Always a Tourist in Vegas, or Look What I Found! (Street Art, Part I)

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by danielwalldammit in Bad Photography, Las Vegas, Street Art

Tags

Art, Las Vegas, Murals, Nevada, Photography, Photos, Street Art, Tourism, Travel

Clowns Close-Up

When I mentioned that I was in Sin City for Christmas, someone on Twitter asked if there were any murals in Vegas. I hadn’t really thought about it, as I soon proved with my answer. Vegas to me can usually be divided between the bare (earth-toned) walls of most residential neighborhoods and the kitchy goodness of the Strip and its progeny. …I tend not to notice either as I go about my business.

If you look closely you can see signs of effective graffiti-abatement programs all over the town. Graffiti does not last in much of Vegas, and it doesn’t appear that most of these programs distinguish a well done work of art from a simple tag. Even a legal mural can apparently be quite a problem.

This area was home to me for a good chunk of my life, but I always feel like a tourist when I come back to Vegas. …more so when I venture near the places this town is known for. Some parts of Vegas are more Vegassy than others.

…and sometimes it’s better to be a tourist than others.

Like this time for instance!

I decided to look around and see if I could find a mural or three, just for the heck of it. I soon discovered the Las Vegas Arts District, a neighborhood that was nowhere near this colorful back in the days I called this area home. But here it is, the source of most of the pictures I posted below. They hold an art fair here on the First Friday of every months, but my own interests lay mainly with the murals strewn about the walls of various buildings in this district.

Suffice it to say that I was very wrong to think Vegas doesn’t have interesting Street Art. They have rather a lot of it. You just have to know where to look.

***

This is a two part post (cause I got a lot of pics). I’ll add a few comments on some particular locations to the second post.

(As always, you may click to embiggen!)

: Blue Face

: Wall of Tolerance

: Colorful Door

: I wonder where this leads?

: Liquid Chronic

: A Hopeful Message

: They say that as though it’s a bad thing.

: Bail Bonds and Art, Who Knew?

: Random Coolness

: The Face of Coolness

: Coolness Claimed

: Moar Bail Bond Art!

: An Owl Named Black Wolf?

: Found the Wolves

: Must have been neat when you could see it.

: Schoolyard

: School

: From an Alley

: Close Encounters of the Cool Kind

: Sexy Martian!

: Well Painted Wall 1

: Well Painted Wall 2

: Well Painted Wall 3

: Well Painted Wall 4

: Well Painted Wall 5

: Well Painted Wall 6

: Well Painted Wall 7, (I seem to have cut a Warhol piece in half. …I’m not sure he would disapprove.

: Well Painted Wall 8

: Well Painted Wall 9

: Well Painted Wall 10

: Well Painted Wall 11 (This pic, no zoom!)

: Photography Studio

: Pretty Face

: Back Alley Goodness I

: Back Alley Goodness II

: Back Alley Goodness III

: Museum

: Old Version of The Attic (taken over a fence)

: More Eyes than Most

: Wild

: Modernist Antiques

: Quaint Shop I

: Quaint Shop II

: Quaint Shop I

: Carriage

: Art Imprisoned!

: Cluster of Houses

: House 1

: Cool Character, …I seem to want to sit at his feet and learn.

: Random Wall

: Freaky Face

: Mystery Girl

: Dice Girls

: Gotta Have Elvis

: Wild Wall

: Wilder Wall

: Wilder Wall, Close-Up

: Hero

: Moar Wild Walls!

: Antiques

: Boxers

: I wonder what she is thinking?

: House Details)

: House Details II

: House Details III

: Clowns and More

: Clowns Close-Up

: Ball Cap

: I cannot read this

: We’ll come back to this in Part II

: Meeting of Styles

: Burger

: A Well Written Wall

: Head Dress

Santa Fe isn’t Cold Enough (…but it Has Mad Arts!)

17 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by danielwalldammit in Bad Photography, Street Art

≈ 43 Comments

Tags

Art, Murals, New Mexico, Photography, Photos, Santa Fe, Snow, Street Art, Travel

Railroad Station

Santa Fe isn’t cold enough.

I was sitting down for lunch at a conference in Santa Fe as a snow storm settled on the town when someone asked me how the cold here compared to the cold back home. I told her it wasn’t cold enough here.

After the laughter, I explained that I had stepped in a puddle of melted snow that morning, the result being that my foot was cold and wet. This was not the sort of thing I had to worry about in Barrow, at least not for much of the year.

Santa Fe just isn’t cold enough.

Oh but it’s a beautiful city for a walk, even with the wet snow that melts around your feet and makes them wet.

***

Quite a few of these murals are from a sort of youth center, called Warehouse 21.

In other news, I added a couple pics to the photo-gallery for the Institute of American Indian Arts, in Santa Fe.

(If you click on it, it will grow!)

: Railroad Station

: Epic battle Under the Sun

: Santuario de Guadalupe (Old Mission Church)

: Back Wall

: Health Theme

: Dumpster Wall

: Icicles

: Walking Dead

: Hm…

: Mural Near the Train Station

: Locomotive, Train Station Mural III

: Train Station Mural IV

: Cathedral II

: Saint Francis of Assisi Dancing on the Water

: Pink Wall

: Wiener Dog

: I think it represents the totality of man in his quest to find the inner objectification of all that is not what it really is, …on a Thursday.

: Native American Motif

: Giraffes in the snow! (W21)

: Bird Mural (W21)

: Moar Confusilating Images! (W21)

: Aerosol Art in and on the wall (W21)

: I had a feeling someone was watching me. (W21)

: Hulk! (W21)

: I dunno, looks powerful. (W21)

: Spidy (W21)

: Eye From Below. (W21)

: King (W21)

: Feather Head Woman (W21)

: If I have to tell you who this is… (W21)

: Parking Lot I

: Parking Lot II

: Parking Lot III

: Parking Lot IV

: Parking Lot I

: …and Jimi closes the show, as well he would (W21)

Temporary Loss of Northitude: In Which I Wax Photographic About Barrow

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by danielwalldammit in Alaska, Bad Photography

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

Alaska, Arctic, Barrow, Beer, North Slope, Photos, Travel, Whales, Will Rogers

So I have “gone out,” as they say, and I will not see Alaska for a couple months. It’s a shame that I can only get out during the summer and Christmas. Those are the best times to be in Barrow.

So, I thought this might be an opportune moment to throw up some images of America’s northernmost city.

I will miss it.

My Chalet
(I think my brother has bigger walk-in closets)

Midnight Sun
(Actually, this was probably about 2:00am)

Umiaq Race During Independence Week Celebrations
(Cause Fireworks aren’t so keen in July)

Barrow at 2am in Late May
(Out for an evening walk)

The Ocean
(Can’t tell where it begins, can ya!)

Arctic Palm Trees

Ice Sculpture
(Modeled on bone sculptures)

The Northernmost American-Style Football Field in the World
(I suck as a sports photographer, don’t I)

Cheerleaders!
(No skirts on these girls)

The Ocean as Seen from Barrow’s Cafe
(Whale jawbones and umiaq frames)

The Ocean from Outside Brower’s Cafe
(A little later in the Year)

Again!

Probably Returning from a Hunt

Arctic Fox
(Trying to steal muktuk from the back of that pick-up)

Nalukataq
(Spring Whaling Festival Held in June. It’s been a good whaling season, so this will be a great festival this year, …and I am going to miss it!)