The pickup truck with the Rothko vibes

blue pickup truck

I was running errands when I noticed this blue pickup truck on the road next to me. It was the door in particular that grabbed my attention; there was something about the painted repairs that didn’t come close to fixing the original problem that made me think of Mark Rothko’s paintings. Why? Let’s take a … Read more

Window decal in the Home Depot parking lot

window decal of a man smoking seen in Home Depot parking lot

I went to Home Depot this afternoon to get some replacement light bulbs, and as I was walking back to my car, I did a double-take when I saw this … I wasn’t fooled into thinking it was a real man smoking, but rather was just surprised because I hadn’t seen any window decals like … Read more

Architectural details that aren’t really there in Lambertville

faux painted shutters on windows in Lambertville

I was walking around side streets to get away from the crowds at Shadfest in Lambertville when I noticed this charming little house. But as I got closer, I realized that some of the architectural details that I had seen from afar were in fact not what I thought they were. The front window (seen … Read more

Why does everyone want to paint a Basquiat Crown?

Basquiat Crown style thrift store painting

The art of Jean-Michel Basquiat has become a cultural force, everything from the Brooklyn Nets using Basquiat as inspiration for basketball jerseys, to countless artists impersonating his style – or elements of his style, in their own art. For example, Basquiat was known for putting a crown in his art works, and I swear I … Read more

Giving Art Away for Free

public art by Mark McKinney

I was reading an old article from the NY Times about an artist who gives away his art, secretly … and it was both fascinating and thought-provoking. The artist, Fred Cray, has hidden over 32,000 works of his art throughout New York City over the past 12 years. He has a totally different approach than … Read more

Scaling up sticker art into large paintings

Hello My Name Is tag with graffiti

I often see small sticker art pieces that have beautiful tags and wonder what it would look like if one made them into a large scale painting? Quite a few of the “slaps” that I see, such as the one here, as seen in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, have some nice abstract expressionist qualities, … Read more

NJ Garage Frieze with Relief Sculpture

artistic garage in NJ with relief sculpture two reclining nudes

I was on a walk in Montclair, NJ today when I noticed this garage (above) on a residential street, and did a double-take. From a distance, I could that there was a custom installation of an artistic frieze, featuring some relief sculpture, but I had to move closer to get a better look. Once I … Read more