cease-and-desist letter to H&M for unlawfully using Revok's artwork in their advertisement without the artist's consent in which Revok claimed copyright infringement. The corporate giant responded back stating that since the art was illegal it does not fall under copyright protection and moreover, the fashion company filed a lawsuit arguing their case in New York Federal Court to strip away the intellectual property rights that currently protect legal as well as illegal graffiti and street art. Any company or anyone would be able to use public art without permission much less paying the artist for his or her own creativity. If the court rules in favor of this corporate juggernaut the ruling would set a dangerous precedent that would negatively impact artists not only in the US but all over the world threatening their livelihood while companies profit from it. (Link to filed court papers https://www.worldipreview.com/download?id=10078 ) The backlash against H&M was loud and clear. The public's swift rebuke against H&M's attack on not only Revok but essentially the entire art community was tremendous. The recent controversy about the Afro-American boy H&M had modeling a t-shirt that read "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" resurfaced back into public consciousness and that only further exasperated public opinion against the fashion company who also spoke out against H&M's use of conventional cotton, a synthetic cotton which uses a lot more water as opposed to organic cotton, while the dyes used to color their garments pollute the water. Moreover, the public scorned H&M for their employment of child labor from third-world countries like Indonesia. The exploitation of children and the environment of third-world countries have been going on for decades and apparently H&M is not above the fray.

You can imagine that when news broke out about H&M's lawsuit against Revok on top of their "fast-fashion" practices the public were infuriated about the audacity of them to want to exploit and steal the work of artists rather than pay them. Allegedly H&M contacted the NYC Parks and Recreation Dept. for permission but not the artist. The NYCPRD responded by stating that the graffiti was not sanctioned and because it was illegal it was not protected under copyright laws. H&M thought they were off the hook and not obligated to seek out the artist and creator of the handball court art for which they made profit from. H&M's use of graffiti in their advertisement was to connect with the streets and they wanted to be cool and hip, well they got more than that because their court case ignited the graffiti world to take action in the only way they knew how to respond, by bombing their stores nation wide or in other words for those outside the realm of graffiti terminology, basically vandalized their store fronts. Newly created images of the H&M brand logo were altered such as replacing the & with a red middle finger, as well as many more photoshopped graphics that expressed anti H&M sentiments. As a result, the power of the internet as wielded by the people forced H&M to reconsider their lawsuit and taking criminal action against Revok for illegally painting the handball court. Initially a statement was made by H&M about how they respect artists and "Should have acted differently", "It was never our intention to set precedent concerning public art or to influence the debate on the legality of street art". Personally, I find the latter statement hard to believe because they were being sued by the artist who was not working with them and wanted the advertisement pulled from the H&M branding campaign and this would have cost the company a lot of money. H&M was told the art was illegal and that was good enough reason for them and the agency they hired for this marketing campaign to not pay the artist, rather than do the right thing by supporting the artist for the work they used to sell their merchandise. Their statement included that they were dropping the court case but the skeptical public did not believe this and due to the H&M statement not able to being confirmed on the H&M Instagram page or website which again fueled more fire of public contempt toward H&M. On Friday March, 16th a statement was put out by Gluck Law Firm Instagram page that confirmed the alleged H&M public apology as quoted, " I can confirm as of this morning H&M has voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit" and went on by saying that the law firm was going to be filing a law suit of their own against H&M which could only reopen H&M's lawsuit to strip away the intellectual property and copyrights artists are currently protected under. H&M withdrew their lawsuit "without prejudice" which means they can refile their claim indefinitely, which means we will be right back where we started, threatening the livelihood of millions of graffiti and street artists. As a street artist I take this lawsuit by H&M to set a precedent to change the protection law and allow companies and brands to take artists' imagery for their own monetary gains a serious threat to my rights as an artist. It is my opinion that if public art whether it be a mural, a wheat paste or a sticker legal or illegal remain as the sole ownership of the artist and any company wishing to gain profit from such imagery should support by respecting the artist's creativity and support with payment to the respective artist. If the company likes the art and admires it to the point of using it in their advertisements, ie., catalogs, magazines, posters, billboards, merchandise, television show, Youtube or music video or movie, then they should want to pay for it and not try to change the copyright laws. Shame on you H&M for you exploitation of graffiti and street art. You are a multi- billion dollar corporation and could easily afford to pay Revok or any artist you attempt to steal from.

H&M, you realized the gross error in your ways and did not calculate the public resistance against your corporate greed. You really had no choice but to step back and reconsider your position because public support was, is and will remain against you. Your initial intent to steal Revok's art which is a direct attack on all artists' works released the "Graffcken" upon you stores. I will commend your wise decision to retract your lawsuit and to seek out a resolution with Revok and my suggestion is to pay him and try to redeem yourself in some sort of positive light in the public eye. If you had not checked yourself and pulled back the bombers and taggers who are relentless in their mission would not have stopped, nor could you have stopped them. Now you realize that the walls have eyes and we are watching your next move. What I suggest is that you play nice and never attempt such a foolish position again. You have forever lost millions if not billions of future dollars because of your thievery corporation. We the people spoke loudly, not softly and took a hard stance against you because artists' lives matter. Now you know not to mess with ordinary people because we are extra ordinary people. Thank you everyone who spoke out against H&M it was public support that made the ruling, not the courts. It was you and I and together we took the bull down by the horns and tamed that corporate beast.

Army of One Tribute

Sat, 27 Jan 2018 16:13:06 +0000

On Saturday January 20th, Green Street Park on East 1st Street at the crossroads of the East Village and The LES (Lower East Side), the public came out to pay homage to fellow New York street artist, Jef Campion aka, Army of One who passed away on 1-17-14. Will Power, Kool Kito and Fumero joined together to resurrect the memory of Campion's contributions as Army of One /Jc2 who was an activist against war and the policies that put our men and women in the military into wars for profit. Campion's greatest message about who the horrors of war tragically impact the most are children. Jef was a career long fireman at Engine Co. 303, Yonkers, NY. He risked his life for 25 years to save others. Affected by what he experienced being a 9/11 first responder, he give a helping hand for 40 days and nights never leaving Ground Zero. Witnessing the wake of devastation seen in the aftermath of the tragic event of 9/11, Jef went deep beneath the surface and the artistic phoenix rose up from the ashes and spawned a resurgence of creativity with messages "Give Peace a Chance" and "No More War". Army of One represented a symbol that one person can make a difference, that you and I are also that army and together we are an army of one. Jef was not one to just preach but to teach us that action speaks louder than words and that is why he gave 18 years to The Ronald McDonald House because his position was "you got'ta give back". We all liked seeing Grenade Boy and in 2010 began to notice The Bride of War which Will Powerincluded into his Army of One mural because those were the Twin Towers of Army of One's iconography. Jef always loved the image of Grenade Boy by Diane Arbus. Who wouldn't like the expressive and odd looking little boy in gray scale wearing suspender shorts holding a grenade, emphasized by the bright red Krink outline and drips, symbolic of spilled blood that was the trademark of Jef's street art. In 2012 Jef began using that helping hand of his by dipping it into enamel paint and applying his red stained imprint (see XCIA's Street Art Project author Hank O'Neal and published by Simon Media Group) onto his art which later cleverly evolved into another Army of One icon with his hand in the center of the letter I and NY, putting a new twist on the famous "I (red heart) NY" symbol. Will Power beautifully recreated the ARMY OF ONE mural in the likeness of Jef's hand writing and got the public involved by placing their hand in red paint and adding their imprint onto the wall. People were very happy to take part in this tribute especially those that remember seeing his art all over NYC. Jef's friends were there and it was great talking to people and telling them about Jef's street and fine art mission. Army of One also showed in galleries not only in in NY but Los Angeles and Miami as well. Jef had a big personality, full of character and energy but even bigger than that or his muscles was his big heart. He touched many peoples' lives in positive ways. Jef was a mentor, activist, firefighter, first responder, RMH donator, street artist, fine artist and a great friend who championed his cause for the innocent children.

A big 'thanks' to Will Power for contributing photographs for this article and of course to the organizing genius of the Centre-fuge Public Art Project

Art Basel Miami 2017

Staff — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:06:45 +0000

This year at Art Basel, Fumero exhibited his visual ism, ‘The Grafstract’, at Spectrum Miami and painted a mural for Dutch Masters Cigars, "Visuals and Vibes" in collaboration with Craft Syndicate.

“Representing my own gallery space at a huge art expo like Spectrum was a very positive and rewarding experience. It was a lot of planning and preparation for my team and I. Throughout the five day art expo my gallery was well received by the many spectators who attended. It was a pleasure meeting and talking to so many people about the mechanics of Fumeroism and spreading the meaning of The Table Series Logo. I cannot forget my talented gallery neighbor, Mario Pena.”

Fumero also worked with Dutch Masters Cigars / Craft Syndicate for an event where a huge printed banner of the painting he created in 2016 for Dutch Masters was used as the backdrop behind the stage. The event had a gallery show curated by Kenny Burns and music performed by the NY legend, D Nice. Outside at the entrance is where Fumero recreated another grafstracted rendition of the DMC brand image which is actually a Baroque painting by Rembrandt titled, "Syndics of the Drapers Guild”. It is refreshing to see Dutch Masters' use of art history for their logo.

This was the 8th year for Fumero at Art Basel Miami and it was great for us to revisit the 30' x 65' mural, “Nanny's Kitchen" which is looking just as fresh as when he painted it a year ago in Wynwood. The mural is located at 101 NE 28th Street off of N Miami Avenue.

Ode to the LES

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 21:03:02 +0000

The Lower East Side (LES) used to have two meanings to me, one because of the geographical location within the isle of Manhattan and two because of the impoverished neighborhood made up of low income earners that were tenants who settled there for generations since the days when immigrants came pouring in from Europe during the 1850’s until the 1920’s. It was known as a tough neighborhood for decades but that gritty part of New York City has been seen as going through a tremendous make over the last ten years. Construction and remodeling has picked up pace with major transformations from the old New York that I grew up with to the New-New York it has become. From the down trotted slum to the trendy and upscale neighborhood that has a multitude of bars, restaurants, bicycle hubs and the traffic to go along with it. The LES is still a special place where the old architecture and streets have aged with character and so much so that there has recently been walking history tours on Orchard Street. Orchard Street used to be known where you bought your leather goods and apparel. I remember back in the day there were Chico and Lee graffiti murals, a lot of tags and throw-ups. Today when you walk through the LES you’ll see a variety of contemporary murals by street artists and stickers all over and on every corner. While walking around The LES there is a good chance that you’ll come across a Table Series Logo or

Grampa stickers, or Fumeroism wheat paste art. I have been sharing my work in the LES since 2006 and that little yellow sticker with the family gathered around the kitchen table has led into 2017 with an exhibition entitled 'Grafstract by Fumero'. The opening was on Oct. 26th that launched a four-week show. It is currently on display inside The Storefront Project at 70 Orchard Street until November 26th. (Link to photos)

You will see Fumeroism in more than just one gallery as you can see it all over the LES outdoor gallery.

If you would like to take a walking tour from Houston Street and turn onto Orchard walking south toward 179 Orchard Street you’ll see a large Table Series Logo (TSL) wheat paste on the top of the building and also a few blocks away at the corner of Houston and 2nd Avenue where the F train subway stop is you’ll also see another large TSL wheat paste art. Some of my past murals are no longer there but the ones that remain are located at 163 Orchard Street.

If you keep walking south on Orchard and cross over Delancey Street then Grand Street, you’ll see aTSL painted on a rollgate at 61 Orchard St. This gate is only visible before and after business hours and next to a Kenny Sharf gate.

Walk a little bit further but before Broome Street you’ll be at The Storefront Project gallery where my solo show is on exhibit until Sunday, November 26th (Closing party - Saturday November 25th from 6-9 pm) Inside, you will see a visual metaphor describing my artistic evolution from a kid who liked to draw, to a teenager who painted graffiti, to the Grafstract artist that I am.

After you have experienced my "ism" and after taking a walking tour, you may have developed an appetite. Well, I will recommend that you walk a few blocks, back across Delancey Street, to Ludlow Street walking north toward Houston Street to 177 Ludlow. Here you can feast on decadent shakes and tasty burgers with craft beer at Black Tap. There you can see a large and detailed installation mural inside the restaurant. It was created by 'yours truly' early last spring 2017 as an ode to old school NY, entitled 'Tru York'. While you are noshing away, I hope you enjoy the many fine details of this mural.

(Photo credit to Mario Pena for the Tru York mural)

Grafstract by Fumero

Staff — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 15:49:00 +0000

We would like to thank everyone who came out for the opening exhibition at The Storefront Project Gallery. The solo exhibition titled Grafstract by Fumero will run through November 26th at The Storefront Project Gallery at 70 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002. Hours are 1 - 6 pm, closed on Monday.

The exhibit is a visual metaphor describing a life long journey of exploration that ultimately evolved from graffiti into what Fumero describes as Grafstract, which is the 'ism' in Fumeroism.

A special 'thank you' to Raphael Gonzales (Instagram link: @Zurbaran1) for the photographs!

Copenhagen 2017

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 21:43:21 +0000

I have wanted to go to Copenhagen for a long time, even before I became a professional artist. I always found Copenhagen to be an exotic land because today’s Danes are the descendants of of the most fierce, ancient Norse warriors known as The Vikings. The term Vikings actually originates from the body of water in between Copenhagen and southern Sweden called The Vik. The English language also gets a term from the Vikings, the word berserk comes from an ancient class of Norse warriors called the Berserkers who went into an uncontrollable rage to perform inhuman feats during battle.

If you don’t know by now, my other passion besides art is history and the combination of the two which is really synonymous of one another is what I love to see, read and talk about. This is what brought me to Denmark, as well as wanting to paint murals there. This trip was great because unlike my past travels, I had ample time to see the sights and that was on bicycle. Copenhagen is just as much or I would say even more a bike city than Amsterdam and that is saying a lot. Riding around seeing all the great Scandinavian architecture (past and present) and city engineering was the best and only way to see so much in the 5 days I was there. One of the highlights of my trip besides painting street art was going to Christiania which is a self-

proclaimed autonomous hippy village that began in 1971 that was given to the Squatters by the government. It is a very chill spot that is a ‘must see’ when in Copenhagen. The walk around the lake where you can see the hippy homes are worth the visit. The Danish people are very nice and polite. They have a great chill vibe as I experienced with my hosts, one of them, Peter who is the organizer of Copen Hagen Street Art and Lints is a local artist. They took me to the Bicycle Factory in Norrebro (neighborhood I was staying at) where there is a high concentration of graffiti and street art murals. There is where I met another local artist, Neils Betersen. Of course I would relate The Bicycle Factory which is the last bastion of legal walls in the city as Copenhagen’s ‘5 Pointz’ and like the former “ institution for higher burning” it will be demolished due to gentrification. I‘m glad I got to paint there like I did a year ago at Madrid’s 5 PTZ, La Tabacalera. Copenhagen has a great scene for high quality graffiti, some street art but it is definitely a graffiti art dominated city. And in that regard it reminds me of Berlin. Big thanks to Copen Hagen Street art and Lints for their amazing hospitality and showing me their beautiful city. I had a terrific time visiting and like Lints says, “another red pin on the map” which is always the primary objective when Fumeroism is going global.

Launching of the Grafstract Shop

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 15:39:40 +0000

We welcome the launch of the Grafstract Shop with four (4) bundles of savings for a limited time.

Going to the Hills

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 15:26:46 +0000

I have been working with Dutch Master's Cigars since 2015 and in November 2016 I Fumeroized their company logo of the four men from the 1661, Baroque Art painting titled Syndics of the Drapers Guild by Rembrandt. I added my personal Grafstraction to the image while maintaining it's original integrity, just with a more colorful twist as seen with my 36"x 48" acrylic painting on canvas.

Since then, my painting has been printed on t-shirts as promotional merchandise for expos, conventions and events like the Def Jam Records party held at an undisclosed location up in the Hollywood Hills on June 24, 2017. As you would imagine, the house where the event was held was nothing less than spectacular. It was very cool to meet actor and recording artist Tristen Mack Wilds and DJ E Sudd, who is 2 Chainz's DJ. The high quality printed t-shirts with my art looked fantastic and the event was a great experience, while working with Dutch Masters was an even greater one, making the art life a living dream.

While in Los Angeles, I did a little extra-curricular activities and 'got-up' on one of the last remaining collective wheat-paste walls in the city. I was in LA 9 years ago and remember there were more street art oasis spots like The Melrose Wall at 7575 Melrose Avenue at the American Vintage store. Just like in NY, less paper pasted art and more murals is the trend. I'll have to go back to LA and bring the Grafstract by Fumero with me when I do.

While I was in Southern California, I also had the chance to visit Venice Beach, Newport Beach and San Diego. I left some little treats for the streets there in the land of sun and relaxation, despite the crazy LA traffic.

First City Project

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 12:26:00 +0000

There is a funhouse of urban art inside the historic Coles House, in Glen Cove, Long Island. This unique interior mural project, turned outdoor gallery, boasts an impressive collective of many New York's street and graffiti artists who have been decorating these walls and more with their signature art.

…The goal of the First City Project is to introduce the residents of the City of Glen Cove and surrounding communities to the next generation of urban themed artists through the transformation of a 9000 square foot historic structure. The Coles House as a designated city landmark structure has architecture details dating back to 1810 with additional portions that could be traced back as far as 1690. It was the home to one of the original five founding families of the City of Glen Cove. Although chronologically historic, this building has long been neglected and essentially abandoned for years until local businessman Joe LaPadula had a vision to infuse new life into the structure through an ambitious art program. The essence of FCP is to use Coles House as a platform to introduce the community of Glen Cove to a new genre of art and showcase the rising local area talents with numerous NY area street art professionals. FCP aims to start a dialogue with the community where a balance can be achieved through a new art medium and a new spirit of creativity that can rise alongside the traditional values within the first city on Long Island. Future projects at Coles House include live art events, mural projects, student art classes, artisanal food events and street art themed boutiques. The City of Glen Cove is now poised to move forward as a leader in the arts community and FCP is the ideal platform to initiate the conversation of how art and urban renewal can be successfully partnered. @FirstCityProject #ArtofMac

Prior to beginning I was given a tour of this unique space. It was reminiscent of the former graffiti and street art mecca known as "5 Pointz" (LIC, Queens) and the 5PTZ Spanish counterpart in Madrid, "La Tabacalara". I found a nice little nook where I could add my approach to the interior design. The two children I painted, the boy and girl holding hands, were the children from my Table Series Logo and surrounded them in a colorful design pattern. I began late at night, around 11pm and by 4am my area was filled with an arcade of vivid colors, lighting up the room with good-energy that I wanted the viewer to feel. A big thank you to Martino Auto Concepts for this creation built on pure imagination which opens up to the public today, March 2nd, be sure to visit the spectacular project.

Poppington Exhibition - LES, NYC

Fumeroism Art Blog — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 02:16:08 +0000

Friday July 26th, Poppington Art, a Lower East Side gallery in New York City opened with a new two man show, “Strictly Business”. Exhibiting along side the exceptionally talented fine artist, Brian Kirhagis is Fumero. Their two styles of painting with acrylic on canvas are very different but they also are complimentary. BK has a modern approach to surrealism. He renders urban contemporary subject matter with fantastical compositional designs for the viewer to explore, discover and interpret his morphed images within a message.

There is a book titled, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu and there is an “art of hard work”. The title of the show “Strictly Business” was derived from the work ethics of both artists. If you are familiar with these two New York based artists, then you will know that they are both hard at work, everyday creating art in one form or another. Both of them like to instill the notion of ‘carpe diem‘ (seize the day as if it were your last) in our lifestyle and this propels our creativity.

Poppington gave Fumero, not only the privilege to exhibit his Table Series and scenescapes but also invited him to paint a 12′ x 40′ installation mural within the interior space of the gallery. He began the preliminary sketch on a Friday and finished six days later, two days before the opening. This mural Fumero considers as one of his most ambitious projects to date. The mural is a scenescape of the Lower East side of Manhattan where Poppington is located. Painting portraits fail in comparison to the amount of work that is involved when illustrating a linear perspective composition. Fumero employed two point perspective angles to create the scene. The placement angle of the buildings and the street go with the curve of the wall and create a sense that the viewer is actually outside walking through the neighborhood. When he began the mural there was a major heat wave, muggy, hot and humid. Wearing a respirator and hat made it even hotter.

“When I paint, especially murals, it is difficult to stop. I just keep on going, taking a break for a few minutes to inhale my food and get back to work. For six days I was dripping with grime and exhaustion, but the internal enthusiasm within me kept the flame of desire burning as a beacon until late night. I felt as though I was battling inside the arena, competing against myself and the beast; the wall. I love hard work and don’t shy away from an intense labor of love, on the contrary, I attack and embrace it.” — Fumero

This mural was a challenge for him due to rules of 2 point linear perspective, which was created during the Italian Renaissance 600 years ago. Adhering to parallel angles as opposed to non-geometric portrait lines takes more concentration and precision. It was all done free hand, no straight edged tools are ever used when he paints straight lines are ever used when fumeroizing. Some people from the crowd at the opening really took a liking to the painting “Itri, Italia” because of the straightness of the line work.

“I met a lot of nice people and enjoyed hearing them express themselves about the figures at the table, their expressions, the objects on the table and then asking, questions such as, “what was that person in the painting like?” One person I remember most was Peter, an older gentleman who spoke to me outside the gallery. He told me that there were a few things that he liked about my work but the first thing he liked was that it is “memorable”. That was the best compliment I could hear and is important to me as an artist.” — Fumero

My purpose, or mission is to achieve originality and integrity. For one’s art to stand apart from the rest, the artist must create a body of work that is unique. What is art: Art is in the mind of the viewer, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is of no importance whether art is admired or ridiculed, only that it is remembered.

Special thanks to the Poppington Art staff, curators Nicole Hill, David Barnett and David Chang, the intern Geoff and to Damon Dash for the opportunity and honor to make it all possible.

Welling Walls Queens 2012

Fumeroism Art Blog — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 01:20:16 +0000

Bid farewell to Einstein (2011 article). This year for the 3rd annual ‘Welling Court Public Mural Project’ is a scene I call ‘The Art of Rebelution’. This scene, created on a 15’x15′ space was inspired by a mix of Mexican revolutionary art and a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The landscape on that 6 hr. drive resonated with me. However, in this scene I painted an army of creators armed with Fumeroism’s weapons of mass creation.

Have you seen the Welling Court murals? Organized by Ad Hoc Art (<–click on link to read more) and coincided with Welling Court’s annual block party, there were nearly 80 artists…a diverse collective of creators literally changing the landscape into a world of pure imagination.

A big ‘thank you’ to Ad Hoc Art, their invitation, vision and determination; to the residents who filled the air with the sweet smell of BBQ; and to the spinners of sound (including my friend Onda Skillet)…it was a beautiful day with over 9 hours of awesome energy.

Art Basel Miami 2016

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:02:52 +0000

During Art Basel 2016 I painted the largest mural in Wynwood at 101 NE 28th Street which can be seen from 29th Street right across from where the Art Miami Show was at.

This 30 foot high by 60 feet wide mural was my greatest challenge to date. The enormity of the undertaking is what I had been waiting for since I left Wynwood after Art Basel 2015. I began on Black Friday, November 25th and each day under the hot Miami sun was no picnic, nor a vacation by any means. Once again I stepped into the “8th” dimension” or in other words it’s what I call “the zone”. The moment at hand took many months in the making to prepare for. My mission was to re-create one of my acrylic masterpieces from my greatest body of canvas work called The Table Series.

The painting I chose for Art Basel is titled, “Nanny’s Kitchen” and when I painted it I challenged myself to finish it in 1 month’s time and I did just that. I selected Nanny’s Kitchen because it has a complex composition of people and objects on the kitchen table but the central reason was to spread the message of how important ‘the table’ is with bringing family together. The Table Series is based off of my family and this is what inspired my street art graphic in 2006. The Table Series Logo is an image of a family around a table, but not only my family, the logo symbolizes the universal family. The family that breaks bread together stays together and this notion of the table as a the glue that keeps us close is very important for children to experience because it helps them to grow up feeling secure and confident from a high-elf-esteem knowing that they have a close family unit who supports and protects them which causes children to feel safe. With that awareness of assurance children feel free to become more outgoing and not afraid to fail.

I always envisioned a Table Series painting as a mural and this was more than just a wall because of it’s colossal size that spans the entire side of a Wynwood warehouse. It was a what I consider a rite of passage for me to prove that when your healthy, you are wealthy and anything can be accomplished if you dare to dream big and not afraid to work hard at it. I love to paint large murals and this one is even bigger than The Grampa mural I painted for the City of Yonkers, NY in 2015. Just as The Grampa with Nanny’s Kitchen I made sure to copy the original painting with the same colors from the face to the cigarette butts I kept it’s original integrity

I began buffing (priming) the background color at 3pm and finished at 1030pm. I took a break for 1 hour and outlined the composition at 1130pm until 6am, I went to sleep and by 1pm I was filling in the colors. Nanny’s Kitchen took 11 days for me to complete. During the creation of this mural I achieved a new record for non-stop Fumeroizing which was 16 hours in total, but that was nothing because that record was quickly surpassed 3 days later which was actually my last day painting the mural. On my last day from Sunday at 12noon I began with the goal to not stop until the mural was done. I challenged myself to a muralathon and painted straight through the afternoon, evening and morning and finally finished at 1pm Monday the next day. I painted for 25 hours straight because Fumeroism is not just an art style, it is a life style and what is life for if not to push yourself to see how far the human spirit will go and it builds character and profoundly strenghtens my ambition with the philosophy that sky is not the limit but to be limitless is .

I also was a part of a group show of New York artists called New York F#ckn City at Macaya Gallery in Wynwood. There I exhibited 3 paintings, of Biggie Smalls 40”x40”, Marylin Monro 24”x30” and “Coffee, Cake & Booze from The Table Series.

I couldn’t really tell you how Art Basel was this year because I was pretty busy painting the largest 1 person mural this year and I felt as though I was on an island far away from everything. That’s how it gets when you’re a slave to a wall but a master when it’s done.

What made Art Basel fun for me this year was seeing my family from the Bronx and Jersey come down, my friends and the support of the people who follow my work. I want to thank you all for stopping by whether briefly or for a long chill, I appreciate your good energy.

Thank you to Charm City Streets for the article and pictures

Portrait of an Artist - Fumeroism

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:02:17 +0000

The subject matter of this painting is a departure from the more common subject matter Fumero is known to paint. This mural-like composition, is for the artist, the beginning of a new approach to subject matter. This particular painting is a self-portrait of the artist but not of his flesh. The multiple imagery portrays metaphorical representations of Fumero’s reality from past to present. This muralesque design is a cohesive interaction that collectively combines numerous images to create a conceptually surreal and unified theme.

Mr. Bean Goes on Canvas – Fumeroism Grafstract NYC

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:01:46 +0000

When I paint a mural, almost always, I do it without a preliminary drawing or any sketching prior to painting a wall and I work from reference 90% of the time. When I visited London in July of 2015 I painted 4 murals and the first one was a 15 foot portrait of Rowan Atkinson’s comical character, Mr. Bean. Hidden Streets of London facilitated the wall in Bethnal Green and less than 24 hours after I arrived I had primed the surface white and went straight on to the wall with photographic print in one hand and a spray can in the other. Eight hours later I had completed the Mr. Bean mural.

Out of the four murals I painted in London Mr. Bean was my favorite and I knew that I would recreate this image again on canvas. For quite some time I have thought to recreate some of my murals into a series of paintings titled ‘From Wall to Canvas’. Other murals I have thought about recreating on canvas are Roberto Clemente (2014- Bushwick, Brooklyn), The Hulk (2013- Queens, NY), Tropical Paradise (2015- Bushwick, Brooklyn) and my Army of One tribute (2014- Queens, NY) to name a few.

Grafstracting from a mural to a canvas began on New Year’s Eve, 2015. At times I hashtag fine art on walls (#fineartonwalls) as I am just an artist who paints modern art with a paintbrush on canvas and the same fine art with spray paint on a wall. The art has not changed only the medium. When I paint on canvas or with a paintbrush I am a fine artist but that public view seems to change when I paint on a public space. When that happens now I paint street art or I am painting graffiti. Is it the wall or the spray paint that puts me into these different categories of artist. Well, if that is the case then lets be more accurate with how to describe the mechanics of my creative process. Fumeroism is grafstract. I do not paint typical abstracted or traditional abstract art, to say as such would not explain my approach to what I am creating, so I coined a term grafstract back in 2010 that perfectly describes the Fumero ism or idea. Crop in on any section of my exaggerated or ‘abstracted reality’ and you will see pure abstraction specific to my intrinsic development.

People used to ask me and still do with the question, “what is Fumeroism“? That started to get me thinking heavily and I pondered that question for a while. I thought about my artistic journey which has been a life long process from graffiti to grafstract. My figurative art which I refer to as anatomical grafstraction is composed of organic shapes of unnaturally colored flesh tones enveloped by hard-edged-contours. Fumeroism is a transfer of ‘flavorful’ wild style letter designs outlined in black when I was a graffiti artist from ages 13-20, actively bombing walls and perfecting my graff-style in black books. It was at SVA (School of Visual Arts, NYC) where and when all my years of artistic exploration came into fruition and fumeroism was born. Fumeroism is the embodiment of the evolution from graffiti to grafstract in the post-graffiti art movement of the late 20th and 21st centuries.

The 18″x24″ acrylic on canvas portrait of Mr. Bean marks new series to grafstract as I go from canvas to wall and wall to canvas. I am looking forward to getting back to basics with brush in hand instead of a spray can. 2016 will be a great year for the return of the canvas, until it gets warm and I become “murally active” once again.

Tropical Paradise in Bushwick – Fumero Street Art NYC

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:01:11 +0000

As the heatwave continued in August so did I with mural number four. This mural would be the biggest and final one of four large murals completed in three weeks. I have been wanting to paint a landscape for quite some time and this one could be considered an oxymoron because it is in total contrast to the grit of New York City. I thought the tropical paradise scene would be perfect for Brooklyn’s urban streets. The dimensions of the wall is similar to that of a billboard people would see with an exotic getaway advertisement. I want people to look at the mural and feel as though they were sitting on a beach and just for a few brief moments, escape to a far away place from the city hustle.

My philosophy is why should any wall be barren and unaesthetically pleasing when people can have beautiful art. Painting this tropical scene will be even more ironic in the heart of Bushwick during the cold winter months, especially with snow on the ground. I believe that murals are man made landscapes and in this case, literally.

This mural was not an easy one because of the oppressive heat. There was no shade from the sun beaming down onto the blacktop roof and going up and down the ladder many times for five days gave me quite a workout. None of that really mattered because I was doing what I love to do. I had friends come up to the roof and hangout which was pretty cool, it was like a little party. We joked about laying sand on the roof, and putting palm trees and plants around.

After I finished the mural I rolled the rooftop and completely covered it with Fumeroism, that was the icing on the ‘tropical’ cake. This was the grand slam mural for my fumeroizing run throughout Bushwick in August 2015.

The location is at the corner of Bushwick and Johnson Avenues, 236 Johnson Ave. I want to thank everyone who walked by and yelled up to me with positive feedback, to my friends for hanging out and to Zurburan1 for enduring the heat with me as he snapped awesome photos while I was working to create paradise.

Fumeroism Heatwave Hits Bleeker Street

Fumeroism — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:00:49 +0000

Three days after I completed the second mural on Wilson Avenue I began the third one at 387 Bleeker Street also in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I thought it was time to illustrate people and chose a man and woman in a ‘heated exchange’. These two people are in each other’s faces aggressively expressing their emotions. The tension is strong here and this is not only due to the fury of their gestures but also reinforced because of their side profiles.

People who walked by made comments about what they perceived was going on in the mural and when they asked what was it all about, I asked them what they thought was going on. I painted the faces simply because of the emotional rage but I left it up to the viewer to tell their own story, allowing their own imagination to communicate with what they see. Maybe it was a subconscious reaction to the oppressive heatwave that lead me into this direction of a theme. Next to the wall is the gate where I added a wheat paste and sticker art touch to it with my two iconic Fumeroism images of Grampa and the Table Series Logo. The caption reads, “My Grampa spoke Spanish, Italian, French and English with a perfect Brooklyn accent.”

The 4th mural would begin three days after this and it would become the grand slam of my Bushwick heatwaveism in August run. Paradise on a hot, black top roof is next.

The Bushwick Heatwave – Ism Cometh | Fumeroism Grafstract

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:59:51 +0000

The beginning of an August heatwave in NYC didn’t come only in the form of the 90+ degree weather. Bushwick, Brooklyn at 43 Wilson Avenue and a corner away on 67 Jerfferson Street saw Fumero turn up the heat with two new back-to-‘arching back’ murals go up in less than a week’s time. When no one was outside because of the hot, scorching sun and the streets were desolate of people, Fumero was blazing the walls with the colors of life. The first mural is of a female reclining figure, arching her back over the iron cage outside of D’Elia bodega. The second mural is a composition made of Mexican motifs at LA Burrito.

These were the first two of four murals in the outdoor gallery of Bushwick. Mural number three is next, stay tuned..

Fumeroism Grafstract London Part 3 – Hidden Streets of London

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:59:26 +0000

Murals number two and three were female reclining nudes I call anatomical grafstractions. The second mural was organized by Globalstreetart.com and in the Dalston section of London. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day as I made my way across town from Green Lanes down to Abbott Street via my favorite choice of London’s public transportation, the red double decker bus. I got off my stop and went into a little diner spot to enjoy an English breakfast to fuel up for the work ahead. I call this 2nd mural ‘red figure’ because of her fiery red hair. The grafstraction she is reclining on is filled with yellow bubbles and free flowing organic shapes.

My last mural, organized by Hiddenstreetsoflondon.com, was on the Nemesis Tattoo shop in another section of the city called Camden, a very touristy area with heavy foot traffic. The mural is on Stucley Place which is one corner from the train station. This mural was my largest of the four and the most difficult to complete. The difficulty was not in laying down the linear illustration, or anything to do with the mechanics of the painting. The difficulty about working on this mural was due to the rainy weather. The rain began on a Sunday which was the day I began painting Anatomical Grafstract III. The rain halted me in my tracks and forced me to seek shelter inside Nemesis until it paused for a brief interlude. I was able to start painting but not for long as I was forced to stop again and since it was soon to be dark, I packed it up. At least I was able to finish the female figure and lay down the colors for the drapery, but I had a lot more to do and rain was in the forecast for the next day which was my last in London.

The following morning started with a light rain and I had to wait until almost noon to begin painting. The grafstracting took many hours and I was fortunate that the sky was gray but not wet. I added in the head spitting out the freedom of grafstract expressionism like a furious firestorm and filled up the background behind the figure. The historical pose of my reclining nude theme was about connecting art history and in this particular mural I am specifically referencing Louie Jaques-Louis-David’s, “Reclining Nude”(1800) and fumeroizing the “Odalisque”. My faceless contemporary version has braids and the female is not Caucasian. These faceless figures always represent my table series logo characters.

Being that Camden is a tourist attracting neighborhood with a lot of street art, many people came to check out the work while the mural was in progress. I talked to quite a few people and everyone was very personable and friendly.

My trip turned out even better than I anticipated and I want to thank my friends in London for their gracious hospitality and making it possible for me fumeroize four walls in four different areas around the city. The London Tube and bus system conveniently brought me everywhere I needed to go. I am glad I rode the double decker buses because without them I would not have had my only tourist experience, seeing the city from one mural to the next.

London is similar to New York, they both have character in their architecture and neighborhoods. The urban hustle and the outdoor gallery scene is strong there. Londoners showed me a lot of love during my stay and still continue through social media, thank you all.

Special thanks to Global Street Art, Hidden Streets of London and Meeting of Styles for the great experiences and fun times being ‘across the pond’. Also to Street Art London for the hook up to Hidden Streets. From the moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, to the moment I got back on the plane to fly home, it was non stop, on the go, grinding and I loved every minute of it. Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, I left my heart, soul and sweat in four murals in London, England.

Fumeroism Grafstract London Part 2 – Meeting of Styles UK

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:59:11 +0000

Two days after I painted the Mr. Bean mural across town in Bethnal Green I participated in Meeting of Styles UK which is held in different countries around the world and was taking place during my trip while I was in London. This is a graffiti and street art event organized by Jim Vision who is a phenomenal local artist. The event was in Shoreditch near Brick Lane in what used to be, as the English refer to it, ‘a waste land’, their term for a vacant or abandoned lot. Once again the weather was cooperating with plenty of sun and soon after I arrived I was informed that there was some wall space for me to paint. I hadn’t brought any primer to buff the wall so I began outlining my reclining female figure right over the preexisting mural a little after 7pm. I was working fast and just under two hours later I was done with my piece.

Right next to me was Ewelina Koszykowska, an American artist living in London who is an extremely talented oil painter. It was great working side by side with her as she not only sprayed her portrait but also applied the enamel paint with her fingers. Her rendering of a veiled female figure puts a new light on the term, ‘fine art on walls’. She also completed her mural pretty quickly, we had to, the light was fading into dusk.

It was a great experience to paint at Meeting of Styles. The paint was sponsored by the British aerosol company, Alfresh and each artist were given 10 different color cans of Loop spray paint of their choosing. I want to say thanks to Jim Vision and Matilda TD for hosting the event and letting me ‘get on’ to add a little bit of my ism, it was an unexpected treat to my fantastic London experience.

Fumeroism Grafstract London Part 1 – London Graffiti UK

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:58:56 +0000

From the moment I landed at Heathrow airport an hour outside of London, England, I was on the go. London is a bustling big city and like any modern city mass transit is the way to get around. From the plane to the train, which is called the Tube or the Underground, it took me to my destination where I was staying in the north-eastern end of London near Manor House station. The wall for my first mural is across town in East London, Bethnal Green. It took about 30 minutes on the red, double decker bus which I enjoyed because it gave me my only opportunity to see London.

Day two was the beginning of the mural madness and I left Manor House with wall priming paint, pole, roller and pan from Home Base which is England’s Home Depot. It was sunny and warm as I made my way to Bethnal Green on the 254 bus to Chrome & Black, a graffiti spray paint shop.

The wall, curated by London Graffiti, is at the corner of Clare Street and Cambridge Heath Road. My subject matter was the hilarious Mr. Bean who is a British character played by the actor Rowan Atkinson. I thought painting him would be fitting for the occasion. The motivation was from the reference I used because the worm’s eye, foreshortened angle is my favorite anatomical perspective to observe and illustrate.

It took about 8 hours to paint and when I was close to being finished I had a visit by the London police who rolled up in a riot van inquiring if I had legal documentation by the owner to paint the wall. I was detained for 15 minutes until London Graffiti straightened things out over the phone. I must say that the two men and one woman police officers were very polite and pleasant even though they thought I was facing criminal charges for not having any paper work of permission. In the end they said, “…we’re going to let you be” and I appreciated that.

From this day forward the long days of grinding had begun and the reason for why I traveled to London which was not to sightsee, but to paint. Mr. Bean was the first of 4 murals in a span of five days time which took me to different areas throughout London, spreading the ISM.

Stay tuned for the next two parts of my trip to London..

The Queen of Queens - Welling Court 2015 - Fumeroism Street Art Queens

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:58:34 +0000

This was my 5th year painting and the 6th year for the Welling Court Mural Project. I returned to my favorite spot located at 30th & Main Avenue, at the end of Astoria Boulevard in Astoria, Queens. It’s always a pleasure painting at Welling and the good energy vibes are always in the air permeating throughout this awesome little neighborhood. The annual block party hosted by the residents living on Welling court, in conjunction with Ad-Hoc who facilitates the international mural project, open up the community for the public to enjoy. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, June 13th, the weather was sunny and hot, just right for painting murals.

This year my theme is ‘the woman‘ and what better woman to represent the sisterhood than, Nefertiti. She was the wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and together they abolished the worshipping of polytheism and instituted their own monotheistic god, Aten or the sun disc. Some scholars believe that the disc does not symbolize the sun but rather a UFO or flying saucer and the rays seen on reliefs emanating from the disc is the bright light illuminating from a flying orb or space craft.

Nefertiti lived from 1370 – 1330 BC during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. Nefertiti means, ’the beautiful one has come’ and her bust is an icon of elegance and beauty. It is believed that she may have reigned alone after Akhenaten’s death and until her son, King Tutankhamen (King Tut) came of age to rule as Pharaoh. This queen of queens represents the strong black female from Africa, as well as a symbol for strong women everywhere. Nefertiti is the universal woman role model, she represents not only beauty but shrewdness and fortitude for all females from all ethnicities and cultures. Queen Nefertiti is a person that women look at and admire and I believe she reminds us that all women are queens and should be treated as such.

Nefertiti’s eyes are intense and pulsating as she stoically gazes into the future and sees the stars high above the Earth’s sky. One can see the confidence and strength in her look. Her bone structure is defined by her high cheek bones and her lips are full and round with the deep hue of pomegranate red. The beauty of her face is accentuated by her elongated neckline and her crown is the mark of her power and great prestige. Nefertiti is proud of her rank as the first lady of a great empire that once ruled the ancient sands of Egypt.

This year I have Shiro and Chris Soria flanking me on the left and right. The transition of our murals creates a fluid collaboration from one to the next. The white rays from Shiro’s mural cuts into the left side of Nefertiti and the energy beams connect to the queen’s ear and frontal lobe. On the right, the grafstract bubbles represent the sky and the cosmos. The universe is filled with stars and the constellation of Orion is gleaming with the Great Pyramids of Giza directly below mimicking the Orion alignment.

A big thank you to the residents of Welling Court, the incredible double duo of Ad-Hoc, all the artists and the public for your continued support for fine art on walls which have turned Astoria, Queens, NY into an outdoor gallery.

Art in the Air 3 - Fumeroism Event - The 407 Bushwick

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:58:17 +0000

On June 6th, from 12-10pm The 407 Bushwick’s outdoor gallery rooftop had it’s third Art In The Air event with 10 street artists painting murals live as the underground house music was moving the jam packed crowd. AITA is a lovely marriage between sight and sound and the only underground visual and audio collaboration at this elevated art level in all of New York City.

AITA3 artists were Arbiter, Bk Foxx. Bryan Leaf Stacy (NC), Fumero, Hektad, JPO, Rob Fogle (NC), See One, Smurfo, and Zukie. Eight artists from New York and two from Wilmington, North Carolina. The DJ line up included Chris Luzz, Intimate Project Music and Shadi of Twice As Proper.

The weather broke once again and the sun shined upon this extra special and very unique rooftop located at 407 Johnson Avenue in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. This year Art In The Air 3 was a part of Bushwick Open Studios weekend where a host of art events and gallery shows were taking place throughout June 5th, 6th and 7th such as Walk of Art Kids show at Low Brow Artique, A Group Show (which is still going on at 195 Morgan Ave), The Bushwick Collective Block Party and access to many artists’ studios. Everything under the sun was going on that weekend in Bushwick and The 407 was one of the highlights.

The energy was incredible up on the loft, everybody was enjoying the music and the murals, dancing to the pulsating beats of deep house traxx and seeing some of today’s contemporary muralists bring their fine art to walls.

Aphotic hosted another amazing party for the public to enjoy and we appreciate all who came out to support. Thank you to all the street artists and DJ’s who participated at AITA 3, you gave the crowd something to feel deep down inside that opened their ears and made their eyes wide when art is in the air.

Yonkers Arts Weekend

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:57:59 +0000

This month I was commissioned by the city of Yonkers, NY to paint a huge mural on the side of the Harold Statesman Building at 1 Larkin Plaza. I, along with other artists, were invited to add to the beauty of the waterfront area along the Hudson River. The mural project was funded by Mayor Spano’s office and GroundWork Hudson Valley, a non for profit that offers public art programs to the youth of Yonkers and headed by Haifa Bint-Kadi.

“Groundwork Hudson Valley is an environmental justice non-profit that works with communities to improve their physical and social environment. This is done by collaborating on projects, among them: turning dangerous vacant lots into community gardens, planting trees, replacing graffiti with murals, and forming alliances within the community. Some of these projects are done through school programs and many of them are intergenerational. We are dedicated to environmental stewardship and community empowerment. All of our projects engage local residents in hands-on projects, from design to planting.”

The mural coordinated with The Yonkers Art Weekend which featured a multitude of events including a color run, art workshops and live painting. There were also pop up galleries and an outdoor fashion show at the beautiful Untermyer Park with music courtesy of Onda Skillet.

I believe that public art is inspirational to all the residents of any urban neighborhood because it creates an aesthetic and cultural awareness usually found inside art museums and galleries. By creating artistic works on buildings it brings the intellectual ideals of fine art to all walks of life. And, wouldn’t it be more visually pleasing to see beautiful art on a wall as opposed to seeing a drab and lifeless flat surface?

I would like to thank Chris St. Lawrence, Haifia Bint-Kadi, GroundWorks, Mayor Spano and the city of Yonkers, NY for the support they have given me and my approach to the fine art of illustration.

The Musket Room Goes BIG

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:57:12 +0000

Early this month Fumero went back to The Musket Room at 275 Elizabeth Ave. in NoLita, north of Little Italy, a neighborhood in Manhattan near Soho. This is the 3rd year he was invited back by chef-owner, Matt Lambert, to create a new mural for 2015.

Recently he was asked why he chose to do Biggie Smalls, his third mural rendition of his portrait. This was his answer:

I have painted Biggie as a mural 3 different times and 3 different ways. He is a recurring subject matter for me. I think of him as the John Lennon of the 90’s. Both of them were assassinated still in the prime of their lives. As a member of The Beatles, Lennon was a musical pioneer and legend changing Rock music forever. In the same regard Biggie was a pioneer and legend with his rhyme style. Biggie Smalls’ lyrical flow changed the way we listened to Hip Hop and his legacy has inspired artists almost 20 years after his death. I paint so I can be remembered when I’m gone, Biggie is gone and should be remembered. That is why I painted him and will paint him again somewhere else at another time in the future. – Fumero

Walk Of Art Kids

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:56:48 +0000

On March 28, 2015, I had the pleasure to teach an art workshop with Walk of Art Kids for the South Bronx Youth Art program. The workshop was hosted by the artist, Bishop203 inside his Lowbrow Artique at 143 Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Jelani Buckner and Raki Barlow are the directors for WOA and are on a mission to make a difference in this world for many youngsters.

“Walk Of Art Kids is missioned with introducing art education to children from financially challenged environments in Brooklyn, NY and the Greater New York City area. Initially, we are targeting children from across Brooklyn, but more specifically from the Bushwick, Bedford Stuyvesant, East New York, Crown Heights, Brownsville and Williamsburg neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods where the shortage of art programs in public schools are disproportionately acute and according to the ‘State of the Arts’ report released by the New York City Comptroller, “More than 42 percent of the schools that do not have state-certified arts teachers are clustered in those areas.” Our target audience that make up the majority of the population in these neighborhoods consisting of African Americans, Caribbean Americans, Hispanics and Latinos. A large percentage of the families that live in the those neighborhoods are below the poverty line and it is because of these circumstances that we feel we have a duty to put forth our best effort to make a change by offering alternative art programs. We believe that in order for our workshops to be effective and to properly engage our students that it is ideal to begin with children ranging from 12 to 15 years of age. Many of us at Walk of Art Inc., are from Brooklyn or reside in Brooklyn, which makes our efforts that much more meaningful and impactful. We must change the circumstances of our own communities first, before attempting to change the world.” — WOAKids.org

Jelani and Raki collaborated with Adam Johnson, a teacher and the organizer of the South Bronx Youth Art Program at PS224 in the Bronx. Although he is not an art teacher he is an advocate for art in public education and believes that an art curriculum should be an essential part for learning. Sadly, PS224 does not include art into their curriculum due to lack of funding by the NYC Department of Education. This is what inspired Adam to initiate the SBYA program which gives middle school students an opportunity to learn about and create art. Together, SBYA with Walk of Art and Bishop provide students with a quality art education outside of the classroom, called ‘workshops’.

“10×10” is a ten week long workshop that involves one street artist every Saturday morning to teach a group of students about different areas of artistic skills and creativity. Each artist selects their topic to share with the students and I chose to facilitate a lesson on two point linear perspective. First I gave an introduction with the history of perspective dating back to The Renaissance and discussed how it creates the illusion of depth-of-space on a flat two-dimensional surface and why perspective is important in art. We created a horizon line with two vanishing points and illustrated three cubes at a bird’s eye, eye level and worm’s eye views. After the cubes were completed, adding a light source to give the cubes some optical-weight was next. The students added light, medium and dark value tones to the cubes. It was great to see them so inspired and happy to draw and color the cubes. They now know that line creates shape and value creates form.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the class. Not only did I take pleasure with teaching perspective but I enjoyed doing it inside the environment of Lowbrow Artique. Lowbrow is a perfect place where the kids are surrounded by colors seen in the art materials, and is a gallery space that hosts graffiti and street art shows as well and during this workshop, contemporary muralist, Damien Mitchell’s fine art was on exhibit. Bishop also taught them about the aerosol cans and the different pressure caps and their functionality. He also has an impressive collection of old aerosol cans lined up on a high shelf along the wall. He gave all of us a little history lesson when he showed us the very first spray paint can made by Champion in 1949 and the first Krylon spray can from 1951. The students got the full gambit of indoor and outdoor galleries with the mural on the exterior wall of the shop.

It was a very rewarding experience I had with these talented and aspiring young teenagers who want to create art. We should all thank the dedication of people like Jelani and Raki who work on a tight budget to have supplies for each workshop; to Bishop for opening up Lowbrow for the 10×10 workshop and to Adam for caring about the youth where he teaches and his devotion to bring art to those with no access to it in their school. The world needs more people like them.

The Bushwick Collective 2014

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:56:11 +0000

I was happy to be back for the 3rd Annual Bushwick Collective Block Party. The work for my contribution to The Collective began days prior to the block party and this time I brought something a little different. The little girl is the daughter of a young mother and there is a deeper meaning behind the surface of the paint. The subject I chose represents the innocence of youth, which we lose as we grow older. My mother was like this baby’s mother, she was 17 and raising a child on her own. Although one can describe my mother’s family as low income and imperfect, they were rich with love and support for each other.

Children need nuturing as it is a building block for security that gives them confidence into adulthood.

I painted the pajamas yellow to connect with my Table Series Logo and how the family is the bread of life. The bread of life is love and love is gathered around the table…as I believe, the family that breaks bread together, stays together. The little girl is sitting on a grassy knoll but I changed the literal to the metaphorical with the camouflaged pattern grass. It is my subliminal homage that represents the memory of a good friend that passed away earlier this year, Jef Campion, a.k.a. Army of One. He used camo designs within his street art message, “Stop War”. He believed that children are the most negatively affected by the horrors of war which is created by the evil that men do. Artists are creators, we build and uplift the human spirit with the colors of life in a world torn apart by the thin battle line of love and hate.

It was a wonderful, sunny day for the event. Troutman Street was closed off and people filled the street to see all the artists paint, hear the bands play and check out the booth set up along the block. Thanks again to The Bushwick Collective for giving me the opportunity to paint once again in front of a supportive and beautiful audience.

Art Basel Miami 2014

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:55:56 +0000

It was my fifth consecutive year attending Art Basel in Wynwood, Miami and it did not disappoint. After our arrival, AOM and I met up with the artist Leaf from Wilmington, North Carolina and he and I began our first mural collaboration inside the alley on NW 5th Avenue between NW 25th and NW 26th Streets. I painted a portrait using a lot of black for the flesh tones, reminiscent of a mural I did in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil back in August, 2012. Leaf painted his ‘leafmech’ design which is his approach to grafstract expressionism.

“Bio-mechanical art was invented by HR Geiger and perfected for tattooing by Guy Aitchison. The influence of this bio-mech style coupled with my own design spawned the grafstract art of leaf-mech.” — Leaf

The following day we created another collaboration mural with AOM. Both AOM and I painted portraits. I painted a version of Grampa and AOM illustrated Action Bronson, a New York rapper rhyming real underground hip hop, far different and much better than the commercial rap heard on the radio. Leaf cohesively brought the two portraits together with the addition of his background designs. I call this the red wall which is on NW 25th Street near the corner of NW 5th Avenue and right around the corner from the alley mural.

The 3rd mural I painted, at 300 NW 3rd Ave. between NW 2nd Avenue and NW 5th Avenue, is a standing female figure. She is painted in an even more grafstract stylization than my other portraits. I think of her as a neon sign, very Miami-esque.

The 4th mural is located at NW 29th Street near the intersection of N Miami Avenue. This blue figure is reclining on the edge of the bay. He is alone in a world of pure imagination, contemplating the environment that surrounds him. The sun is setting or it is rising because it is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning.

Not only was I busy painting walls but I also was invited to participate in the Conception Art Fair. Conception is a gallery based out of Long Island City, Queens and the exhibition showcased NY artists. I had to create artwork for the opening on the next day so I had to hustle and grind that particular night. I created a new Notorious Big on 36″x48″ stretched canvas. This Notorious Big version seen at Govenors Ball, J Meisel building and Art Basel 2013 mural was not multi-colored but left black and white…this I never have done before.

I met new people who gave me a lot of love and I am always grateful for that. Thanks to those that follow Fumerosim and came by to say hello while I was painting. I had a blast painting especially with the talented Leaf and AOM. We had a lot of laughs and fun while working hard doing what we love to do.

Art Basel is a unique experience to be a part of. The energy there is great and the visuals are overwhelming because there is so much to see in Wynwood. If you have not made it to Art Basel Miami, add it to your bucket list, words can’t describe how amazing it really is.

JMZ Walls - Brooklyn

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:55:00 +0000

J M Z Walls is a non for profit collective named after the elevated subway lines of the J, M and Z trains that run past these walls everyday. The curator is a long time resident of the neighborhood and a good-hearted, ‘down to earth’ guy. He is another outdoor gallery curator who wants to bring the culture of New York contemporary mural art to the public and brighten up Brooklyn with an art education.

The outdoor art revolution is strong in Brooklyn with the Bushwick Collective curated by Joe Ficalora; Dodsworth Street Murals curated by Rocko; a short walk away from JMZ Walls, whose curator prefers to remain anonymous. On the other side of town, Pierre Francillon curates The Bakers Dozen Mural Project in Flatbush. In Astoria, Queens, Welling Court Murals Project curated by Ad Hoc is bringing the colors of life to barren walls. In the East Village/LES of Manhattan there is Centrefuge Public Art Project curated by Pebbles Russell and Jon Neville and The LISA Project (Little Italy Street Art), curated by Wayne Rada. All of these are non for profit street art collectives here in New York.

Grass roots street art projects like these are changing how we look at urban landscapes. These outdoor curators expose what artists exhibit inside the galleries and bring the art outside for the public to enjoy but on a larger scale. These enrichment programs are spearheaded by individuals who see the value in the power of art because they know that art does make a positive difference in our society.

With this mural I wanted to paint a female in repose as an homage to Titian’s “Venus of Urbino”, 1538 and Ingres’s “Grand Odalisque”, 1819. The female I chose does not have the body regarded by some as a perfect one, but it is a common one. You would not find this body type on a magazine cover, but how many women look like those photoshopped models anyway? Very few women possess the magazine image of the so called ‘perfect body’ and that is okay.

My purpose with this mural is to show not only the nature in the human anatomy but also the naturalism in how most bodies are not perfect. This type is actually one type that I find engaging when observing for a drawing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in the same regard that art is in the mind of the viewer. The human body, perfect or not, is nothing to be ashamed of and this person posing reflects just that notion. She is confident in her relaxed pose, feeling secure about who she is without regard toward the stigma of society’s definition for beauty.

In my version of this particular subject matter taken from the pages of art history, I replaced the scenery with a grafstract background filled with organic shapes and black contours moving about with an energy emanating from the colors of life from her radiating aura. Here the abstract background design shares a commanding role with the female figure as dually important within the mural’s composition. The background is competing with the posing female in the same sense that Matisse’s textile patterns compete with his nudes. Matisse represented the town of Nimes, France which was known for the manufacturing of textiles. The word denim comes from “de Nimes” (from Nimes) because denim pants were produced in Nimes’ factories during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I am representing my style of grafstract patterns of graffiti motifs I used to incorporate inside my letter designs.

JMZ Walls is located at the intersection of Mrtyle Avenue and Broadway on the borderline of Bushwick and Bedstuy, Brooklyn with more murals by other artists. It is worth a visit. I want to thank the curator for inviting me to paint there and as always, appreciate the visits and comments from people who walked by.

This is my final New York mural of 2014. From March to November I created 24 murals at home and abroad. Next up is Art Basel Miami, so I am not quite finished yet…Carpe Diem!

From Bushwick to Bed-Stuy

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:54:21 +0000

DeKalb Avenue and Broadway is the Brooklyn borderline between Bushwick and Bedford Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy). The portrait of choice for this location is one of Brooklyn’s finest, playing the part of Mars Blackmon. Spike Lee is a die-hard NY Knicks fan and actually so was the Mars character. The NY Knicks reference within the mural can be seen with the use of orange and blue. The grafstract background designs are a moving (good) energy of colorful shapes, bubbly and playful.

After Spike Lee’s success with his Nike/Air Jordan advertisements he wrote and directed his first feature length film, “She’s Got To Have It” 1986, and this is where the Brooklyn strong Mars character with a passion for sports seeks to gain the full attention of the woman of his desire.

The next movie Spike made was “Do The Right Thing” 1989, which can be considered an American classic and should have won an Oscar. Spike’s character is Mookie and like Mars they are both independent thinkers and from Brooklyn. Love and hate among all the diverse ethnicities is the message of this film as it demonstrates that the notion of “an eye for an eye” will only leave us all blind.

This mural is one street away from Dodworth Street where I painted the gate recently. Thanks again to Dodworth Street Mural curated by Rocko for the pleasure to fumeroize the colors of life on cold and barren walls. Thanks to the people for their positivity toward brightening up Brooklyn with fumeroism.

Brightening Up Dodworth Street Mural Brooklyn

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:54:01 +0000

Soon after I completed the mural for Errol’s Bakery in Flatbush, I began painting a large gate in Bushwick for Dodworth Street Mural.

On the gate I painted a figure of a female wearing a white body suit. She is looking outward, beyond the viewer and she is happy. She hears a sound that over takes her and captures her attention. The sound is so pleasant and inspiring that she opens her arms and hands wide to embrace the moment. The larger portrait behind her is the source of the good energy that can be heard from long distances. The background grafstract are the colors of sound frequencies bouncing in the atmosphere.

After the large Dodworth gate, I began a second painting, a new Biggie mural at the corner of Knickerbocker Ave. and Harman Street in Bushwick. I am honored to be the first artist to paint at another new NYC outdoor gallery location. On the day I finished my mural, See-One began to paint his, so grows yet another wall in Brooklyn. There are big plans for this intersection at four corners and it is all a part of brightening up Brooklyn.

Flatbush Murals at Errol’s

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:53:42 +0000

Last week I went deep into the bush, Flatbush, Brooklyn at the corner of Hawthorne Street and Flatbush Avenue to Errol’s Caribbean Bakery. This area has been a long time home to many families of Caribbean descent, primarily Jamaican and Errol’s has been a part of this community for 13 years. The wall is a part of The Bakers’ Dozen Mural Project content curators by Sagan-Francillion.

The first mural is of a long time resident who has lived in Flatbush for over 40 years. The second is of an icon of Jamaica and beloved by the world, the immortal Bob Marley. The third is a female figure which is representative of the many lovely ladies who walked by while I was working.

I would like to thank Pierre Francillion for the invitation and to Errol’s for their kindness and support to paint the bakery. I cannot forget the residents of this very cool neighborhood for the love they showed me and my visual ism. It was another ‘fun day at the office’ working outside on the streets.

Collab with Joseph Meloy

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:53:24 +0000

A Lower East Side store front opened up a new business recently calledDream Come True K9 and the owner, Blake Rodriguez, wanted to have street art adorn the three roll gates where a new sign replaced the decades old ‘VideoLand’ sign. Fellow artist, Joseph Meloy and I collaborated together where Meloy painted his grafstract designs as a background and I illustrated the dog imagery.

We began in late July and completed the gates in mid August. The work wasn’t able to finish quickly due to the summer’s busy time for fumeroizing, Art In The Air II and Itri, Italy events coincided with the gates commission. I finished my part of the 2 gates before I went over seas and the 3rd the gate was completed the day after I returned from painting in Italy. This is our first mural collaboration and we are happy that everyone is enjoying the work we created together for DCTK9 while brightening up the neighborhood.

You can see these gates at Dream Come True K9, 174 Attorney Street at the corner of Houston Street in Manhattan, NY.

Thanks to Blake for supporting local street artists and embracing the street art movement here in NY as an Outdoor gallery city where public art is advocated. When the community of local business owners and street artists work together it fosters an environment for public art education.

It was an honor and pleasure to work with Joseph Meloy on this triple gate mural project…thanks my friend, job well done.

Fumeroism Returns to Itri Italy

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:53:01 +0000

During the summer of 2013 I was invited by the city of Itri, in southern Italy near the coast of the Terranean Sea to create a mural on the 80 yard wall on Via Cescole (LINK to article from 2013 in Itri). I finished half of the wall and was asked to come back again this year and complete the last 40 yards.

The first half of the mural was about the glorious history of this ancient city, painting imagery of Rome, the medieval castle, La Madonna della Civita, la testa del cane, il serpente e Frà Diavolo. I started where I left off at the Table Series Logo and began to sketch flower designs that went for about 20 yards. I chose flowers because they represent the beauty I see here in Itri and throughout Italy. There are many colorful flowers growing wild and can be seen adorning the homes in Itri. The town also has a section of the wall dedicated to residents who have passed away, so the flowers surrounding this sign also paid homage to the dead.

The colors of flowers are also a symbolic metaphor for my colorful approach to my expressive visual art. The flowers are a personal message, how I believe the simple things in life are the best things in life..how nature is full of good energy and a simple scent of a sweet smelling flower is a beautiful thing.

The next imagery that followed the “garden of good energy” are the figures. I painted the first two in the form of The Table Series Logo people, one sitting and the other in action, surrounded by grafstract designs of free flowing organic shapes. Finally, the last image I added into the mural is the laying figure full of bubbles. This figure represents the relaxed way of life here in Italy, especially after eating pranzo, which is lunch. On a hot, sunny day which is common during the summer months, it is customary to relax and take a nap after a heavy meal. I ended the mural with more grafstract expressionism designs consisting of colorful, irregular shapes of moving energy.

This second half of the mural took five days to complete so I had more time to explore. I was able to enjoy the beach at Sperlonga, see the Roman temple high above the coastal city of Terracina and the seaside villa and grotto constructed for the Roman emperor Tiberius in Sperlonga. I was even able to attend the huge festival in the nearby city of Fondi. For one night all the businesses stay open until midnight and all the lights are on throughout the historical center, hence the name La Notte Bianca, The White Night. It was a night for partying with many dj’s pumping club music onto the streets for the thousands of people in attendance. It was a very enjoyable night and a lot of fun.

It was great to go back to Itri. It is a town filled with people that are proud of their history, culture and tradition and I was proud to create this mural for them. I am so thankful for the support I received from the Comune (town hall) and the local businesses of Itri. Thank you to those friends who painted the wall white prior to my arrival so that I can begin the mural right away. Thank you to all the people who stopped by to visit and to Andrea, who lives across the street from the mural, for always providing me with food and drink. Thank you to Veronica and her family for being such beautiful people and always treating me as a member of their family. I will never forget my summers in Itri…a momentous time in my life.

Fumeroism Mural 2nd Ave. and Houston St. at the F train stop

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:52:42 +0000

This has been an amazing summer for fumeroizing and the last week of August was the icing on the cake. I was invited by Steve Stoppert, who shares his A.M. Art Stop photos on Facebook. There he posts photos of street art, mainly around Manhattan. Steve is an avid lover of art and especially street art. I met him in September of 2013 while I was painting a gate in the LES. Since then we have become friends and he is the one who told me about the wall on 2nd Ave. and Houston St. at the F train stop. I finally made it there after a busy and productive season. It was a lot of fun and probably the most heavily trafficked wall I have a mural at. The day was sunny and hot and perfect for painting. Friends and supporters came by to hang out while I was painting and that is always a treat.

I really believe that art brings people together and I find it humbling that people are moved by what I do with my art. A few onlookers came up to me asking about how I place my colors and what brings me to do what I do. One person in particular who works for the MTA, stood there watching me at the top of the steps of the F stop while I was painting my signature and we had a great conversation. I always enjoy talking with the public, it is a part of the perks for painting public art. Galleries are great and as an artist it is important for an artist’s career, but not everyone walks into a gallery. However, everyone walks the streets, passing by and seeing the outdoor gallery art, everyday.

Thanks to Steve Stoppert for the invitation to paint at the crossroads of the East Village and The Lower East Side and for being a great supporter of Fumeroism and for NY street artists. This mural will be on exhibit for 3 months then it will recycle with another artist.

Coming up - Art in the Air 2

Fumeroism Art — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:51:48 +0000

Presented by: Fumeroism, Global Mixx Radio, Aphotic, and SinCésure

The time has arrived once again to celebrate art and music in a beautiful Bushwick setting! Last April we witnessed the beginning of a terrific marriage between the street art community and local underground dance music on top of a unique Brooklyn rooftop called #The407Bushwick. On July 26 the magic of sight and sound will be recaptured with even more artists and new music collaborations.

THE ART

New murals began in June 2013 and continued until that following September by contributing artists Raquel Echanique, Joseph Meloy, Rafael Pisarczyk, R.Henderson, The Cupcake Guy and Fumero. In April 2014, for our first Art in the Air event we added more murals to the 407’s outdoor gallery with the work of NS/CB, Iena Cruz, ELLE, The Cupcake Guy, CAM, Whisbe, Gumshoe, AOM, JP O’ Grodnick and Fumero, who is the curator here at the 407. The artists featured for this summer’s main event are HONEXL – BEN ANGOTTI – SIENIDE – DAMIEN MITCHELL- KID LEW – BISHOP203 – ADAM DARE – SINNED – C SCOTESE – FUMERO –

THE MUSIC

Global Mixx Radio is teaming up with Aphotic to bring you a very special day time event broadcasting SinCésure Live from the artistic rooftop alongside some of the most talented street artists (in New York) painting live.

Welling Court Mural Project 2014

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:51:30 +0000

It was that time of the year when the residents of a special neighborhood in Astoria, Queens and AD HOC collaborate together to throw the 5th annual Welling Court Mural Project. Over 80 local and international artists come to paint the neighborhood turning it into an outdoor gallery once again. It was my 4th time painting at the wall located at Main and 30th Avenues, across the street from the community garden park.

This year I wanted to bring back portraiture but in a different way.

This was my first time painting a fictitious character. I chose to paint the Marvel comics’ super hero, The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk has always been one of my favorite comic book characters and since Marvel created more versions of the original Green (which was the best), the Grey Hulk and the Red Hulk, I created the Yellow Hulk. Why did I choose yellow? It is quite simple, yellow is the official color representing Fumeroism, as seen with the Table Series Logo and the original Grampa painted canvas. It was a lot of fun painting a comic book portrait and I may have opened up Pandora’s Box with this mural my friends.

Special thanks to Ad Hoc for bringing me back for my 4th year and to the people of Welling Court for opening up your block and sharing your community and delicious BBQ with the public

Governor’s Ball Music Festival

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:51:05 +0000

Governor’s Ball NYC is a huge music festival that converted Randall’s Island into an open field for their 150k+ attendees to party for three days this past weekend. I was honored to be among the talented group of 17 NY artists selected to bring ‘sight’ with the ‘sound’ for the masses to enjoy.

My contributions to the event were three fumeroized wood panels ranging in size from 8’x8′ to 11’x8′ and were; The Army of One tribute, Notorious BIG and a Grampa/TSLogo wheat paste collage. I also collaborated with some of the other artists on three pyramids.

EVERYONE ONLY is the group that chose the artists and brought the New York street art theme to the festival. Among the 17 chosen were Adam Dare, Balu, CAM, Chris Stain, Don’t Fret, Gumshoe, Icy and Sot, Iena Cruz, J. Henderson, Joe Meloy, JP O’Grodnick, Juan Carlos Pinto, K Clarke Langlands, Kimyon333, Magda Love, Robots Will Kill/Veng, Rubin415 and Whisbe. All the artists brought their own personal styles to the show and was seen throughout the two fields and within the VIP tents.

I was amazed at all the hard work that was put into this event in the artists’ compound during the week, seeing the sponsors and specialists getting things ready, none more so than Everyone Only. It was such a colossal production and a successful one at that, to say the least.

The pilgrimage began on the 4 train to 125th Street in Harlem and I just followed the crowd over the JFK bridge as they walked over the East River and converged onto Randall’s Island. The performers can be heard from across the river in Manhattan as the massive speakers from the stage carried the music from one borough to the other.

A big ‘thanks’ to Governor’s Ball NYC and EVERYONE ONLY for inviting me to take part in such a prestigious event. It was a pleasure working with them and creating art for the people to enjoy along with the music.

Fumeroism Collab with Artist Raquel Echanique for The Bushwick Collective

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:50:46 +0000

I went back to the Bushwick Collective after almost a year since I last painted there. It felt good to be back, but this time I wasn’t alone. I had the honor and the pleasure to create with fellow artist, Raquel Echanique. She is known for her portraits based on abstract compositions filled with an infusion of dynamic lines, shapes and colors. Her style is bold, bright and vividly distinctive to those who know her expressive works on canvas. Last year was her breakthrough year as a mural artist and she gracefully went from canvas to wall and painted at Welling Court and in Brooklyn, including The 407 Bushwick.

In the past we had talked about combining my grafstract designs with Raquel’s style and the wall on the corner of St. Nicholas and Flushing Avenue was the time and place to make it happen. Working with Raquel was like working alone, in the sense that we just meshed and flowed together as one. She does not play when ‘at spray’… Echanique is strictly business while at work. It took two days to complete our mural and we were happy with the outcome. Usually when two artists collaborate, you can tell which section each artist paints, but with this collaboration it is hard to distinguish. It was fun to share space with Raquel, a very talented artist and friend.

Raquel Echanique

Receiving Fumero’s invitation to work together for The Bushwick Collective was a great surprise. He is an artist friend whose work has been inspiring me for years. When I thought of a collab, what came to mind was the idea of painting a designated space next to each other. Once we faced the wall, there was no need for a sketch, a plan or a strategy and we didn’t need to talk that much about what we were about to paint.

Working with an artist who has been developing and sharing a style in the same line of what I have been bringing to the table was the main reason I was able to work happily and loosely on our completely merged collab. Our process involved intertwining lines and gestures while playing along with the composition that the other was formulating. Having a similar visual style made the experience really easy and spontaneous; it helped us respond quickly to color and overall composition of the mural. Painting it made me think of old school street art and the spirit behind graffiti: it was an expression of freedom without the limits that one encounters when having to follow a sketch, a photograph or a certain pattern of colors. I would even dare to say that it felt like a purer way to create, even though I will never abandon my love for representation.

It is both fascinating and exciting to evaluate what is happening with this generation of contemporary artists, on a more precise note with street artists. There is a whole new wave of hardworking artists who are bringing new things to the light. It is important to look closely to realize that we rewrite history everyday. There is always room to develop new things, if we not allow the nostalgic idea that “everything has already been made” and that “the good ol’ days brought the real art” to prevent us from opening our eyes to what is arising.

I always get excited when I find contemporary art that responds to the same visual style that I perceive as necessary for our time. Fumero is a great example of this and I am glad we had the opportunity to work together. I make the things that I would like to see and I love finding other artists working with the similar visual language.

The 407 Bushwick | Art in the Air

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:50:26 +0000

The turnout for Saturday’s ‘Art in the Air’ event was unbelievable with a packed house and perfect weather. The 407 Bushwick roof top opened up to the public at noon with Aphotic hosting the beginning of the spring season by celebrating the collaboration between art and music, sight and sound. The visuals, being elevated on the roof and the audio creations performed by Onda Skillet with his Aerotropic label along with Jay Hill.

New York City is steadily becoming known as the outdoor gallery city and a new collective of up and coming street artists brought their talents and created with the colors of life on cold, barren walls. Currently there are 14 murals surrounding the 407 rooftop and eight artists painted live including: AOM, CAM, Elle, Gumshoe, Iena Cruz, NS/CB, The Cupcake Guy, Whisbe, myself and JP O’Grodnick. Other artists featured on the roof who created murals prior to the opening are: Joe Meloy, Rachel Echanique, Rafal Pisarczyk and R. Henderson.

It was a year ago when I was called in to make a change on the roof of 407 Johnson Ave., Brooklyn. Bringing street art above ground level and the opportunity to share it with other NY artists was the vision I advocated and was whole heartedly embraced. Art brings people together and Art in the Air, Music Underground proved this to be true. It was an honor and a lot of fun to curate this one-of-a-kind Brooklyn rooftop.

Thank you artists for your contribution to the 407, to Aphotic for hosting and to the public for your continued support.

The Musket Room | Roll Gate

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:50:10 +0000

March 22nd I went back to my spot at The Musket Room, a New Zealand restaurant and bar at 265 Elizabeth Street near the corner of Houston Street.

It felt good to be back out there with my first mural of the spring, 2014 season and I took full advantage of the warm 63 degree weather. How could I not after being cooped up inside during the extremely long, cold and brutally snowy winter.

The original gate came down when it broke about a week ago. I was going to paint over it, but I was blessed with a fresh new gate which is like a bright white canvas. I painted about four hours during my first session and came back late Sunday morning and worked until I finished at 5 pm. Sunday was not nearly as as warm as the day prior, but not cold enough to stop production. The face is a Maori warrior. The Maori were an indigenous people that inhabited the island of New Zealand long before it became a colony of England.

It was nice to get the appreciation from the pedestrians strolling by and to meet the people who came out to see my process and inspired me with their positive support. It is always fun to paint in NoLITA (north of Little Italy), Manhattan…I enjoy its good energy.

This is the beginning of the spring offensive 2014 and the push to spread a whole new worldism..stay tuned and as always, carpe diem.

Thank you to The Musket Room and MM for your support

Fountain Art Fair 2014

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:49:40 +0000

This past Friday, March 7, was the opening of the annual Armory Shows in New York City. During the first weekend in March, this event takes place here in the Big Apple where many internationally galleries converge and convert warehouses, convention centers and the armories into gallery spaces for the thousands of people in attendance. The city was teaming with collectors, curators gallery representatives, artists and art enthusiasts..all making trips to see the different shows offered.

For 2014, Fumeroism had its own 24′ wide, 12′ high by 8′ deep booth at the Fountain Art Fair located at the 69th Armory. I don’t just go big with my murals and I certainly was not going to start going small for such an important event. With this size, I was able to show a full range of my subject matter including portraits, landscapes, nude figuratives, fantasy scenes and the Table Series paintings and Table Series Logos. I stacked the walls with paintings and filled the space like a true salon as the galleries once looked in 18th and 19th century Europe.

It was a great weekend meeting and talking with different people and showcasing different variations of my work. Usually people see the other side of my art, the street art and murals. When I create public art I am looked at as a particular type of artist, no longer a fine artist who paints with a brush. But don’t let the surface or medium fool you, I am a fine artist whether it is on canvas or

Outdoor Gallery Book Launch

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:49:22 +0000

Friday night, February 22nd, at 17 Frost Gallery was the book launch for Yoav Litvin’s, sure to be a classic, Outdoor Gallery – New York City. It was a packed evening with the artists and their works, a video tribute by SinXero and Dega Films to honor the memory of our friend, Jef Campion and Royce Bannon keeping the good energy grooves moving with the night.

This is not your ordinary street art book. Yoav Litvin, who really has a love and passion for what New York City has been producing, took it to another level and made this book his art and created a masterpiece that will be available at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim gift shops.

Outdoor Gallery – New York City documents the vibrant and diverse outdoor art of New York City, a global epicenter for street art and graffiti. The book features works created by 46 of the most prolific artists working on the streets of New York City. The beautifully photographed artworks are accompanied by illuminating interviews, consisting of the artists’ thoughts on New York, the current state of street art, the future of this dynamic medium, and their own work and processes. As outdoor art is ephemeral and constantly changing, it is necessarily current and relevant, Outdoor Gallery captures the zeitgeist of this dynamic countercultural art form in the context of the global movement.

Yoav Litvin is a photographer, writer, and well-published scientist living in New York City. In Outdoor Gallery – New York City, he applies his scientific rigor and methodology to form a unique, contemporary and unbiased survey of the art on the streets of New York City. Yoav Litvin contributes to popular blogs that cover New York City-based and global street culture. – From the Bronx Museum

In Memory of Army of One

Fumeroism Art Blog — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 05:49:01 +0000

This morning I woke up to very sad news, a New York street artist who I had the pleasure to work with and call my friend passed away. His name was Jef Campion, better known to the world as, Army of One. I first met Army of One at the July, 2010 event at Electric Windows in upstate New York but I knew him already by his iconic images of Diane Arbus‘ “Grenade Boy” and “The Bride of War”. Soon after he and I met up at the Bowery building to put in some work and from that night on we were friends. I felt his good energy right away, a relaxed and passionate human being and we shared a mutual respect for one another. He appreciated my theme of ‘family’ and I admired his message to ‘make art, not war’.

In Art Basel 2011 we both participated in the Fountain Art Fair and in the ‘Del Toro’ painted shoe event. I remember that Jef drove a commercial van down from NY to Miami, transporting his huge and heavy mosaic tiled pieces because he really loved that fine art side of him and was very proud to display them.

In 2012 and because of Jef’s mentioning of my name, I got to paint a mural on The Strand Book Store and collaborated together on a piece for the ‘XCIA’s Street Art Project’ book. It was during this time when he began to dip into red enamel paint and make his mark with his red stained hand. We participated in shows together at The Dorian Grey and Hendershot Gallery and in October, in the ‘MVP Allstar Lineup’ mural event in the Bronx. There he mounted his elaborate framed ‘Bride of War’ painting on wood onto the wall. It was a terrific approach to frame street art and literally take the idea of fine art on walls to create an outdoor gallery.

At Art Basel 2012, we painted murals next to each other. When we met there it was the customary greeting between us with big hugs and smiles. When back in New York, Jef created a piece to honor Richard Hambelton, aka, “The Shadow” at the Woodward Gallery. He was very proud to exhibit this work as R. Hambelton was an artist he saw in the NYC streets back in the 1980’s. The Shadow was one of his street art idols. In the winter-spring of 2013, Jef and I were a part of the White Rabbit Show, ‘Street Stylz’…unfortunately, that would be the last time we would work together.

Jef Campion was a generous, passionate person with his message/art and moreover, as a human being. He was a great humanitarian, always giving his time and donating his art to charities, especially his favorite, The Ronald McDonald House. We shared similar visions and our connection regarding our professions to help others. He said that my message of family is what drew him in as he explained that his mom, whom he loved dearly and passed away some time ago and he had no father growing up.

To wake up to this terrible news of his untimely passing brought tears down my face and sadness to my heart. I am fortunate to have known him and was honored to have worked with him. Thank you Jef, for the great memories and the conversations we had…you were truly an Army of One. Rest in peace, brother, thank you for enriching us with your art and literally changing the face of New York, you will be greatly missed by many.