Five Female Street Artists To Watch

Great, I got your attention. I hope some of you are having a laugh.  And I hope, concreteplayground, you might consider some research for next time. Or at least source some photographs this side of 2010. The deer hunters are so 2011.  So much has transpired.  

I will tell you something that is contemporary and has just actually happened, Barek has been to town. And I am confident I am the last person to jump aboard that train. Preprint, Vetti, Dean Sunshine have all covered this already. 

I meant to meet him on the Sunday of his week long Melburn Spraycation but sleep got the better of me. I had promised him an opportunity to get up next to my favourite secret and ancient Ghost Patrol. It remains secret (and in case concrete playground were wondering, just as Miso is not really 'up and coming' neither is Ghost Patrol).  

So, what does a paint spotter do when they stuff up their opportunity to be there when it happens? They pick the next sunny day to meander the streets, on a paint spotter nerd hunt.  So much as happened since I went into semi-retirement, thank you Barek for enticing me back onto the streets.  There is this neat crew called AV...okay, I will stop having a dig. Here's some of what I saw. In 2013. Okay, that's the last dig I promise. 

Hot Stuff 2011

Too many things to mention here - 2011 in Street Art internationally has been huge and locally I swell with pride.  Like Violet and My Darling Darlinghurst, I keep loving Fitzroy more every day.

The Juddy Roller opened and bought us local interstate and international artists...

 Makatron did some huge and awesome commissions everywhere, among other things like exhibitions...

 Love, truth, hope, these words appeared and stayed...unknown artist...

 Kaff-eine came into our hearts with paste ups, and is now captivating us in aerosol and house paint.  Literally, and metaphorically getting bigger and bigger...

 Precious little demonstrated more than a talent for words, with an innate capacity for total awesome genius with the Ironlak

Klara exploded in bombings on the streets and with Urbex adventures bringing us truly stellar pieces, Sikel Freid proved to be a master of line, and Ishi One proved to be a master of wheatpaste.  I have run out of space to include photo's but if I keep going along those lines it is Doctor, Suki, Be Free, Freshchop...Civil, Barek...

 The AV crue remained prolific, as did Flies crew

 Grizzly opened to balance the other side of Fitzroy with big names and bigger coffee and Vetti blogged about it first

 Waa Waa paid us a visit

TV Crew did some really nice pieces as did BNF crew, and Frits in particular, a few pics down

 Taggers kept tagging, love them or loathe them, and I love them..Osirus being everwhere

 Cave Clan did the most hilarious bombing, rivaled only by Lush, and it is most true that Stickers are the new black (along with street art cafes)..

So there are a thousand photos I could show you still, here are a few more...The Dead Sets from the Hard Rubbish Show still make me laugh...and I have acquired some of them as well...

Oh Yeah, Flake remains an all time Fav...

Nine random outpourings

I almost need to churn out 15 blog posts today.  I have so many  topics lined up in my head: images, thoughts and ideas.  They are creating a bottleneck because I have had no time to post.  If you can stay with me and scroll down, I will try to tick a few things off the list. I am limiting it to 9. I am saving my news on Klara and a few others for another day when I can dedicate a full post to them.   And yes, this blog HAS been instagramed.

First: I believe the above image is probably the is the work of SF.  SF is someone I have been photographing quietly for a while now (but I am not shouting out as some of his tagging looks a bit neonazi so I need to check that before doing a full post). Anyone know about SF/Sikel Freid?  You will no doubt have seen his insurgent stickers.    Anyway with reference to this image I think whoever did it has an innate understanding of lines and shape - they are thrown together so brilliantly.

The second thing to share with you is my utter bemusement at WTF the council are doing removing street art.  Why not focus on some of the shit that is really hurting Fitzroy (like the dickheads staggering out of the licenced venues at 3 am, smashing their beer bottles in the gutter and pissing on porches) ? The images below are out of order, image 1 is of a guy removing a gorgeous Be Free (image 2).

Third, I want to know is Civil back in our hood?  I have been seeing cheeky men pop up around the place.

Fourth: This is a striking paste up, by Guz.  I eagerly await more!

Fifth:  I really liked this paste up, at Backwoods Gallery, until I realised it has been placed over Kaff-eine.  So if you are the culprit, there is a reason I am not showing the whole image.  Please don't do it again!  If you can use some etiquette I will definitely post photos as your work is Rad.

Sixth: Barek's nymph is so cute, he needs to pay us another visit! Check out his photostream.

Seventh: I am dead impressed with Ishi one right now, seriously awesome stuff.  Check out his photostream.

Eight: You are probably seeing these paste ups around the traps.  I will investigate some more about the artist and post soon.

Finally, the Ninth thought to purge: I bring you the ever wonderful work of Phoenix.  More images to follow as I would like to dedicate a full post to Phoenix again.  BTW Vetti found some great Phoenix work a year ago.  Some of my old Phoenix finds here.

Vetti Live in Fitzroy

What a buzz to meet another blogger with a passion for their locality and a need to meet where the coffee is good.  99 problems, Johnson St Collingwood now joins a short list of golden brews in Fitzroy.  Well in Collingwood strictly but just shy of Fitzroy, in territory I am slowly claiming as my own.  I feel confident that if we ever meet again we will never suffer overdrawn bitter extractions, on either of our suggestion.  Now I know I am teetering on the edge of "pissing in each others pocket", but seriously, thank you Vetti for another piece of the puzzle (Irk's cardboard eyes).  They are now in the correct Flickr set.  I am left thinking I should have picked your brain just a little bit more.  Next time we might make it a Flasher Live In Northcotte.  A few shots from my walk home: Rone, Bird Brain, and an unknown paste up you just might be able to help me with...