by Kevin Freitas


If you haven't already figured it out by now, our friend KAI ONE never stops painting, never stops writing on and off the wall, and never gives up. There's something else you should never doubt either, not ever, graffiti my gentle reader is Art with a capital "A". It isn't High Brow and it isn't Low Brow, it's art. Pure simple expression, pure complex form and color and it takes an unwavering dedication from its creator to make it happen. The weight of graffiti's negative image is slowly being lifted by artists like KAI ONE, who have successfully bridged the gap between a somewhat pretentious fine art world and art from the streets, an art that burns like a fire in the belly. The Board Culture industry for example, has recognized this talent and is now giving overdue homage to these "street" artists by bringing them into more economically viable product lines and support. You can show your support as well, for KAI, and the rest of the graffiti artists who are keeping it real by reading the following article from Marisa D. Fisher in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, entitled "Cans carpet canvas with aerosol aesthetic". There's an excerpt below. And if you would like to see some original artworks by KAI, click here. KF


Cans carpet canvas with aerosol aesthetic
By: Marisa D. Fisher



photo: Sheldon Smith


If kids don't want to color inside the lines, nobody's going to be able to make them; such is the nature of graffiti art. In a perhaps well-intentioned but tritely ironic gesture, Tucson's Graffiti Removal Program provides an anti-graffiti coloring book for printing from their Web site. Inside, Mr. Tuffy the boxer encourages his young audience to "Knock out graffiti in Tucson!" with messages including the slogan, "Graffiti is unwanted markings." That's not just bad grammar; it's an overgeneralization of an underrepresented art form. more...