July 2009: Senyc Lies in Newark Part Dos

I love my Jersey girls. My friend Jess recently embarked on a master's program in art history at American University. (Congrats, girl!) Alex, a fellow class of '08-er, is in my boat studying for the GRE. Diane, a Jersey by way of Connecticut transplant, just earned her master's in public affairs at Princeton. Damn! No matter how you slice it, those Jersey girls know how to hustle. But don't forget about the Jersey guys! A while ago, we heard from Newark graff man Senyc Lies. Today, he's back to share his pieces and plans for the future. He writes:

"Hey Meg! So guess what, dude? I got some more pictures for you! Hope you enjoy this batch! :-) These first three photos were taken in Newark, New Jersey in late July 2009."

"I found myself trying something new, but definitely working with the same vibes as my recent pieces. I thought I'd test my self with time and limit with this whole piece. Working within an 8 feet high and 35 feet wide space, I made sure to max it all out in about 3 hours tops."

"It was a beautiful day- not to hot for a summer day in Jersey- which made it a perfect paint session. I think I found myself getting even more abstract with my work."

"These last two photos were taken in Newark in early August 2009. Where do I start with this one? I'd been prepping my mind for a good couple of days for this piece. I wanted to really try something wild and new, but I still wanted to see my style in it."

"I came up with the weird arrows and shaped letters with little monsters inside. This piece actually took about 5 hours. It had a lot more lines and coloring than the first. I had a lot of problems with the tips for the cans which actually happens to me a lot. Finally, it came out to be a pretty damn good piece. My style is evolving rapidly just like a stream of water. This day was another beautiful day. It's great to free my mind and lay out what goes on in it."

"Enjoy these sets of pictures and stay tuned. I'm planning on doing a huge project as soon as I get everything put together! Peace, Senyc Lies."

Thanks, Senyc! Keep those e-mails a-comin' and good luck with that master plan!

August 2008-Berlin

Today's post comes from Yasmine in sunny Montréal, Canada. Her photos come mainly from the Mitte section of Berlin. She writes:

"The one with the blue gentleman and green around him is super popular because it is by a hostel around Rosenthalerplatz and a design firm built out of shipping containers. That combo in itself was freaking sweet! There are so many sweet things in Berlin but you see so many that you get desensitized. That one stuck out regardless."

"The Garfieldesque cat described my mood at that moment. Plus it is a random find in this tunnel area. But really, a toaster, a cat telling you to shove it, and a volleyball? Brilliant."

"The talking cameras were in the same area as the cat. The entire tunnel was plastered with awesome things (even some Lego hearts and mirrors reflecting from the other side of the wall). It's funny because we are always being watched somewhere, somehow. You can barely ever waltz around freely anymore! The cameras are talking and from what I can make out of them, one of them is saying "Bernie is sick!" and the other one responds "Oh, I know Bernie!" Haha ah! I like."

"The following stencil reminded me a lot of Banksy. I don't if it's him or not, but I quite enjoyed the little boy on the steps, just hangin' out. You know how it is!"

"Finally, the last one is Oje/Lucy! My camera batteries were dead most times when I saw awesome graf (again, there was SO much of it), but Lucy was everywhere: on the sidewalk, in little corners of here and there, up high, down low! Super cute. She's kind of comforting but also taunting, like 'HERE I AM!'"

"The Berlin wall is basically only graf. After a certain point, you think "Okay, this wall is loooooooong." You have to pick which things to take pics of when you know your batteries are about to die. I'm going with twelve cameras next time. Okay, maybe two. Maybe we can meet up there. YES!"

I agree, Yas. From what I've heard, Berlin is a place I desperately need to see. Does anyone have other shots from Berlin or elsewhere? Send them my way! Also, get ready because Friday's post is shaping up to be massive. Fast your seatbelts and brace for impact.