Better late than never! None the less it’s time to drop the ball on ya:) drumrolllllll…2012 marks a whole new chapter in our lives. My love and I have decided to switch things up this year and take a one way ticket to SOUTH AMERICA!!! yeah baby woohoo!!! We’re super excited that we can make this happen. Especially this year, when the energy of change is in the air everywhere you go. We feel extremely thankful to the mighty powers that be that we are able to set sail and create this adventure together. In the last few years we have been working towards living a much simpler life. Where we no longer have “things” weigh us down but instead focus a lot more on the value of our time, and how we spend it doing what we love, and with those we love. We’ve learned to travel light, and in light anywhere we go. Here’s to a Happy New Year in the the sunshine!!!

Finally all caught up to the NYC grind. Happy to be home, happy to have completed one last painting mission this year. Art Basel 2011 was amazing! WOW. There is so much to see so much to do during Art Basel weekend. Some of the walls in the Wynwood District are spectacular pieces of work. Every time I passed one I wondered how can it get any better than this? These walls are HUGE!!! It’s mind blowing. If you ever make it out there in December I guarantee you will be inspired, but note…you will be ART BASELED OUT! By the second day I couldn’t take it it anymore. There’s only so much art you can look at before it all starts looking the same. It’s a good thing the other wonderful thing to do during Art Basel is hit Miami Beach! Great time to unwind under the sun, and enjoy the company of your traveling buddies. Throw in a Mojito or two, dine on some peruvian ceviche con mucho limon, and inhale-exhale. Mmmmm life is good….

I can’t get enough of boomboxes. Anyone else? I think I have a Boombox fetish now. Love them…

BIG!

EARSNOT, repping NYC graff…

These dudes are dope…

RETNA IS AMAZING!!!

Few & Far Miami, FL 2011 – Check the post here!

Shout out to our NY peeps who made it to Basel this year; Tony Peralta, Leo Vasquez, Werds, Kano, DJ Chela, Rico, Shiro, Cern, Sabio, Damian, Mike, and many more!

Got a chanece to support the fellas URNY crew at their solo show Breaking & Entering….

Proud of ya’ll! Come a long way from the Soho streets…

Silly street art shots…

Good to see everyone making moves at Basel…GET IT IN!!!

2nd Ave strolls…Loved this piece…

Happy homegirl Izzy troooped it from LA to check out the event. Shout out to Karen who joined us on the trip and gave us a run for the laugh attacks! HAHAHHAH still laughing…

MIAMI BEACH – RELAX DAY…

“A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George Moore
Love this quote! No matter how wonderful a place, or how much of a good time I have during my travels there’s nothing like coming home to love…

Helllllllo Miami!!! I made it back this year to rock a collabo wall with the Few & far graff/street art ladies. It was such a blast to get together again, and rep the ONLY ALL WOMEN WALL at ART BASEL. Super proud of that. It’s been a long time coming since 2003 when the NYC graff ladies got together to rock an all women wall at the Graffiti Hall of Fame. Thanks to Lady Pink “herstory” was made. As I think back to those days, and check out the flicks today, I can say I am proud of how far it’s come. Women everywhere are getting together and creating the environment they want. A cipher that’s at peace with one another, creative, and fun. It’s all I ever wanted, and I’m happy to keep the tradition alive for those loving hearts I meet along the way…

Here’s to today, tomorrow and beyond!!!! FEW & FAR MIAMI, FL 2011

Black book breaks…

weather is sweet, and the sunshine spent the day kissing each one of us…it was a lovely weekend to paint…

whadddddddddup Oakland!!! Happy to see all our Cali peeps in Miami. We said we were doing Miami and we did it YEAH BABY!!!

Happy my sister came thru from Orlando to spend time with big sis. LOVE YOU TONS sweetie pie!!! Thanks Britney for rolling thru and keeping her company while I painted away…

Speedy Gonzalez moves…2 hours…3hours…4hours…

Photo by Gloria Muriel

Shout out to my girlz Izzy and Karen for taking the troop to Miami this year! Hella good times, crazy laugh attacks, we def doing it up next year X 3 FUN!!! Thanks ladies:)

Photo by Gloria Muriel

I finally got to meet Tati! Really dig her characters. Happy she’s in Brooklyn see you soon!!!

from sunrise to sunset…

Shiro, Tati, Toofly getting ready for our sunset photo shot with Martha Cooper…

Can’t wait to see Martha’s final flick. Thanks Martha!!! xoxo Day 1 for me complete. Back tomorrow for final details and group shot pic…

DAY 2 RISE & SHINE!

Ready for day#2. Music blasting, here we goooooooo!

Wall is looking good…love the colors…love the pieces/character combos…

Vanessa is born ready…

Photo by Gloria Muriel

Maggs placing in the details…FOCUSED!

Brush work ladies don’t play…watch out!

Dime you killed it!!! Fresh piece homie:)

ITS A WRAP!

Photo by Erin Ashford

Time to click away and take home our moments of (((happiness)))

Ksra, Toofly, Meme. ( Final wall flick coming soon )

Shout out to founder, and organizer of Few & Far MEME.  Your dedication to the crew and women collective rocks home girl. Your doing a great job, we’re having tons of fun! THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE!!!:)

FEW & FAR MIAMI FL, 2011!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does” – Margaret Mead

Thank you Miami! Till next time XOXO.  – Art Basel Re-Cap flicks here

this year the Few and Far  ladies hit Miami for the infamous Miami Art Basel!!! Flicks coming soon…

FEW & FAR™ @Primary Flight in Miami Art Basel
Artists: Meme , Ksra , Glow, Hops, Reds, Tatiana Suarez, Amandalynn, Lady Mags, Gloria Muriel, Erin Yoshi, TooFly, Dime, Agana, and 179.
DEC 1st – 4th
554 NW 24th Street, Miami, FL 33127
sponsored by: Ironlak  and Nomads

Primary Flight is Miami’s original open air museum and street level mural installation that takes place annually throughout the Wynwood Arts District and the Miami Design District. Primary Flight is arguably the world’s largest event of its kind, having featured over 250 world class artists from around the globe since its inception, the majority of whom travel to Miami during Art Basel. Artists from all walks of contemporary art headline our annual event, collaborating on high profile walls throughout Miami’s urban landscape. Maps outlining the installation are circulated, providing patrons with an opportunity to view the works in progress.

Art of the Streets in Stockholm Sweden is back!!! I’ve been invited to participate again this year, alongside graffiti women MAD C, and BLUE. Looking forward to seeing you ladies again it’s been a hot minute. Especially BLUE, who’s character work was refreshing to look back in the days on walls of the lower east side. I want to send a big thank you to organizers, Jacob, Ceylan, and Tobias for the opportunity to be able to visit your beautiful country again. Looking forward to share my work, and rock some graffiti workshops. See you guys soooooooooon! If you missed it last year,  check it out Art of the Streets 2010.

Back from Cali! Had a nice little weekend trip to the bay for the FEW & FAR female graffiti wall jam. Organized by the beautiful MEME. Big ups to you, and your team for pulling in graff girls from Miami, Seattle, NY, Jersey, and San Francisco wooohoo! Everyone was awesome, and super sweet. I love that!!! I had a blast meeting ya’ll, I’m sure we will all come together again sooner than later. Already scheming the next joint. A super big thank you to Shon for sponsoring the event, and to Art Primo, and Montana. Your support, it means a lot!  and to my hommies in SF hostess with the mostess miss Nancy Pilli! Love you girl, thank you for letting me crash in your humble oasis. Shout out to Patty and Vero and Domino tooooooo. Good times at the thug mansion;) haha!

Love it Love it Love it, let’s go!

The scaffold set us back a bit, but once we macgivered the shit and figured it out it was on! What a difference height makes…

mmmm I love to paint…can you tell?

This was originally gonna be a solo piece but then homegirl Dime came thru with some dope sketches and made a run for paint to make it happen. Love it when things just work out organically. It’s the best!

Go Dime, Go Dime…

Wasup ladies!!! Super sweet paint brush gals. I saw the cans action in there too very fly….nice to meet ya!!!

So happy to see m girl Acet pull thru from New Jersey and rep. She’s got a sick style…sick..style…love it! Can’t wait to see a final flick…

Hey! Big ups to the graff ladies who trooped it from Seattle YEAH!!! Shoot me your emails ladies!

Rain or shine baby…luckily the rain pour in the morning stopped and the sunshine saved the day…

I love meeting dope women. Specially when they’re hella cool. Gonna build;)

Shout out to Lady Mags. Super high piece, you rocked it girl. Gotta love that cherry lift…wish I owned one. I’ll be all over the place with that joint…so fun…

PS. Mags earrings were sick!!!! Custom baby…love it…I want a pair….

The gals, are rock’n and rolling….

Phooto by dyannaanfang on Flickr.

Myla’s pieces are like yummy stickers. So cleannnn….love it!

Acet action….

Siloette Action…

By the 2nd day closing in at 6pm as planned I was putting in the finishing touches….ahhh what joy it is to finish a work of art. Especially a HUGE one…

Very happy Dime and I pulled off this collabo. We were on point with the design details. Guerillera girlz all the way…

Going high baby…high…high…high…as the sky….elevated…high…high..high…consciousness….simply way up high where I can fly….ok I made that up just now. Yup.

I’m ready for the summer! and the rest of the flicks of the finished pieces…

Las Guerilleras,  “Warrior Women”

FEW & FAR, Oakland California; TOOFLY, SILOETTE, MYLA, ACET, LADY MAGS, KSRA, MISS REDS, MEME, DIME, and many more.

Final Flicks by ©Vanessa Solari Espinoza

its a wrap!

Taking a quick trip up to Oakland June 4th for an all female production wall entitled “Few ” Far” Shout out to Meme for organizing us, and hooking it up! See you ladies sooooooon…

PLAYA PALMS…

Back from paradise! Tired from travel not gonna make it to Toy Street today:( Sorry folks. Need some rest from rest, but luckily my bloggy blog post is ready. SOOOooooo every year babe and I take off for some fun in the sun at one of our favorite beach spots in the Carribean – Playa Del Carmen. There’s a lot to experience here, especially natures amazing beauty. From it’s soft sandy beaches, crystal clear blue waters, sea life, bird life, and rocky underwater worlds. You name it, they got it, and you are free to visit all of it, and pay locals prices if your a trooper. Last time we checked in at La Tortuga hotel, one of our favorites. This time around we wanted to step out directly on to the beach, so we scored a great deal at Playa Palms Beach Hotel…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!

PLAYA PALMS BEACH HOTEL

Gotta love the beach views…

grounded, but ready to float away…

Spent the first few days beach bumming it out, and thanking the powers that be for a chance to take a break from the daily hustle. As I get older I think daily of giving it all up for the chance to live in such beauty, such peace…

Then we remember…we have a lot more to see, and we can’t do it on pesos;(

CENOTES

Last time we came we missed the chance to check out the cenotes. So this time we made sure we visited at least one of them because there’s  bunch of them…

Ready to discover what these under water caves are all about…

WOW! You gotta come here…nature is amazing!!!

beautiful under water caves for all to enjoy ( cenotes )

I’m ready you ready? I’m ready, but are you ready? Go I’m ready, no you go first, lol

eeeek! – a must…

ahhh…Happy Birthday babe!

Like nothing I have ever seen before. Loved it! Good times. If you come here just take the$3 vans to the cenotes and pay the $10 entrance fee. It’s a bit of a walk but there’s always someone nice enough on the road there that can scoop you up. Beats the expensive tour, you stay as long as you want, and when all the tour folks leave you have the place to yourself;)

COZUMEL

I don’t recommend it. We took the 25min ferry which was like $25 each round trip to an area where there was no beach. We asked the local for the nearest beach which was like 15min away so $14 later we arrive to a beach full of people, expensive food, and hard sand. Maybe there’s nice spots in this Island but it must be far far away. If your a snorkel freak I hear that’s pretty much all that is good here because of so many rocks. I think the best thing was our breakfast that morning and the flicks we took before we got on the boat!

Breakfast at El Bistro at La Tortuga Hotel – Now that I recommend…

AKUMAL

We were heading to Tulum which is one of our favorite beaches for the day when one of the locals recommended we check out Akumal. A beach where you can swim with sea turtles!

AKUMAL BEACH – Mexico

coco loco?

Let’s go find us some turtles….

I’m investing in some snorkel gear from here on. Renting it can get pricey…I better see some turtles!

OMG! ((( YES ))) We got to see 3 big turtles! Wow…they are so beautiful….what a beautiful experience…

I made a little sea offering on the way to the beach to give thanks for our beautiful trip as it came to a close…

I thought about my grandfather the whole time I was here. I thought about how he loved to take paseos with my grandmother, and how much of what we were doing was how he liked to live life. To the FULLEST. With every step we treasure what is most important, so that we may see the beauty that is around us, in front of us, in us. I tried not to get sad, but at times it was hard. I know he is with us everywhere we go. Helping us grieve in our own way. Showing us how to keep smiling. Thinking of you always Papito, no matter where I am, where I go, and what I do. You are with me always…

Off to paradise for some birthday time with babe, a peaceful break from the never ending city grind, and some sun! Spring is taking forever to hit New York, WTF? We out…

YO SUN.

Back from our little NYC winter break. Even though it was a little cold in Los Angeles during our trip, we made the best of every rain drop, and every hoodie we brought along. When the sun did come out, we made sure to soak in every last shot of vitamin D. Ahhhh….the life…

Baking under the sun with our girl Izzy Izms. Special hostess with the mostess for the week. Sending a big fraggie thank youuuuu!!! ((( WE LOVE YOU KID )))

Our first day was pretty cloudy,  but we geared up and headed downtown for some street art strolls to get our juices flowing…

Brotha from anotha flick time…

Iphoto photoshoot? Why not, strike a pose Izzy!

Them walls got us amped. We caught the painting bug, so we hit up the nearest home depot for some $4 cans…

then stopped by Crewest for the good stuff! Montana 94′s my fave. Missed kicking it with Man One though;( but caught a nice little exhibit called “THINGS THAT GET BUFFED”

I loved those paintings!

Couldn’t hit up any walls that day because is started to rain so we went for a Silverlake noodle run. Rainy days are perfect for Pho! Mmmmmm….

Before we called it a rainy night, we went to support our boy Marka for his Mini Gods release at SIXHUNDRED…

Congratulations!!! Love those little guys, I need to get one…

VENICE BEACH ACTION…

The rain finally took a break! It was sunny skies the rest of the week. Thank you mother nature;) We linked up with our gal DJ Moni for brunch and sipped on some bellini’s! YUM. Shout out to our fraggie friend Mike who was away on a film shoot;( LA moves kid!!! Get em’…

las tres amigas ready to chow down…

Can’t go wrong with the Eggs Benedict with spinach! @ 3rd Sq Cafe on Abbot Kinney Blvd…

It turned into a beautiful day to paint and hang with friends;)

My first time painting on a beach, and I LOVED IT!!! Felt so good to paint under the sun, and catch some beach breeze. This is a great spot to paint on the weekend. Just speak to hommie who runs the location, sign an agreement form, and it’s all gooooood in the hood…

Some places are just funky fresh!

Vee got down on the action and rocked an ACB piece of a throwie he’s been working on. It was fun to do our little collabo on some chillax tip, no pressure, just fun…

Got a chance to sneak in a mini interview for a women graffiti video in the works…The universe works in mysterious ways…

Shout out to our friends Marco and Daffodil who came through to kick it and sip on some coronas. GOOD TIMES!!!

TOOFLY, ACB, & VEE. Venice Beach, CA 2011

Who’s hungry!!!?

After a fun day under the sun, we reunited with our girl Moni. She whipped us hungry artists a home cooked meal from scratch! WHAT…It was delicious. Thank you Moniiiiiiiii!

Big ups to everyone that pulled through for the communal grub, and got our activist hearts pumping again. You guys are truly ((( INSPIRING ))) individuals, and as a collective oooooh watch out!

12 DEEP…

New Yorker grooves, and moves…

We were on a roll, and our mission: Party till you drop! Got on the guest list for the 12th anniversary of the Deep party at Vanguard, and hit the dance floor. Partied with some of our favorite NY DJ’s Dj Spinna, and Rich Medina;)

Long weekend indeed. Day 2 and it felt like I had been here a week!

Rebel nights…

MR CARTOON…

As we mellowed out from our crazy party night, we hooked up with our hommie Victor who gave us a little tour through Mr Cartoon’s studio and shop…

Estevan Oriol, and Mr Cartoon flicks on the shop’s wall…nice….

I love Cali style;)

Big ups to Mr Cartoon for his persistent work on his illustration craft, and giving back to the community through youth art workshops and mural projects. It was great to finally meet in person;) thanks for the introduction Victor!

STREET STROLLZ…

Last few days we took a chill pill cuz our peeps had to get back to work so we went for some cappi shopping on Abbot Kinney blvd…

Oh snap. What you know about spicy fruta? Coconut, Watermelon, Cucumber, Mango, and picante baby!

Hooked up with our boy Johnny and his lovely wife who were also in town from NY. We did a double dip to the wall, mahi mahi tacos, and skater flicks…

I-phone flick by Vee Bravo. Good one kid! I stole it…

One thing I did miss out on was a beach sunset. I will catch it one day though. Till then I can admire the flicks by other photographers. This is a dope one. www.venicebeachpictures.com

THANK YOU!!!

Sending a special thanks to everyone who pulled through to share a little LA time with us. We felt super welcomed, and happy to be around all of you talented and positive beings! To our hommies who have moved to LA, we miss you dearly! We are super proud of you, and wish you all the best in the city of angels. They are lucky to have YOU. Con mucho amor, y gracias por ser los QUERIDOS HOMMIES;)

Heading to LA, and dipping into SF this weekend! Look out…

FEB 18-FEB 23

As I approached the third and final stage of my trip I  finally decided on the message I wanted to convey on my last piece. I’m big on experiences. They help guide you throughout your life. Giving you signs as you build up your intuition. Each moment and person I come in contact with is a chance to understand the world and help create the necessary links. It’s all about the bigger picture,  if you believe it to be so. I was extremely happy that my ecua friends have become full on organizers and wonderful human beings. I enjoyed watching them put together an arts and culture event that is sure to grow and inspire their community year after year. All for the love of Hip Hop, and for the love of their pueblo. I was also particularly proud of the chance I had to show my grams and gramps what this is all about! Especially since they had the opportunity to see it come full circle in the land of their ancestors. So even though things got a little crazy in the motherland the day hate erupted like a volcano the opportunity to look at it’s ugly face proved yet again to all who was watching that it solved nothing. Disappointed and embarrassed one can only learn and change which is always good. The only revolution I believe in is LOVE & PEACE!

So the “peace” piece begins. The wall is located in Quito on a street called La Patagonia. The house where my mother was raised, and where I grew up before coming to the states. I decided to go full on latex this time because I can’t stand the spray paint. In the end though using brushes for a large mural was not as fun. ha! It was a nice try, but I’m an aerosol lover.

Ohhhh shit….what you know about librillo? This lady has been feeding the neighborhood her infamous librillo dish for 35+ years! Sweet little lady she allowed me to photograph her as she told her story. She sells about 15 dishes of this stuff in one trip to the patagonia and is done with her day and her living off this stuff. Librillo with potatoes and aji is one of  my favorite native ecuadorian soup dishes:)

Papito knows wasup. He needed to get the energy necessary to get his day on the roof started…

He’s always up to something en la casa del sur. He’s gotta be the ultimate bob the builder type of pop…lol

This street hasn’t changed in all 25+ years. My cousin Nancy and I played as little pasposita girls here just like all them little kids that were running up, and down the block while I was painting. While on a break and snacking on mandarins I began to think about how good these little kids had it. 5-6 years old playing and running around without any parent supervision. Happy and free. Parents in the states leash their kids up at that age just to walk on the streets! It’s a funny thing thing when you stop to notice these things…

after all the thinking I was doing about what life is like en el sur, I took a nap under the sun while my grandma knitted her little doily’s. She’s so cute!

Once my grandpa finished fixing the roof he came down to help me prep the old wall I did back in…2005! whoa that was a while ago…

Then it was hours and hours of brush work…

with a handmade ladder! made by gramps…

11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm…raindrops…

The hommies Diego and Disfraz who live near by came through to show some love before the rain rushed us out. Shout out to Barrio 593 for the 2 page interview and poster! The mag looks dope…and so does the design to their latest album release. I’m so proud of ya!!!

MUGRE SUR!

That rain turned into Graniso! I haven’t seen ice rain fall since I was like 6. I wish I would have had a cup I would have ate them little ice pebbles up!

but I settled for a rainy day of humitas con cafe and some some choclo con queso y avas! OMG…so good…native food is sooooOooooo gooood….

Thankfully one day before my flight back to NY and the day after all the madness the country went through I was able to get most of the piece done. Whew…and so it is…
“El Pueblo De La Paz” by Toofly. Quito, Ecuador 2010

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” – Jimi Hendrix

Running a little behind on my posts. In the middle of a move to a new apt. Finally got a chance to go through the rest of my flicks and the yummyest part of my trip. After I got my ecua grub on, and painted with the hommies, my grandparents and I hit the road to one of my favorite places, Baños. This little town is known for it’s hot & cold volcanic thermal springs which is said to be good for your health. Baños is about 3-4 hrs from Quito and makes a great road trip. The views are amazing!

Sweet treat. Got to see the Cotopaxi volcano on our way down the road once the clouds cleared up…

The roads were a bit screwed up this time round due to an increase in gringo eco-tourism. Took a few bumpy side roads as we approached the village…

This cow artist dude is everywhere…He should make stickers…

I did some research before my trip and found a lovely little hotel called LA LUNA RUNTUN located way up in the mountains overlooking Baños. The view is priceless! I decided this will be my travel gift to my Papitos…

I love small hotels. They are so much cozier…

Room 56 was perfect. Just how I like it, and no TV! If you come here be prepared to hang with nature, and simplicity…

I could so live here…or a place like this…far far away from the city…

At last made it to PARDISE! The volcanic pools overlooking the top of the mountains were beautiful…

Pure bliss…

My Papitos loved it. Spending time with them is always a sweet old time. They love taking trips, and discovering new places too. These two are down for everything! Lucky for them they can come here whenever they want…

A little peace and quiet helps clear the mind…

and them little piña coladas in the bubbly hot tub make you silly!

Good times!

After some long hours in the pool, we took the party to the Cafe del Cielo for some crepes and cafesito. Yum.

The view here was nice too. Beautiful day, beautiful night…

Stole this flick from the website cuz after dinner at the Runtun restaurant which was delicious… I took a nap, and didn’t wake up;( Lol! I felt so relaxed from the warm water I passed out as soon as I hit the pillow. Of course I missed the pool night shots I wanted so bad…

GOOD MORNING LUNA RUNTUN! After some cafesito con pan we were ready to hit the road again…

We vid our farewells to the volcanic pools we enjoyed so much, and promised to return to this beautiful place with the rest of the familia…

Down the swirly roads of the mountain we went…and with each passing hour the roads got hotter and hotter as we got deeper and deeper into the amazon…

It got hot! We had some fried fish with tostones, and then took a walk down the river…

life by the river is freedom at it’s best. The kids were playing and jumping off the rocks. I was clicking away my last shots before my battery gave out…

mama cumita was collecting rocks…

papito was reading the comercio…

and I was just taking it all in. Happiness in the most simplest of forms.

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.  ~Lillian Smith

Back to the “land of the free”. Still trying to figure that one out. Until I’m actually living off the land, snacking on mandarins, and napping under the sun I will be happy with just “back to reality”. Which I have no problem with. As long as it runs smooth I’m cool with that. This trip to Ecuador sure was different, and I got to see what life looks like when it’s disorganized and in a state of chaos. Everything in between was gravy during my trip until the police decided to take over the country and protest! WTF? Can you believe they actually kidnapped the president! The police, and I’m sure power tripping goverment haters held him hostage over some decrease in wages and without any proper dialogue to discuss the issue they went ape shit and rebelled. Leaving citizens, and the country in a state of emergency. I had returned from some paseos to the country side to witness the streets in pure chaos, and live minute to minute video of gunshot battles between the military and the cops as they struggled to rescue the president to gain control of the madness. Banks were robbed, shops were vandalized, the airports shut down. It was a sad day for the motherland on September 30th, 2010. I didn’t know whether to laugh at one point, or actually worry about what was happening. Straight up action war movie status for 12hrs. I was unhappy watching the country fall apart. It’s not a good look. Luckily once the president Rafael Correa was safe, and back at the palace to deliver his speech people finally regained consciousness. With the help of powerful words, emotional choke ups, and patria songs the people of Ecuador got busy fixing their mess. I’m just glad it lasted ONE DAY. Whew…as my grandma would say “benidito sea dios”

LA LIBERTAD ESTA EN PELIGRO…

EL PANECILLO, QUITO

Anyway…before all the madness I was able to get some painting done, hang with my fam, and enjoy the beauty and peace I so desperately seek each time I dip out of the rotten apple…

On my way to the location I got a chance to see a bunch of productions with artists from Italy that had visited and a local artist named INFAME…There’s def way more graff /murals this time around…

en camino a la Avenida 6 de Diciembre. I was digging the new color they painted all the streets in…it was giving me cravings for some elado de mango.

As soon as I arrived I linked up with my Ecua hommies from La Communidad Hip Hop Ecuador and Barrio 593 and locked in to paint at the HIP HOP SIN VIOLENCIA event held en el sur de Quito. On top of the little mountain called el Panecillo where I grew up as a little pasposita girl. At 7am the DJ crew was already getting geared up for the street art/hip hop jam. The fellas were carrying over a heavy ass wooden table…I thought to myself…man they need them lightweight folding tables, but then I thought…this is dope. Bring out your momz biuro! Gotta work with what you got…

It was a beautiful morning, quiet, and sunny…fresh day to get started and paint in peace…in a few hours these streets would be full of bikers, artists, kids, and families who come to learn about what the youth with baggy jeans are up to…

Materials are so important. I forgot my mask! Luckily my grandpa had his little rags in the car and I was able to protect myself from the toxic paint fumes of their paint. Seriously I can’t hang with this paint, it makes it extremely hard for me to get shit done properly. Male caps vs Female caps. Argh…luckily one of the fellas had a connector. Saved! I need me a few for the next trip…

I was loving the location of the wall….it was a fly spot to paint. Great for photos…

Once the music got set up it was on!!!

Especially when this song came on what! Loved the beat…{ LA NiÑA by Mala Rodriguez }

The rest of the artists began to arrive, each holding a box of paint donated by the Ministerio de Cultura, and UNIFEM the united nations development fund for women.

Got a chance to meet them all and make plans for future trips here with an endless amount of walls and paint as soon as I return. YES!!! That made my day:) Muchas gracias! Estare en contacto con todos ustedes:)

Got a chance to get my photo doc moves on…I’m falling in love with photography more and more these days…

Folks conserve their materials here big time. I assume in all third world countries because of the limited quality in materials and income to purchase the right stuff. They use latex and spray to create most of their pieces…

Love shots with our pueblo people and the youth of today…

Can Ecuador please link up with the Europeans and get some of their paint pleaseeeeeeeeeee….I can’t stress it enough…

Props. They do work it though…I’m spoiled, lol!

The street art/hip hop jam block party, was a success! I’m always happy to see friends, momz, and neighbors come together to develop community events in their own hood with little to no money but full corazon! It’s inspiring…

Why is there always 1% of women repping tho? There’s plenty of space, room, and opportunity for you to shine mis lindas. Step up, rise up. Big ups to the 2 local women who were holding it down for the ladies…

I must say since my last trip the imagery, teqnique and walls have sure improved…

Their stencil artists too…

Semi-finito. Wall was hella big and the street that had shut down from 7am-3pm for bikers, runners, and people who wanted to enjoy their neighborhood strollz was gonna open up again and let hundreds of cars and buses roam through. Sigh…hopefully one day we will have less cars so we can all stop and smell the roses of life!

YO SOY EL SOL…

YO SOY LIBERTAD…

Ecua homegirlz steelo…

Shout out to my hommie Andres “Sapin” for linking me up with Disfraz MC del grupo Mugre Sur y Diego Palacios aka Psicosis who helped to organize this event. I am thankful for the invitation, and was hella lucky I made the trip during these dates. I always have a great time hanging with my ecua peeps, learning from each other, building, and painting under the sun of our beautiful land. Shout out to the women of UNIFEM for the interview and the opportunity to build with you on future events. Also to Jorge Cinesos from the Ministerio de Cultura who is recovering from the gunshot wounds from the riots;( Un abrazo grande a ustedes y a todos los grafiteros/artistas que pude conocer en el tiempo pequeño que tuve esta vez.  Con mucho cariño a todos. Asta el 2011!!!

I’m off to the motherland! It’s been a minute since I’ve been back to the land I call my country. The place that gave me life, and where so much of my native roots still lay undiscovered.  I hope one day I can call this place home again, reconnect, and build my own little natural paradise far far away from city life. Until then it’s all about spending some quality time with my grandparents, painting some walls with my Ecua hommies, and taking a trip up, down, and around the mountains to the paradise of Mindo. I can’t wait!

Virgen del Panecillo, Quito Ecuador