Dunbar?

This one is pretty cool. The great use of color and emphasis on facial features with references to area, buildings and people made me like this one. Now Dunbar, I don't know the significance yet. I know there's a Dunbar sign that exists today at T and 7th Streets (I see it a lot on my walks home). The only thing I'm thinking it could be is a bank, and possibly the construction of this bank created a symbol for growth, hope and prosperity. Looking at this again, I wonder if the building on the mural is the Dunbar building I mentioned earlier. This is located on the side of the Cartie Mae? Bapist Church.
[Taken near Q and 9th streets NW, on 2/11/09]

Obama walks his dogs

This one is an interesting piece where they are several tags. One of Obama with his infamous pose. The other of him walking two vicious dogs. Curious of the meaning. I was thinking of it being authoritative where it establishes, "don't mess with it." Funny enough, he's casually talking on his cell phone.
The other figure is another OBEY tag, holding a sign saying, "The Park: My new home. Thanks Mayor Fenty." I've seen this one a couple of times. Actually, this was the one that got sprayed over as mentioned in my previous blog posts.
The last piece, which appears to mounted rather than sprayed or sticked, is of a woman holding a hammer and sickle. Kinda interesting as it seems to touch on a couple of aspects. One, possibly on religion as what I would consider are construction works are erecting a cross. The second is the hinting of scaffolding and buildings, to me and maybe cause I'm an architect, depicts construction...development.

[Taken near U and 14th streets NW, on 2/11/09]

Blue Woman

This is an interesting one... A angular sketch of a woman resting on her upright arm looking at something. I have no clue if it means anything but may mean something to the owner or at least no one has had a problem with it. I mention this because just around the corner, there's was a OBEY tag, holding a sign saying something along the lines of "thanks Fenty..." at least for what I remembered. I wish I snapped a shot (actually I was going for that one before this one) but it got hit with black spray paint. Maybe a competing street artist? Nah, I imagine they would have been a bit more creative...the spraying was not far off of what a 7 year old would be capable of. Now the OBEY tag is completely painted over...I wonder what lies in future for the blue lady, I guess we'll see. It snowed that day, nothing crazy but made it a bit difficult with some of the shots. This shot doesn't represent the fact it was snowing at all, and the snow (flurries) ones weren't that great. I'm hoping to get a decent one, capturing snow in a creative setting.
[Taken on T and 14th NW, on 2/3/09]

Carter Mural

This will be the first mural of this collection and it's really close to my neighborhood. It's at a relatively visible location, abandoned and I have no clue if there's plans for future use. The mural contains a portrait of Carter and several other portraits on the other closed up windows. Given the proportions of the streets, lack of density and height of buildings, now thinking about, it really is out in the open. Being so visible, it's so unfortunate that the building is abandoned, boarded up and left to sit.
Right now I don't know who is Carter and the significant of this figure in the area. I recall seeing other murals in the near vicinity along with several buildings named after him.
The shot was a tough one, honestly kinda drab for me. Not sure it's the mural itself or the composition, probably the composition :) . I ended up filtering through many of the shots and deleting a bunch. This one I ended up taking a horizontal proportion and might have picked this one out because of the little bit of street signage in the fore-ground.
[Taken on Rhode Island Ave and 9th NW, on 1/25/09]

Obama - Progress

This one has two, reason, kind of a special day, yeah I was the Inauguration 2009. It was really great seeing the city transform. Going to work was eerie as I rode in, passing military personnel who was making sure things were in order, streets filled with non-locals scrambling to find the best way to the Mall. I went to work for a few hours and ended up going down to the Mall and be part of this great event. It's the beginning and hopefully "change" will happen. Its going to be tough.
About this image, it's on the side of Marty's and has definitely caught my attention in passing. Another Shepard Fairley work (did Andre the Giant) where supposedly the image is based from a photo just after the Senator accepted to run as president. The poster is everywhere around DC. Here is a bit of a transformation from the early morning to the evening (4am). Bars, by the way, where open til 4am because of the Inauguration event. Ha, I didn't even notice the bike was still there throughout the day. I had a short conversation with a passerby photographer as I was taken the evening one. He ended up taking a couple of photos himself. The night one, took me a while and still not overly excited about it. Oh yeah...I was freaking cold. I had to take a couple of warming breaks between long exposure shots.
[Taken on U and 14th NW, on 1/20/09]

"ANDRE THE GIANT HAS A POSSE"

I find out that the poster is actually of Andre the Giant. Who would have figured? Curious if people know and it was just me who didn't. I find out through one of my buddies when we were hanging out drinking. I fished up the image from my camera and told me who he is. Reading up, it was a street art campaign started by Shepard Fairey where this poster (i guessed called "OBEY") and another graphic have posted around the world.

[Taken on H and 7th, on 1/12/09]

Who is this face?

So from time to time…I get these ideas…these motivations….so I decide to start a blog. I’ve always had an interest in cities, graffiti & street art. I feel both graffiti and street art, in much the same way as people, answer the question “so what’s that city is like?” This blog takes a collection of photographs over time that explores this topic. Check it out and comments would be awesome…
This tag probably was what got me started on this, well the blog itself...i've always had an interest in street art, especially when I traveled. This tag appears several places in DC, so far, mostly in the Shaw, U Steet, Ledriot Park areas. I ask "Who is this man?" I have no clue and hope to find out.
As I was taking this image, a lady was yelling "Close the f-ing door!!!!" as a dog runs out, cautiously and not very far. "What the f*ck is your problem!!!" she finishes. Ahhh, yes, if only audio could accompany to really paint the experience on the streets :)

[Taken on O and 11th, on 1/4/09]