TOOFLY NYC

The #TooflyPopUpShop returned this year for the 2nd time at Rebelution Ink now known as Fresh Off The Press. The printing location where my shirts, tank tops, and tote bags are printed. The space is a perfect size for what I need and it’s in an excellent location in Williamsburg  near train, restaurants, bars, parks, waterfronts, and more. When curating an event all these elements need to be in place. It allows guests to hang out in the neighborhood after or before pop-up and keep the night going long after event is over. This year I decided to give it a little twist! In the past I only opened up shop for 1 day, this time I decided to do a weekend long event and introduce a sip & mingle mixer in the patio, and a workshop. It worked out pretty good, despite the rain. You just never know with the weather these days and Saturday was pouring! Special shout out to friends, and guests that trooped it that day. Especially my cousin Chill Will who got a chance to celebrate his B-Day with all of us after the pop-up. Sunday was a lot nicer and I was happy to see the hommies swing thru for a much needed chat. There is never enough time but when we carve it out it’s perfect. Students enjoyed the workshop earlier that day, and it made me think that an adult workshop needs to happen. Who doesn’t want to sip and make art on a Sunday afternoon? I found that the conversations with the ladies and gents is hella fun! I need to work on this idea a bit more. The events I am curating are small and a great learning experience to fine tune them. It feels good to bring people together and the vibe is genuine. It’s not about hype or faking the funk that your authentic, like so many events these days. Before all that BS we just had a good time together with music, drinks, and company. Community minded folks know what’s up and they will troop it rain or shine. I appreciate that. These events take months, love, and work to prepare. Shout out to everyone that came thru to support and purchase some TF goodies, Randy for holding us down on all aspects of the space, and to my wonderful team Ana Lovera on TF sales and Crafty Cocktales for teaming up this year on the mixer. Thank you NYC!

 

 

 

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By now ya’ll know I don’t live in NY anymore right? I have been gone for 5 years and the transition was pretty smooth. I still gotta work tho. Only now I get to live as an artist full time. My dream has come true! It’s something I have always wanted and strived for. I have chosen to live the country life in Ecuador, and the city life in the states a few month out of the year. When you grow up in NY you have this “you can make it anywhere” mentality, and it’s true. You can. When you grow up in NY you make a lot of friends, it’s part of city life, it’s part of urban life. Over time those wonderful friends  jumpstart their biz, and the real work begins. Especially when their business models are educational, creative, and socially responsible. It is the kind of friends I like to work with! I am a worker. I love to get involved and make ideas work. It is the kind of energy that motivates me. I now have the opportunity to pop-up in NY for a workshop, a project, a gig, a wall, etc; It keeps things in life fun for me. That is how I do these days, and it’s working out. I LOVE IT! June is not too hot, and not too cold. Perfect to work outdoors. This year Thrive Collective and I took the time to reconnect and set-up a workshop as soon as I arrived. The #tooflyworkshop has become part of what I do as an artist. I have so much I have learned over the years that I can now share with others on a professional level. It is gratifying work, especially when it’s with youth. Each workshop is different, and with Thrive we have history. It makes this particular collaboration special to me. Wow 10 years. Time flies in NY.Make sure you make the time count. Back in the days when LASE NYC and I worked together ( Motug Days ) he brought me on to many creative and pioneering projects that I am thankful for. With Thrive, I think before it was called Thrive we painted at a public school in the Lower East Side. This is where I got to meet Jeremy Del Rio and all the wonderful community folks who continue to do the “good work” in a changing city. I am happy and proud of them. Thanks guys! Shout out to all the students involved in beautifying their schools walls.

Thank You Thrive Collective!

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Feels good to be back and writing these posts! I have a bunch to get thru and a mess of work so I will keep them a bit short. Welling Court Mural Project this year was smooth. No rain to worry about! usually that messes with my schedule. The sunshine peeked thru, and a little heat wave hit us so it made painting outdoors nice. This year @Sinned NYC, Maria, and I worked in a few details in each of our pieces to get the collaborative effect to happen. We should definitely try to do it more often with everyone on that long wall. I think it could give it a new twist. What do ya’ll think? Homegirl Daniella Harris came back this year to help me prep the wall, and continue to practice her aerosol skills. Thank you D! My lovely friend Irene ( TopShelf Photography ) pulled thru before the madness to take some action shots and catch up on all the bochinche we missed. Ha! We love to laugh, and we get along so great together. Love ya gurl! – That day was a lot of fun, and even more so that Ledania arrived to NY all the way from Bogota, Colombia! Such a treat to invite her to WellingCourt. She got a chance to paint next to Lady Pink. Happy I was able to introduce them at the Warmi Paint Festival in Ecuador in 2015.  It made it a lot smoother for her to rock a spot when there was none left. It’s tough man, there are hardly any new walls left at WellingCourt. Luxury condos are going up everywhere even near the projects. Less walls, means less room for artists to paint, especially traveling artists. I did notice a bunch of new artists this year, not many locals. I think it’s a good idea to get new folks in the mix, and switch it up. I must say there’s nothing more fun to see your friends from all the years of painting in this city back year after year. Change is inevitable, gotta enjoy the good old old days and the new days. Gentrification is not going anywhere, but more than likely we will be. What is important is to continue to get everyone together. A lot of people came thru this year, thank you for making the troop. Families, and people of all sizes, colors, and ages are still out there for the community vibe in the company of the artists that return with new work to share. Thank you WellingCourt!

Irene, Toofly, Ledania. I have an idea how about a painting trip to Colombia together!:) 2018

Photography by TopShelf ©2017

Photography by Alexandra Henry © 2017

I was unable to get a final shot of the wall facing ( front ) too many cars. There’s no parking here on Tuesdays from 10am-1pm anyone want to shoot it? 30th Ave, and Main Ave. If so please send to tooflynyc@gmail.com It’s a good flick to have in case it get’s published. Thank you! Photo by Daniella Harris

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