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!

BUTTERED POPCORN

With the recent spill & somewhat continuous events of bringing the comic book world into a real life scenario both Marvel & DC seem to be getting a grip on Hollywood. They've taken their biggest franchises & cashed them in. We have seen old time favorite heroes leap from hand drawn pages to the lights of the big screen in a single bound.

Marvels most recent release is CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Judging only from the early trailers & commercials it appeared to me that this movie would bomb. Going into it I still felt the same, but was relieved coming out of it feeling better about it. And rightfully so! This is Capt. America! He's supposed to be up there w apple pie & baseball (as how the movie portrayed him in selected scenes)! 

The only real thing I can disagree w is how THE RED SKULL'S character wore a rubber, flourescent, pinkish mask! Im not a big fan of CGI. Probably cause they overkill it where its not necessary such in the case of THE GREEN LANTERN. Yea he can do imaginitive things & soar thru the skys, but not when your standing in the living room wearing a mask (when Hal Jordan shows off his ability to his friend). When Spidey wasn't web slinging he had on a suit, no CGI included. In the RED SKULLS case I can see where a touch of CGI could've been incorporated to get a drippy, musclely, tissue effect.

Another thing is this movie is carrying alot of weight on its shoulders & just happens to be the last installment of organizing & recruiting character heroes (HAWKEYES inclusion was so belittled) to form one almighty super group known as the AVENGERS. The final, secret, teaser scene (so stay in your seats) shows a glimpse of whats to come...... I still say X-Men is the better team!

P.S. Try to make it early to catch the preview of the new up-coming THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN!

KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN

Art comes in many forms & music is definitely one of the greatest medicinal, influences on the fabric of our society. Music sways our moods at any particular time. The vibes can be smooth & slow, fast & aggressive, or anywhere in between. However one hears it, it practically embeds itself into the fibers of our souls.


On ocassion & having recent discussions w friends over Chinese food led to the topic at hand. Being drawn to the intensity & essence of music such as heavy metal, rap, hardcore, jazz, hip hop, & blues to name a few is how The Mimik built his CD collection.


A few weeks ago marked the 2nd anniversay of Michael Jackson's passing. With such a loss, The Mimik made it a personal goal to see as many musical favorites when they come to town. Just so happens that certain musical acts have repeated concerts near the area & Mimik has attempted to see them every time.

Last year alone, Mimik has been fortunate to see New York's legendary hardcore band, The Cro Mags, perform 10 times throughout the months. And this Summer within a months time Mimik will have seen the beautiful Sade 5 times!

For more related videos click on the links on the right of the blog or go to Mimik's YouTube channel: Mimiksanjuro1

DALE'. . PONTE ESA ROPA!

"We speak spanglish, we combine culture, and we know what it's like to get hit by a chancleta!"

This is a quote taken from the Mi Ropa Vieja website. Owned & operated by two long time friends who were exposed to & grew up in a Cuban American environment. This inspired them to fulfill the call for "sabor" & add it to their line of Cuban & latino themed apparel.

Visit MIROPAVIEJA.COM for the latest sales in merchandise & "like" them on Facebook...  pero que tu espera? Dale'!

SEALIN' IN THE FRESH'NESS: PART 1

THE FRESH COLLECTIVE was created to celebrate, explore & inspire all things FRESH... FRESH by our definition. The definition of a movement who seek to redefine the urban experience for those who understand it & wish to celebrate it.

THE FRESH COLLECTIVE was created by ELAN WONDER, CHEK ROKA, & CESAR 5IN50. Three high school friends from Elizabeth, NJ who are still currently involved in the street art movement. Today THE FRESH COLLECTIVE aims to attract talented artists in every medium from art to music to dance. Through shows, exhiitions, & events we plan to innovate & spread the FRESH.

INTERVIEW W CHEK ROKA

MG: Who you be?

CR: I be the almighty Chek Roka of the Fresh Collective
MG: How did you get started in art? Involved w FRESH?
CR: I've been drawing ever since I can remember. It wasn't 'til high school that I got into graffiti. I met a couple guys that were into it, but until I met ELAN in art class & thats when i really gained interest in the art form. 

MG: Describe your style.

CR: I can rock a few different styles, but I enjoy a cartoon, bubble, style the most. I see cartoon as a great way to exaggerate reality.
MG: Name a few influences.
CR: In the beginning I was always checking out KAWS pieces on the train lines in Jersey, but i'm always checking out ELAN'S work. I also like the letter styles of guys like RIME & TUES... & the character styles of CAN2
MG: What's your greatest accomplishment up to date experienced through art?
CR: Not sure if it's really considered an accomplishment, but I'm happy about some of the friends I made & kept through the yrs.

MG: Name one thing, anything that you'd share, but never give up?
CR: This is a tough one... I would say my wife, but she'd kick  my ass, so I'm gonna have to say..... my ham sandwich!
MG: If you could be on any tv game show what would it be?
CR: This is an easy one! I'm going w WIPEOUT! I think my athletic ability would make it an easy win!
MG: Tell us a joke.
CR: How do you know you're a pirate? ... you just arrrgghh!   "Keep on keepin' on."


For more on CHEK ROKA & his work leave comments below,  join/"like" us @ THE FRESH COLLECTIVE on Facebook or visit our website @ THEFRESHCOLLECTIVE.COM

PRESS PLAY

Here's a recent video of THE FRESH COLLECTIVE'S own... THE MIMIK & ELANWONDER... check it out!

Stay tuned for more!

BIRTHDAY

Born a New Yorker, raised a Floridian, a residing New Jersite, "The Mimik" was & is always drawing/doodling where ever he went & goes. Wether it be on napkins, blackbooks, art boards, paper, & eventually onto walls.

Being a huge comic book fan, an admirer of anime, he found these 2 styles to fit in well w his seedling ventures into graffiti, which later helped give rise to a weekly drawing class provided by the local art store. The students varied in age & could learn methods such as figure drawing, typography, & comic page layouts.

The Mimiks fascination for watercolors grew more & more upon his arrival in Jersey. Here he quickly collaborated w now long time friend & fellow artist, Elan Wonder! With his help Mimik relearned the uses of graphic design. Together they repeated murals displaying both of their graffiti art styles.

A short time after, The Mimik's watercolor paintings mainly consisted of celebrity & friendly portraits that coincindentally gained noticed by WWE talent such as very good friends, multiple tag team champion Devon Dudley & undoubtedly wrestlings first family, Hall of Famers The Wild Samoans, Rikishi, The Island Boys Matt & Eki, Reno The Black Pearl, L.A. Smooth, Headshrinker Samu, The Samoan Storm Afa Jr, & even the youngest of them all The Samoan Thunder Lance Anoai!

After re-emerging from a small hiatus, Mimik came back to the art scene w new focus, joining forces w Cinco, Chek, & 'Dre who all accepted Elan's invitation to create & be a part of an idealistic art movement called THE FRESH COLLECTIVE!