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Calligraffiti

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I have just been enlightened to the work of Niels Shoe Meulman. A street artist, designer and calligrapher out of Amsterdam. I discovered his work while researching Krink paint markers for upcoming live art events. Shoe, as he is called, started tagging in the early 80’s and has gained gallery notoriety be melding the grit and aggression of graffiti with the beauty and elegance of calligraphy. I am not one for words, so here is an excerpt from his site.

WHAT IS CALLIGRAFFITI?

The simple answer:

Calligraffiti is a combination of Calligraphy and Graffiti.

Calligraphy is about the art of writing and can have many forms. Whether it be Japanese ancient brush characters, Arabic pictorial scripts, illuminated mediaeval books or swirly quill writing… all calligraphy.

Graffiti is the art of getting your (pseudo) name up by writing on an urban environment. Perfected in New York City and now a worldwide phenomenon.

The fairly new art of Graffiti and its somewhat rigid rules prompts us to look further back into the history of writing. This is exactly what Niels Shoe Meulman has been doing since his teens, consequently starting to combine the two at the beginning of this century. Thus resulting in Calligraffiti: traditional handstyles with a metropolitan attitude.

Here is a selection of images from his Calligraffiti site, but you should really go on there yourself and check it out:

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Kill The White Devil

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I have always wanted to do a hand rendered, type-cented piece, but never had the confidence. Type is so easy to manipulate in Illustrator I always felt safe there. Last week I said fuck it and gave it a go with some paint pens I had from street art looking piece I did this summer. I suck at using a brush and enjoy using these paint pens quite a bit. Is it still considered painting if you are using a paint pen? I used an old chair back with sepia ink washes as the “canvas.” My dad was cleaning house last summer and was going to throw out some old chairs that had fallen appart. I dismanteled them and kept the backs knowing that they would come in handy. It has been over a year since I have looked at them and decided it is about time that I make use out of them. I feel that the shape of the wood really brings out the vintage feel that my type hints at. I was originally going to put “Kill Whitey” but decided this phrase filled up the space better. Yes I am white. No I am not racist or self-hating. I am just taking it back. Deal with it.

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Under the Bridge

There is not a whole lot of graffiti around my town and even less worth mentioning. Being up in the foothills of California we don’t see a lot of graffiti. Most urban influence on the local culture dissipates soon after you pass the Central Valley. We don’t have the vast spans of concrete or dark allies that act as a breeding ground for street art, but if you look hard enough you will find some.

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Graffiti

This is some script on the side of a mail box in San Francisco, CA. I have a great fascination with graffiti, but not the stones, nor the disrespect for public property to participate. Or course I live in a small, rural town which still holds some natural beauty, rather than a concrete jungle where most graffiti is found. And, of course, the possibility for anoninimity drops incredibly as the population does. I will post more graffiti as I capture it.