Writing on the Wall

Many people never enter an art gallery.​ Urban Art and Graffiti offers a marvelous display of art.​

Soon to be published

About "Writing on the Wall"

This book is about the unsettling feelings and concepts that come with the beauty of graffiti and murals found in our downtowns. And it is about the creativity. It is also about the poetry which provides a provocative, deeper dimension to urban art.

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pto-creative’s first book, “Writing on the Wall”, is soon to be published. For more information on the book, please contact us via the form below.

Dear grafters, Where possible, your tags are included in the image. You are recognised as The Artist. We, the photographer and the poets, respect your work. Regrettably, on occasion, your tag was hidden by an object such as a car or garbage can or, and this is unfortunate, your piece may have been over-tagged by someone else.

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About "Writing on the Wall"

The spirit of the art reflects the soul of the artist and the tenor of the culture.

Many artists climb onto, or suspend from, a roof and paint graffiti, or spend an inordinate amount of time designing and creating a work of perfect draughtsmanship on the side of a building or construction hoarding. Many paint illegally. Many feel their message is so important that it is worth the risk and their investment of time. And many grafters display multiple, elaborate works. The nature of graffiti is such that many of these pieces may be painted over by another artist.

Graffiti and urban mural is art outside the confines of gallery walls. It is more than merely angry artists leaving their tags on buildings or other people’s work.  Or political activists putting their opinion in paint and words. It is uninhibited creation and expression. Beyond the ubiquitous simple tags, graffiti is masterful art.

There is an artistic aesthetic to graffiti. The main aspects of graffiti are line, shape and form. Within these three parameters modern artists create their own calligraphy or socio-linguistic style. It is the visual narrative of a culture that has accidentally created crimes of art.

The beauty of art and graffiti is that it upsets our ideas about what art is, and what art can do, and where it should be. Whether commissioned or non-commissioned, graffiti is an agitator that is meant for everyone. Because it’s everywhere. And it’s free to the viewer.

This book is about the unsettling feelings and concepts that come with the beauty of graffiti and murals found in our downtowns. And it is about the creativity. It is also about the poetry which provides a provocative, deeper dimension to urban art.

There is a range of graffiti, the ego, bravado, directional, political and the aesthetic. Given its creativity and draughtsmanship, presented in The Writing on the Wall are, primarily, those pieces which occupy the aesthetic end of the spectrum.

The images are taken in many locations in five countries. Each image has the location noted.

Dear grafters, Where possible, your tags are included in the image. You are recognised as The Artist. We, the photographer and the poets, respect your work. Regrettably, on occasion, your tag was hidden by an object such as a car or garbage can or, and this is unfortunate, your piece may have been over-tagged by someone else.

"Leslie" by Nancy Daoust

i saw her yesterday for the first time since the snow melted
hip bones jutting right angles so acute they pushed her jogging pants forward
like my mom just before she died

a shuffling fixture on downtown streets
hair hanging over her features
changing colours, trending
like her shoes, her clothes, like
this part of her mattered

the only time i saw her still-ish was in the bank, waiting
for the young fellow taking money from the teller
grouching about the last time he gave her some, she
lurched around the chairs, the hand sanitizing station, the open office doorways
glanced at me, muttered fuck off under her breath, flounced away

today instead of forward agitation
she teetered like a young sapling in a raving storm
greasy black roots flattened to her scalp
burnt orange tangled strands flying in the damp wind
one foot bare, the other housed in a grimy UGG

two paramedics warry and masked tried to talk her down
there was no reasoning with high

"Happiness" by Joey Scarfone

an illusive creature that can be found
in small herds
or wandering the urban deserts
on a solo journey
guided only by the stars
and its curiosity of the unknown

happiness can be hidden
behind the darkness of a storm
but this is just a city survival tactic
against the more difficult dealings of life

camouflaged
it waits for a crack in the clouds
and then emerges from its hiding place

material things can bring happiness
to an abundant earth
but simplicity can do the same thing
food, shelter, contentment, freedom

it adapts to its surroundings
and thrives in any environment
busy crowded cities
or ancient forests
it seems to be able to grow
and only needs air to nourish itself

happiness is an illusive wild creature
but also makes a good house pet