Kids on the Block

Axel Void

ROA

Via here

Wall & Decò

Just a small sample of the seriously swoon-worthy wallpaper designed by the Italian-based, Wall & Decò. Modern, fresh and innovative. Certainly brings background into the foreground...

Via here

Gaia

I often drive into the most blighted neighborhoods of Baltimore in the hope of spotting a work of art by Gaia. A few weeks ago, I almost rear-ended the Jeep in front of me when I caught sight of a rooster cradling the head of John the Baptist...

 Photo by Craig Strydom and via here

Don't try this at home...

Photo via Tumblr

Searching for Sugar Man - Tribeca, New York

Being at the Tribeca Film Festival for Searching for Sugar Man was a trip. And, at the risk of sounding desperately name-drop-ish, we were absolutely starstruck when we spotted Michael Moore in the audience. He stayed to chat to us specifically. What an approachable, down-to-earth, sweet, awesome and genuinely humble person. 

Here is a short photo-essay of the whirl-wind 36 hours we spent devouring as much as we could... of the big apple.

Chelsea Market

Doorway near Chelsea Market

Graffiti on Perry (West Village)

Porthole to the rooms - The Jane Hotel

Bottle, coasters and glasses in rooms - The Jane Hotel

Malik Bendjelloul, Michael Moore and Craig Bartholomew Strydom (husband)

Opted for vintage safari dress in honor of heritage (and 'cause it isn't too tight!)

Luggage ready for car

A portion of the High Line in the West Village

Lunch at Republic, Union Square (with daughter)

Classic Soho

Detail - Soho

Through the Looking Glass (XXII)

JR via here

Street Cred

I almost trip over my double-take every time I see one of Gaia's mammoth-scale works on the decaying walls of abandoned structures throughout the blighted parts of Baltimore. 

My first encounter with a Gaia was in the form of an anguished bear. Miraculously it appeared on a crumbling door in an alley around the corner from our house. I was instantly smitten. 

Ironically, it's only when the harsh elements ensure the decomposition of a Gaia, that a new one appears — but never in the same place twice. Take last Sunday, when we stumbled upon the compelling gaze of his latest creation (see below). 

I am still plotting how I could possibly remove the boards from the bricks, and erect them in my home... look at those hands!

In a recent article in Urbanite, Gaia was quoted as saying, "Baltimore's been a fantastic canvas, which is sad because ultimately my work wouldn't exist if there wasn't any neglected space. What that neglected space allows for is a certain freedom and grassroots, democratic, public space. The artist has full agency, and there aren't any boundaries or obstacles for an artist to produce work besides the law of posting on property."

Keep your eyes peeled. This is a transient genre. When it's gone, it's gone...

Couldn't resist using both lenses

See more of the genius here