New York Trip: Day 2

We had a leaders meeting for the end of the week and I guess I was a leader. It was alot of fun all through the day everyone was cracking jokes and laughing it was the funniest meeting I've ever been in. In the afternoon we set up for the concert. Fasm, Zion and I turned out annother piece. It's been really cool painting with these guys over the past couple days because it's been such a colaberation you can't really pick out a part in peticular that is just one persons. For example on the last piece I layed out the backround letters, Zion and Fasm did the fill, Fasm cleaned up the letters with the outline and 3d, Fasm did the forefront script and, I cleaned up the script it was just such a team effort. All the youth showcased thier skills that they lerned through the week. After the kids were done Jaz was the finishing act while he was performing I started to tear up cuz he was talking about his life and some stuff that he went through and it reminded me of the kids I work with. We started to clean up and eventually delivered all the equipment to it's proper places then went to a late night restaraunt where more Jokes insued. Fasm laughs at anything when he gets real tired like... "Darlin' Marlins".

New York Trip: Day 1

I arrived in Schenectady (skin-neck-tad-e) New York to meet up with Fasm. I got picked up by a guy named Tim who is 6'4" plays basketball, raps and DJ's. He took me to the downtown core where there were a bunch of kids playing basketball at a youth centre. Fasm was apparently flown from California to New York to come teach the youth Graffiti skills at blazefest. It as a christian outreach through youth for christ which teaches the four elements of hip hop (MCing, Break Dancing, DJing and Graffiti) and shows the youth some christian artists who use the four elements in a positive way. Blazefest: 'cause everybody on the block needs Jesus. When I got there the forecast said rain and there was an outdoor event that night so the teachers lead the youth in a prayer to hold off the rain. Then Fasm taught a lesson about graffiti. I talked with annother writer who came from Ohio to help recently named Zion.

We packed up our stuff and did some clean up when Ray (Rayski) the leader of the told us we had to leave quick cuz Tim was in the park setting up for tonight and he got a knive pulled on him. We all ran to the cars and drove to the park. Apparently Tim had his cell phone out and a kid swiped it. And wouldn't give it back and then tried to take off on his bike then Ed (the sound guy) grabbed his back tire and the kid pulled out a knife and tried to slice at Tim and Ed. All the while through Tim is praying asking God for guidance for what to do in this situation. And suddenly he gets this idea and says to the kid "listen man, I really need my phone cuz there are numbers in it that I need. I'll give you $20 bucks if you give it back. But all I don't have any money on me, can I write you a check?" The kid agrees and gives Tim his name to write the check out to. Rayski and the rest of us show up at this point and Ray calls the cops. Tim gives them the name and the cops get the check and bring the kid back. Tim talks to the Kid in the back of the cruiser and decides to let him off the hook by not pressing charges.

That night we had two MC's perform Big City and Shine all Brightly. They both had some good things to say to the crowd while Zion and I turned out a nice piece "choosing christ is that game point" (character by fasm). After Big City and Shine talked with Fasm and I about being an artist and in ministry they had alot of applicable experiences having to do with pride, temptation, division, that I found put some things together for my graffiti ministry. While the event was wrapping up Tim was talking to one of the youth and I had a feeling that something really significant was happening. That night he prayed and asked God for a relationship with him for the first time. Everyone was really psyched after and we all prayed for him and Fasm started to tear up durring the prayer. After the night was finished Fasm talked to me about alot of the history of Gospel Graffiti and some of it's philosophy which was really cool.

Piece #14

This is it, this is it, here we go! This is what you've been waiting for. This is a picture of the entire production in Rosario mexico(that I talked about here and here). Script, Camerone, Dyle 52, Fasm, J-one, me, Ezra and Threat. It's a rough traslation from the spainsh but "Religion tries to make it's own bridge to God, Jesus is the way" Below is my part of the production.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
2 Cor 10:3-5

New York?

When I was in california Fasm said he was going to the east coast to teach graffiti for a week and he said I could come down if I was near by. I called up Fasm and asked him about what days he was going to be there and where in New York it was going to be. I also asked him about what it takes to be in the GG crew. Hanging out with all these awesome christian guys and girls and being a part of thier family for a week has me kind of curious about the crew. I still have to find a way down and book the time off of work on short notice so I probibly can't make it.

Piece #13

"Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' " - Mark 7:18-23

Ezra, Dyle and J-one

This is the production at the writerz blok I talked about here. I couldn't get ezra's piece in the shot cuz he wasn't finished till after dark.

The week in pictures

This is Dave and Elly who gave me a ride to the airport at the begining of the trip and back at the end.

This is Keyshon who gave me new tickets at the airport when I had missed my flight and also told me about distressed passenger rates at the motel.

This is when my paint got seized at the airport. I counted them take out all but one can out of my bag. I walked down the hall knowing that they had missed a can. I prayed about it and went back and give them my last can too.

This is Sumit who I met at the airport and drew a picture for.

This is wall who I also met at the airport. He used to piece in San Diego 25 years ago.

This is a character that I did in Threat's Garage that Ezra showed me how to cut and shade on.

Piece #12

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:12

this is the piece talked about here in day three of the mexico trip

Mexico Trip: Day 9

In the morning Threat dropped Dyle and I off in downtown San Diego. We looked at the local graffiti, went to a graffiti store, ate food, got lost, walked around, rode the trolly, got lost, rode the trolly, got lost again, walked around, took a train to Oceanside, talked about how strange america was from our home countries, tried to get any phone to work, got a haircut, saw a girl pee on the sidewalk 20 ft from a bathroom, got lost and eventually met up with Sandy who was waiting for us for a long time. It was a great adveture! His graffiti crew from New Zealand was competing that day for a world wide graff competition "write for gold". He gave up his ticket to annother guy in his crew and missed out on the finals just so he could come out and paint with the Gospel Graffiti Crew. Threat, Sandy and Dyle drove me to the airport and saw me off. I shared a room with Dyle for the last week and I'm really gonna miss him (and Threat and Sandy). I caught all my planes, slept well on the flights, got picked up at the airport, and crossed the border without complication.

Mexico Trip: Day 8

J.one left early in the morning and Dyle, Ezra and I just hung around the house sketching and doing canvases. In the evening Sacks and Rue came over and Sandy was talking about how she learned and how Threat taght her to be super clean by just painting with silver paint and one or two other colours because it has alot of overspray and it teaches you to inately paint super clean but you have to do it for 20-50 pieces without doing any colours in between. I talked to Threat about it and how they did it in the old school he said it'll help me out. So I made the commitment that after I do my production with Viceral on the Embassy that I'll do 20 pieces of silver. After, I went over to info's house and he was showing me how to do some letters and we talked about life and the church and discouragement.

Mexico Trip: Day 7

All the writer's at threats house were tired from painting so much over the last few days so we relaxed in the morning I drew in some other people's books but by the time the afternoon came we were all itching to paint again so we painted threat's "wall of fame" in his garage. Info dropped by cause he wanted to say good bye to me before I left and to tell me that I'm in his prayers. I know he's gonna be reading this but I'll say it anyways... He's a really nice guy, he's been writing for a decade or so and it was such an honor for him to come by just to see me, a new writer, and to wish me well in my graff life and to piece in my book.

Mexico Trip: Day 6

I woke up really early and Fasm and i arrived first at the wall and started painting. His piece was up high and he needed the scaffolding up to work on it so while he was waiting he helped me out with my piece and decribed some things about lighting and helped me out with the shading of the axe in my piece. I met Camer1 from Frisco (left) who was very nice and friendly, right off the bat and gave me a hug. It was like we were old friends even though we had never met in person. I also met Sacks and his wife Rue. Sacks is a really funny guy also very friendly he was joking all while he was painting his piece, it was hilarious. I interviewed Dyle and then switched to camerman for Fasm's interview. We started early and worked through till sunset because it was the last day that we were in Mexico. Ezra seemed to be fighting against the focus of the piece and ignored Fasm and Threat's direction to remove bats from his piece. He was the only non-christian writer and really didn't understand that we wanted the focus to be on the message. But in the end you know... it came together really well and the whole huge production looked so nice.

Mexico Trip: Day 5

Threat, J1, Ezra, Dyle and I woke up really early in the morning and eventually left and met up with Fasm at the paint store. We crossed into mexico from San Diego and checked out the massive wall that we were supposed to paint it was on the side of a church. Threat was having second thoughts but Fasm decided we should paint it dispite the amount of time we had and the size of the project. We painted until it turned dark and stayed at Eric the youth pastors house. He is a very kind man, friendly, warm and encouraging. He took Ezra, Dlye, Dom and I to a stake house and we had a long conversation about God, evolution, and free will. Durring the conversation I pointed out a flaw in Ezra's logic, he got upset and accused me of making up stuff. Ezra is getting on my nerves a little bit but I'm learning to check my heart and decide to show him love and respect anyways. After a pointless (and illogical) conversation about evolution Eric closed by realizeing the pointlessness of the conversation and telling Ezra and Dom the important thing that they need to know if they want thier questions answered.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

If anybody really wants to know God they can find him. You may not find him if you give it a half hearted effort but if you seek him with all your heart you will find him. That's a promise from God. His promise isn't that you'll find him if your a good person or if you read your bible or if someone prays for you and talks to you about God. His promise is that you will find him if you seek him with all your heart.