Elan gets into a fight...

So its come time to face the facts, face the truth. After days of thinking how to prepare for this confrontation. The idea of just going out there & doing what he likes to do as best as he can do it was all he needed. Well also maybe w a lil support & a big push from his teammates The Mimik & Nat.

Elan has been invited to participate in the Jersey Shore Aerosol Art Battle Against Hunger sponsored by Colorest Art Supplies in Red Bank, NJ. The rules read by Leon Rainbow, state to take a secret word given to the all artists & express it in art form within a 4 hr time frame. The word of the day was HEAVY influenced by the passing of hip hops own Heavy D. The sponsor also gave away to each artist 6 Montana spray cans to get this party started.

The countdown has begun & the artists have as well. As you look around the area you see sketches being drawn & eyes staring aimlessly at the available work space. Immediately the Heavy D portraits are laid out. Others went right for the letter arrangements. The process is normal & usual as everyone eased into it.

With crunch time at hand we though what else can be done to make Elans piece stand out. The use of using his surroundings for a cheap 3D rendition came to mind. Cheap but it worked well. Forced at the last second due to timing thinking it wouldnt come out right. Quickly Mimik brought over 3 cinder blocks where Elan spray painted chain links coming off the piece to give the effect that it was tied down to the blocks!

Time was up & the judging commenced.......... "a big shout out goes to all the other artists & graff heads that participated & to all the sponsors" was heard before reveiling the winner..........     1st place goes to ELAN! FRESH!

RATED XXX

Edison, NJ once again gets visited by some of the porn industries top stars! This is the 3rd year in a row where the EXXXOTICA, 3 day weekend extravaganza has taken place.

Booths are setup for the public "pervs" to take part in watching shows, purchase items such as dvd's, meet, greet & take pics w their favorite "star". Such as Vanessa Blue, Austin Taylor, Sara Jay, Roxy Reynolds, & the ever so popular Pinky were in attendance.

The Mimik preferred last year over this year just for the simple fact of getting to see Ice LaFox & Legend Nina Hartley.

HUMPTY HUMP

Heres another memorial piece done by the Mimik for a friend who unexpectedly passed away somewhat recently...

   HUMP GPK Rest in Peace homie.

TEM 2011

Winter is right around the corner & THE FRESH COLLECTIVE's ELAN & MIMIK are at it again. So far this summer it seems like "you cant stop their go!"

Instead of doing the usual 'hit & run' aspect the guys are well known for its been discussed that taking a lil' more time would definitely improve the final outcome & appearance of their pieces. The "stacking" idea started well but fell short even though what was produced was well received by on-lookers who frequent the business especially the Dunkin Donut Kid (look for earlier posts about that production).

So this time around the Mimik decided to plan out & incorporate a background/scenery. Motivation came from once again acknowledging the memory of his long time friend who passed away 3 years ago Alex "TEM" Delbueno by working up another outline in his honor. "We should've started concentrating on that aspect long time ago" the Mimik says, "but time & scheduling is our greatest enemy." Then just mere days before Apples CEO: Steve Jobs died of Cancer. Elan suggested he take on that aspect on his section of the wall.

As the rolling commenced on this cold, early morning there was more thoughts about the look even though it was already known what was going to be done. Robots, gears, machines, iPods, & even a character of Steve Jobs himself came to mind. By the afternoon the ideas were all in place, but its like it took on a whole different feel. It came out more like a panaramic shot taken from a Terminator movie. Elan later defered not to include any Apple aspects & save it for another time.

Heres a look at the finished product...

TEM by Mimik

ELAN

CHEK

And by the end of the day, even though it wasnt a competition in the least, the winner ended up being CHEK for his re-emerging  DD coffee cup! Once again on-lookers came out to applaud the new found staple & tell their stories of how they can relate w the concept. Some even said they had flicked the image & have it as screensavers/wallpaper on their phones! I guess America does run on Dunkin.

An Apple a day...

Much can be taken for granted when one recieves a phone call & answers their iPhone or selects to play one of their favorite songs off their iPod. Artists, DJ's, & graphic designers just to name a few all work off their Mac's... Hell! the Mimiks is writing this blog on his Mac Pro Apple laptop!

After his recent battle w Pancreatic Cancer the world lost a man described as a visionary genius who in fact did revolutionize the modern world. His many credentials include (obviously) co-founder, chairman, & CEO of Apple Inc, co-founder & served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios.

Steve Jobs was 56 at the time of his passing.

BIG 'KISH, GET THE TABLE!!!

This October 1, 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of the legendary, Samoan, wrestling champ Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoai. A special event is being held by family & friends who have come from all around to perform in his honor @ Harrahs in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately the Mimik was not able to make the event this time around, but he did indeed meet up w long time friends Rikishi & Devon who were doing an autograph signing in Staten Island earlier that day before their respective show appearances.

On occasion the Mimik will work up pieces of artwork to show his appreciation for what they do best.

The Mimik has met up w Devon on occasion when his travel brings him to the Jersey area, but to see Rikishi is a 10 year reunion in itself.

Both champs are currently active in the business. Devon is a staple in TNA's Wrestling Impact show & Rikishi runs a wrestling school out West known as KNOX PRO ACADEMY.

3D FRUITY FUN

Another piece dropped by ELAN WONDER...

...this time some 3D action.

THE GARDEN SK8

Looked like a grey & cloudy day, but that didnt stop The Mimik & Elan Wonder from getting it in this Saturday morning!

Before & After

Thanks to Demer & Garden Sk8 for giving us a shout to fill up some empty space w what we like to do...

JERSEY FRESH COLLECTIVE

Our latest video piecing in Trenton @ the Jersey Fresh Jam! Check it out!

CASE'N THE JOINT

This past weekend was Trentons Jersey Fresh Jam hosted by Vicious Styles Crew & TerrorCycle. Heads from around the way & then some came out to participate. 

Graff artists rocked the walls from front to back while the hip hop/rap artists & dj's voiced & performed up by the entrance.

When you walk in, you cant miss the main wall that consisted of familiar faces such as DEMER, KASSO, RAIN, & the legendary Snow. The theme for the main wall was in memorium of CASE2.

The FRESH Collective were lucky enough to be a part of the main wall after an unexpected turn of events this year exept for one small, yet major flaw. The TFC were slated to do a smurf related scene, but were beaten to the punch by others that were there earlier.

So they adapted to fill in the blanks & did what they love to do.

The turnout was great & everyone had fun. Cant wait til next year!

A LITTLE OFF THE TOP

Here's a FRESH new video starring ELANWONDER doing a big something for the guys @ AMERICAN SHAVE... check it out!

American Shave x Elan Wonder from Elan Wonder on Vimeo.

INTERNATIONAL FEES MAY APPLY

Welcome to the Dominican Republic where there's an abundance of culture, humanity, poverty, Presidente jumbo beers, sunny beaches & woman to go around! As soon as you get off the plane you can feel the relaxation & FRESHness in the air. In an instant the Mimik says to himself that he's never leaving this place!

It took about 20 min to get thru customs, an 1hr to get my luggage, about 15 min to get my rental, & another 15 min to meet up w a friend from the states who was already there 2 days earlier. Unfortunately the weather is a bit of a downer 'cause there was a passing storm the day before.

Checking into the hotel is 1st on the list. Not knowing the country side the selected areas are quite a distance apart from each other. From the airport to the hotel in Juan Dolio is 40 min in the opposite direction of Santo Domingo where the Mimik will be spending most of his time. Now let the Mimik explain something... he didnt stay at a resort. He didnt want to be w tourists. He wanted to see the heart of the country for what it is & he can tell you that he got what he bargained for!

He scoped the areas for potential piecing & there was definitely a nice spot just down the street from his hotel that was already bombed by what he would imagine to be the local graffster 'cause of all the tags & throwies from the hotel to Santo Domingo. All he needed was some cans & a time frame to get started.

All along the coast one can see the clear, teal blue waters & breathe the FRESH air. Pull off to the side of the road & buy a bottled water for 30 pesos ($1.00) or a beer for 100 pesos ($3.00) at any time of the day.. lunch, dinner, & breakfast! Even though the country is poverty strickened they always seem to have money to drink!

Having lunch in China town & nite on the town w some quickly made friends lightened up the bad weather situations. The drinks played a role in that too! The next couple days was filled w fun, eating mangu, sightseeing, kicking back, learning the culture & peoples behaviors... did the Mimik mention the drinks?

And you can leave your drivers license at home. Learning to drive in the streets took skill 'cause the people dont believe in signals or stop lights. On 2 ocassions the Mimik witnessed cars being driven on the same side going in the opposite direction... crazy stuff!

Nonetheless it was an educated experience that left a harsh impression, but would definitely repeat a visit. This time to a resort... the mimik loves air conditioning!

The Mimik would like to thank Kenny , Joanna, Arisson, Natasha, & Fidia for their help in sharing in the experience... & the drinking! 

P.S.   The Mimik never got the chance to paint. Next time... maybe.

BUILDING BLOCKS

The weather is still blazing hot, but this particular morning there was going to be some light, scattered showers to cool things down a bit.


With that in mind The FRESH crew took advantage to come together & made a run to the ever so famous Jersey Lanes where layer upon layer of paint seeps into the cracks of the facility.

The idea this time is to freely be open on sketching & stack outlines amongst each others. Just to fill in as much as possible w/o leaving any negative space. Lets see what comes out as we are free from structure & limited color.

Our good friend Demer even came by to add his two cents in.

The wall is actually 7 panels long, but it wasn't long before the 1st 2 panels were filled in. The rest is yet to come in the following weeks... stay tuned!

SEALIN' IN THE FRESH'NESS: PART 2

...continued

INTERVIEW W: ELAN WONDER

MG: Who you be?

EW: Elan Wonder

MG: How did you get started in art? Involved w FRESH?

EW: I've been into art since I was a kid. I always liked to draw. I became a fan of graffiti around the time I was 7 or 8. I was big into breakdancing, so I would always see it on album covers, videos, etc. I got really attracted seeing cats from my way getting up everywhere & appreciating all the different styles. It wasn't until I was about 17 that I met CHEK in high school & took on the name "ELAN". That was in 1994. He was my mentor in many ways & we started taking it to the walls together. We started several crews such as NJ crew & Liquid Soul Designs. About 15 years & many walls later, I decided to form an art collective with partners CHEK, CES CINCO and MIMIK. We've been painting together & taking part in part shows in an effort to create momentum to showcase our work & celebrate the golden era of hip hop.

MG: Describe your style.
EW: I don't know if I have a particular name for my style, but I like to think it's mechanical. I think good letter form should have tons of style, movement, balance & just feel like its saying something to you. & I'm always sketching & trying to evolve my style & try something new. I think that's an important part of evolving the artform, so hopefully I am helping to achieve that for myself & perhaps the movement.

MG:Name a few influences.
EW: I would start with my crew. I think we all tend to influence the others in one way or another. I'm constantly looking at what others are doing though, so I could say that in regards to style, a little bit absorbs into my mind from the people who I think are doing it well. Graffiti is more than just letter styles though. I get a ton of inspriation on color from sneaker brands, like Puma in particular. They have some great use of color in their products. Inspiration comes from anywhere.

MG: Whats you greatest accomplishment up to date experienced thru art?

EW: I'm not quite sure what I would call my greatest achievement. I've definitely got a few highlights that I will always remember like making some good friends, painting murals, the thrill of bombing, selling my first canvas, etc. I hope the best is yet to come!
MG: Name one thing, anything that you'd share, but never give up?

EW: I'll share my Montana paint, but I aint givin it up. Never going back to Krylon!

MG: If you can be on any tv game show what would it be?

EW: I think I can hustle my way into a trip to Mexico & a brand new car on The Price Is Right!

MG: Tell us a joke?

EW: Ever heard of an Australian kiss? It's like a French kiss, but down under!

For more on ELANWONDER & his work leave comments below,  visit Elan's blog by clicking on the link above, "like" us @ THE FRESH COLLECTIVE on Facebook or visit our website @ THEFRESHCOLLECTIVE.COM

ROCKIN' THE MIC'S

Its the 3rd hottest day so far this month as I roll up to my boy Ruben's house to "graffitize" his room in preparation of converting the space into a music studio.

I start off w the regular routine of sorting colors & a recapped explanation & placement of the graffitti. Now I'm set to go!

Lay out some rough sketching, fill in, add a lil design here & there...

Another one for the books!

A big thanks & shout out to Ruben & his son Sincere for letting me attack their wall!