Gregg Stone.

Found on anomie1.com . This guy is truly an amazing artist. Check out the link for an interview and to see some of his paintings. http://downtownlalife.tripod.com/id542.html

The GhostVillage Project.

Stolen from Jersey Joe's ( Rime ) blog.

The Ghostvillage Project from Agents Of Change on Vimeo.

War 4 Full Movie

Saber's Legendary L.A River piece buffed!

I know this news is a bit late, but during my recent break from this blog, Saber's legendary L.A river piece that I spoke about in an earlier post has been buffed for those who don't already know. The city apparently was sick and tired of it and the Army Corp. of Engineers decided to paint over the massive piece. I will post a link to Saber's response soon. It's sad to see this iconic piece of L.A destroyed. The giant black and white M.T.A roller has also been painted over as well. I feel sorry for those who never got the chance to see these amazing works of art in person, they were truly astonishing feats to say the least.. R.I.P to the two largest pieces of graffiti ever accomplished.

Free Graffiti Writers!

I recently stumbled across this website encouraging business owners to donate money to bailing out graffiti writers in New York City. Those who donate $350 or more recieve this sign. Check out  www.graffitijailbreak.org

Sorry for the lack of updates..

I've been dealing with some difficult personal issues in my life the last few months, so I've neglected to post recently. I plan on picking up this blog again, so keep tuned in for future posts, I've got alot in store...

Once again, I've fallen behind.

The last few weeks have been rough. I learned that an old friend has passed way in rehab  recently and I've been desperately seeking direction in life whilst trying to get some things done. One thing being, getting my license once and for all... at 20. Unfortunately two trips to the DMV later and I still haven't even had the opportunity to take the actual test. Apparently the DMV's are now closed on random weekdays, and it's been tough to get friends or family to take me and let me use their cars. Im planning another trip to that hellish place soon, and will hopefully walk out with a temporary paper license.  I'll be updating again within the next few days, I already have a few topics planned. Keep an eye out for my next post about a new book from Cey Adams aka "Cey One".

M.T.A Roller Dwarfs Saber's

Last year, Los Angeles' own M.T.A crew accomplished the massive feat of creating the worlds largest piece of graffiti in the Los Angeles River. Their work stretches a half mile long, three stories high, and took an estimated 400 to 500 gallons of paint. Ever carried a five gallon drum of house paint? Imagine that... times a hundred. It seems to me acquiring enough paint for the job, and getting it there was a remarkable task in itself.

Before this giant roller appeared, another L.A writer Saber, had held the crown for pulling off the largest piece in 1997, also in the L.A River. Although it wasn't as big as the M.T.A roller,it was much more elaborate and colorful, and was apparently done by Saber alone. After he had completed it over a period of time, news quickly spread across the country to the so called mecca of Graffiti, New York City. 

One of N.Y's more prolific bombers  JA didn't seem to like the attention Saber was getting over the masterpiece, and took it upon himself to travel cross country and cover the giant burner with tons of smaller throwups. Despite JA's attempts to destroy it, Saber returned to repair the damage and it remains there to this day although it has been scrawled on  again over time.

In the last few weeks the authorities have stated they have just caught atleast seven members of the M.T.A crew.  Even before they managed to paint these huge letters in the river, which you can see from a satellite, the crew was already well known all over Los Angeles for painting freeways, billboards and any other ultra visible surfaces. Obviously, the police aren't too happy about it, and are looking to make an example of the group of writers.

                        

                 Above: Saber roller from '97 after years of wear

                                   

                        

                        

Sketches From The Summer

I just found some pictures of some quick sketches I did over the summer for some family while cleaning up the Camera Roll on my phone. One of was for my Uncle Panio, and the other for my Aunt Molly. Again, the quality isn't the best, just camera phone pics. I thought they were interesting though because both of them had styles I've never done before. I was really just experimenting, and had completely forgot about them until now.

                                     -Chance

                               

                               

Rainbow On The 60 Freeway

Recently, I caught a glimpse of one the biggest rainbows I've ever seen while I was on the freeway. It's been coming down pretty hard in L.A the last few days. It slows down occasionally during the daytime and then it's pretty much heavy downpour all night. I've even seen a bit of hail on some places.

I took a trip with a friend of mine to run  some errands and pick someone up in Pomona. When we were on the 60 I noticed the massive rainbow. It was unusually wide and seemed to stretch out into the sky for miles. I reached for my camera but unfortunately, I had forgotten to charge it before I left. I did, however manage to take a few shots with my iPhone. The quality isn't great but they are still pretty cool shots nonetheless. 

                                       -Chance

Note: Click pictures for full size.

                               

Steelers Win Sixth Super Bowl

A long time fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I'm ecstatic to see my team win another Super Bowl. Before this most recent championship, only three teams had the pleasure of having five Super Bowl wins. The Patriots, the 49'ers and  the Steelers. Now, Pittsburgh has removed all doubt that they are in fact the greatest team in NFL history.

 Pittsburgh began to dominate almost immediately  at the start of the game and continued to do so throughout most of the game. During the fourth courter, Arizona picked up the pace and took the lead 23-20. With 35 seconds left, Roethlisberger saved the day connecting a pass with Santonio Holmes to beat the Cardinals 27-23. This is now Ben Roethlisberger's second Super Bowl Victory.

  This was definitely an exciting game this year, aside from the fact that my favorite team was playing. I watched the game with some good friends in Hollywood, ate some great ribs and had a an awsome time. Finally, no one can really argue with me when I say that my team is the greatest football team there is.

NOTE: I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I've been pretty busy and recovering from a bad cold. I'll be catching up in the next few days with some new stuff.

                             

Steelers beat Chargers for AFC title game.

UPDATE: Pittsburgh beat the Ravens 23-14 and are heading to the Super Bowl to face the Arizona Cardinals. ( 1-18-09 )

     That's it! The Steelers beat the Chargers and are going to the AFC Championship. It was a good game but ofcourse Pittsburgh must take the cake. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that we can make it all the way this year. I've only seen them make it to the Super Bowl twice in my lifetime, but only once did they win. I'd love to seem them do it again, but we'll see what happens. Wave those terrible towels people!

                                     -Chance

Bruising Coffee

      Earlier today I witnessed an interesting incident at the local Coffee Bean I thought I'd share with you.

      In the afternoon, I skated down to the Coffee Bean as I usually do to get some sketching done. It was a nice day, I thought I should get outside and enjoy it while still getting some work done. I ran into the usual neighborhood heads and conversed over a few cigarettes and a cold Rockstar. 

       Not long after I arrived, a carload of guys pulled up looking for someone they apparently wanted to fight. When the the guy himself strolled around the corner, the four or five guys stepped out of the car and approached him. It became obvious that the guy they were looking to fight had just attacked the driver with a golf club just before this confrontation leaving his arm severely swollen and bruised.

       The group continued the heated argument for a good 20 minutes as the crowd grew bigger around them. The driver insisted they finish the bout one on one behind the shopping mall.. but Tiger 'Hoods there wouldn't budge. Eventually he sought refuge inside the coffee shop and began dialing anyone he could to bail him out of this predicament. I figured the situation had been diffused at this point. The remaining guys headed back to their car, and I sat down with a friend who had missed the drama to tell him about the incident. As I sat on the patio, I could see the guy still dialing on his phone through the large windows in the front of the store. Just as I pointed him out to my friend, the driver ran into the crowded shop with his hood on. He hopped the cashier counter where his opponent was now attempting to hide, quickly picked up a coffee pot and began to beat this guy over the head. At this point, every coffee fiending yuppie in the shop was panicking. People began calling 911 frantically and trying to get an ambulance as the guy clutched his head, screaming and bleeding profusely. I ran to find a towel for him as his assailant fled out the door.

     About 20 minutes later the ambulance arrived. The EMT's seemed to be pretty amused at the story and the 30 or so spectators standing around spouting off skewed versions of the event. I stuck around just long enough to see if the cops would actually show. About an hour.. and would do ya' know?... not one black and white. I don't think I have to tell you that I'm not suprised. Considering I'm a pretty good citizen, and I don't break too many laws, It's a wonder   why I'm always getting harassed and searched for nothing.. yet they can't respond to someone bleeding from the head in a crowded coffee shop. I can't help but ask myself sometimes, where are our taxes going?

     Anyways, just another day in the neighborhood...

           

                                                           -Chance

The Blog Begins...

       So I've done it. I started a blog. I used to say I never would do such a thing. Who needs a blog? It's so.... so...cliche? Im starting to think now that maybe, just maybe I had nothing to blog about. As most of you close to me know, the last few years have been a wild ride. I'm twenty years old and like most, I'm struggling to find my path.  It made sense to me that I would finally get that boost of motivation as Obama was elected. 

       Towards the end of George W's second term I couldn't help but feel the country was in desperate need of change, and so was my life. As soon as Obama began his campaign, I knew this could be the historic event that would spark the kind of change we needed. Something big was brewing. Something for the history books, and I needed to soak it all in while it happened. I could picture myself in an old rocking chair telling the story of the '08 Obama election to my grandchildren. 

      The night Obama won the election, I was sitting at my laptop writing an email. All of the sudden, Keith Olbermann's voice came through the television and caught my attention. He announced that Barack Obama had in fact, won the election. That moment, I vowed to myself that I would commit to the kind of change in my life that Obama had promised us throughout his campaign.

       Shortly thereafter, I began pushing myself further with my music and art. Also, I'm working on improving every other aspect of my life. As the Obama administration is taking over, I'm keeping a positive outlook on the future and trying to be as productive as possible. This blog is one of many new projects  I'm taking on at the moment.

        Right now, I'm pursuing any opportunity to take my art farther. I'm willing to paint any business at cost, or even a bedroom for that matter. Any theme, any style. If it will build my portfolio, I'm in. Recently I was contacted by a casting director in need of a graffiti artist for a Pepsi commercial. I immediately emailed photos of myself and my painting as they requested, and I went straight to callback the next morning. Im also waiting on a callback for a freelance cartoonist gig doing outlines of established characters for a children's magazine.I have a meeting in Hollywood on the 13th, and if all goes well you'll be seeing me on the tube advertising cola.

       With every small success, I hope to open new doors and meet new people. I will keep the blog up to date with all of my endeavors, photographs, art and stories. This is only the beginning.

                                                                    -Chance