Mr. Bones

I was walking across East 7th Street the other week or so, when I saw these paintings lining the fence at the corner of Avenue A, outside Tompkins Square Park:

Lining the fence.

The one that caught my eye is the one fourth from the left. It says

"Mr. Bones. I whent bakc to Ohio".

East Villagers never forget their midwestern roots!

#eastvillage #paintings #avenuea #7thstreet #ohioans #mrbones

Painting In The Rain

If you're a regular reader of East Village Today, you might think from recent posts that it's been raining steadily here.

It has — 39 days and 39 nights!

Here is a picture of a painting in the rain, on East 4th Street:

Painting in the rain.

Here is a close-up, on its side:

Close-up on its side.

One East Villager's old homestead is another East Villager's abandoned painting in the rain…

#eastvillage #4thstreet #abandonedpaintings #paintings #rain

One East Villager's Art…

…is another East Villager's trash, as can be seen on East 5th Street this past Friday morning:

Art.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Maybe if the owner had hung the painting vertically, s/he would have seen its beauty!

#eastvillage #trash #art #paintings #5thstreet #trashcans

Work Of Art Car

You can always tell an artist's car in the East Village — they're works of art themselves!

Behold, seen on East 7th Street:

Work of art car.

Of course, if you need confirmation, all you have to do is walk around to the other side:

The other side.

Your ego has no followers — not like East Village Today!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #artists #cars #paintings

Clean Walls Update

No doubt you remember the East 4th Street graffiti wall, on East 4th Street and Avenue A, and the efforts by the building's owner to eliminate the graffiti by installing video cameras.

I am happy to announce that some progress has been made!

Behold:

Progress.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

How is this progress, you ask?

It's progress because, instead of scribbling on the wall, one graffitier is now painting pictures at home, and placing them on the window sill!

Everybody wins!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #graffiti #paintings

Paintings For Sale

I was walking across East 7th Street this past week, when I saw these paintings outside the Avenue A and East 7th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park:

Paintings.

I could have sworn that I had earlier pictures of these same paintings, from years ago; I wanted to compare these to those, because I think they're either the same paintings, or reproductions — that maybe they're not paintings at all!

After I took the picture, the vendor, sitting at a drum making noise with it, said if I take pictures I should make a contribution of $1.00. I respectfully declined.

These smaller paintings (or reproductions) lined the fence on the East 7th Street side of the park:

East 7th Street side.

In the rightmost painting (or reproduction), am I imagining things?!

#eastvillage #avenuea #7thstreet #paintings #tompkinssquarepark #billcosby #donaldtrump #barackobama

Sun-Drenched Art Exhibit

While the punk rock show Puke Island Part 7 was occurring in Tompkins Square Park yesterday, at the edge of the circular, center area, these paintings were also being exhibited:

Paintings on exhibit.

Unfortunately, it was just as hot here (more-so in the sun!), as at the punk rock show, so very few people were in attendance here too.

It's too bad the punks didn't come check it out — there was one painting they might have appreciated:

Duran Duran painting.

The Duran Duran painting!

Duran Duran was a very popular punk band in the East Village back in the 1980s!

#eastvillage #paintings #artexhibition #duranduran #tompkinssquarepark

I've Seen That Face Before

You may remember this mural from such posts as "fresco" and "fresco Update":

Stay Human.

But did you know that the Stay Human face, now unglamorously inscribed by noted graffitier Jewman, can be seen in at least one other location in the East Village?

Behold, the riot gates of the beloved Giano, on East 7th Street:

Riot gates.

Can you tell which one it is? I'll give you a hint: it's the one on the right!

The one on the left looks like a young Kari Margolis!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #giano #jewman #karimargolis #paintings #stayhuman

Drugged Nurse Gallery

’Round about ten days ago, I was walking across East 2nd Street, when I saw this painting hanging in the window of a place that could very well be an art gallery. I have no idea what was here before this!

At first glance, it looks like a painting of a bloody nurse.

Painting of a bloody nurse?

Upon closer examination, I discovered it to be a painting of a drugged nurse!

Drugged nurse.

You might expect the inside to look like a slaughterhouse, but it's actually quite clean and… orderly! (Get it? Orderly? Like in a hospital?!)

Quite clean and… orderly.

East Villagers love a good pun!

#eastvillage #druggednurse #artgalleries #puns #paintings #2ndstreet

Art Becomes Trash Becomes Art

In the East Village, trash and art become one another so quickly, your head might spin!

I was walking across East 12th Street this past weekend, when I saw this assemblage of both:

Assemblage.

The Chico mural is art, and the trash cans hold trash, but there are two slashed paintings, now trash, and I took a picture of it, so it's art again!

Only in the East Village!

#eastvillage #12thstreet #murals #chico #paintings #trashcans

Vandals & Vendors

Since the closing of our local Chase Bank, the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place has become a very popular location for vandals and itinerant street-vendors alike!

Two Saturdays ago, I walked past and saw this scene:

Contemplating their next move.

Wait — that's wasn't it. It's the paintings in front of the graffitied wall I wanted to capture.

As I was preparing to take a picture from the front, the artist himself photobombed me!

The artist himself.

I didn't get his name, but I told him the picture would go onto this blog — ten days ago!

Oh well, better late than never, eh?!

#eastvillage #artists #graffiti #paintings #secondavenue #stmarksplace #streetvendors #photobomb

Sidewalk Art

Wherever you go in the East Village, you're bound to happen upon a work of art — from murals to sculptures to breakfast paintings!

Here is one such example of a breakfast painting that I discovered on Avenue C and East 2nd Street:

Breakfast art.

The sidewalk's so hot you could fry an egg on it… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #art #avenuec #paintings #sidewalks