Graff

Ben. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

There's a building on 3rd St. in the Arts District covered in graffiti. Gorgeous graffiti. Just West of Cafe Metropol, there's a section that seems to change with the seasons. And today I found out why.


Thanx on the ladder. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

While heading over to Phillipes for lunch with my good friend Ryan, we saw four guys working the wall. The light was still weird and orange from all the recent brush fires and we happened to have our cameras with us. So we decided to stop and snap a few frames of these artists at work.


(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Unlike most situations, the owner of this building has given permission and consent to graff artists to bomb the structure. And bomb they do. The lead on this crew was a gentleman named "Thanx." He's from an L.A. crew named UTI and was being helped today by some friends visiting from out of state. The wall previously had a Halloween theme and was now being covered with a new one. We were there too early in the process to know what that new theme is.


Wall detail. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

We shot the shit with Thanks for a bit then let him do his thing. I also spoke with Ben, who immediately caught my attention because of his intensity while working and the long beard the likes of which I haven't seen since I left the colder northern climes of the Pacific Northwest. He was gracious enough to allow a portrait. But after a few frames, he quietly said "I don't want to take any more pictures." It was then I realized all my talking had taken him away from his work long enough. Plus, he was no poser.

Check out more of the UTI Crew work here.