Miss Van - The Original Graffiti Girl!

It would be impossible to approach the subject of “graffiti” without mentioning Miss Van, one of the “girls” who adorn the walls of the old Toulouse.

Now based in Barcelona, Miss Van earned her stripes on the streets of her native Toulouse – a city in Southwestern France that is home to a world-famous graffiti scene - where she set the standard for her peers and discovered an early affection for ruffling feathers.

An artist from a young age, Miss Van dedicated herself to art school and graffiti at the same time, and made no efforts to hide her love for street art from her professors. In the early 1990s, she began tagging and going around with friends. It was not long before she began to develop her trademark “sexy, erotic images that will disturb or seduce people on the street.” She likes to explore the symbiotic relationship between artist and public space, especially the fact that she can deposit images freely into a fully engaged environment and thereby encourage a heightened level of interplay between the viewer and her work.

You can see some of Miss Van's work - photo's taken of some her very best graffiti - at Graffitipix. In fact, you can order museum-quality, exhibition grade prints at absurdly low prices now.

While you're there, check out some of Graffitipix's other extraordinary images, including Fafi and some of her original Fafi girls and "Fafinettes" - photo's taken before her paintings starting appearing on lunch boxes!

GraffitiPix and Prison Art Project Scheduled For Major Update

Graffitipix, the premier website for exhibition grade museum-quality graffiti prints from artists like Miss Van and FAFI is about to get a major overhaul and improvement.

The entire web site will be upgraded with additional new pictures from FAFI and Miss Van, as well as many other graffiti artists.

The long-awaited release of The Prison Art Project website is coming as well. This site, www.prisonartproject.org will be coming online in mid-October. Prisonartproject.org will be featuring hundreds of extraordinary original pieces by inmate artists incarcerated throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

There will be numerous prison art pieces featuring pen & ink, colored pencil, pen, graphite, Magic Marker, and more.

These "Outsider Art" originals range from smaller pieces, to many 8.5"x11" pieces created on notebook paper, to larger works created on linen from prison bed sheets.

You can see some new pieces posted on Graffitipix.com already, with many more to come.

Look for the updates to Graffitipix at around the same time as Prisonartproject.org. There will also be an emphasis on women graffiti artists, as well as some up & coming new taggers.

We welcome your suggestions about new artists to feature on the premier Graffiti art website.

Graffitipix also welcomes and solicits your original photographs of graffiti art from around the world. Please feel free to leave a comment with contact information for us!

Presidential Politics?

I try to stay out of politics - well, actually that's not true. However I don't usually blog about it.

Recently though, I decided to voice my opinions (Obama for President!) on a new blog, The Presidential Zone.

Please stop by and voice YOUR opinion. You don't have to agree with me - it won't be the first time! But I'm a big believer in activism. Whatever your opinion, it matters. And being silent won't ever change anything.

I'm one of those who believes the United States has really declined - fiscally, morally, and in almost every other area. I also believe that Obama represents a legitimate chance to change, for the better.

Go ahead, visit The Presidential Zone and make your voice heard:

PresidentialZone - a new political blog on the 2008 US Presidential race.

Looking For Graffiti Artist Suggestions

In my ongoing efforts to improve Graffitipix.com (http://www.graffitipix.com), I would like to ask for some help - from you!

Right now, most of the interest we get is for Miss Van and FAFI. There is still a lot of interest in many of the other graffiti artists, but I would like to ask for suggestions.

Who should we be looking at, contacting, supporting?

It doesn't necessarily need to be new graffiti artists or taggers, anyone tagging, bombing, painting, or otherwise creating beautiful graffiti art is of interest.

Are there women graffiti artists we should be looking at? Graffiti art that has somehow escaped our attention?

You are our eyes and ears. Please post a comment and let me know what new (or old) graffiti art has been catching your attention, which graffiti artists you would like to see more of.

Thanks! And don't forget to stop by and visit Graffitipix.com, the premier graffiti pictures web site!

Graffitipix Does Well in Google!

Someone recently pointed out to me that Graffitipix.com shows up very high in Google!

I did a quick search and found that the site is listed very high for some very good search terms.

In fact, Graffitipix is on the first page of Google for Miss Van, Fafi, Graffiti Artists, and other related phrases.

On another note, it looks like I might have to sell Graffitipix, due to some personal issues. I was actually offered $20,000 for the site once, but at the time had no desire to sell it. In fact, I don't want to sell it now, but some personal emergencies have arisen, and it looks like I might need the money.

If you know of anyone interested in the BEST Graffiti Art Sales website in the world, send me an email!

Big Changes Coming to Graffitipix!

We have BIG changes coming to Graffitipix.com this summer!

We will be adding some TERRIFIC new photos of Miss Van, FAFI, and some other graffiti artists "to be named later" - you can check the site beginning mid-July.

We will also be adding to the Pop-Art, and Pulp Covers categories, as well as adding some new categories.

Also, there will be additions of some incredibly cool and beautiful "anonymous" graffiti art - some from taggers we don't think we have ever seen before.

I'd also like to mention that The Prison Art Project is coming along very nicely!

Lastly, we've had so much fun with our Graffiti Pictures, that we are creating new websites in some entirely new (well, new for us) art categories:

Native American art;
Religious art;
Vintage and Classic Automobiles;

as well as a few others, also "to be named later".

Check back here often!

Prison Art Project Coming Along!

I mentioned in my last post that I had begun putting together a new project: The Prison Art Project.

Here's a brief update. I have acquired almost 300 incredible Prison Art works. What I've done is get in contact with prisoners, mostly in the US. I have explained my project, letting them know that I would like to offer their artwork for sale online, and that they would receive money for anything that is sold.

They are given the option of having me send money into their prison commissary account, or to relatives/friends on the "outside" - some prisoners aren't allowed commissary accounts, and some have restitution judgements that automatically take any money they receive.

I am hoping to get The Prison Art Project up online over the next few weeks.

The address is: http://www.prisonartproject.org

Let me know what you think!