TOOFLY NYC

My favorite part of our summer trip is spending it on the chillax tip with my love. Arrived early in June and took advantage of the really nice weather before it got nasty hot. Babe loves the ferry, so this summer we caught the one that goes to Rockaway Beach from Wall St for $2.50 and in 1 hr we were there! We got a bunch of olives, bread, and fruits for the ride and then got hella excited for the arepa with jackfruit snack on the boardwalk. There was hardly any one at the beach. It was perfect and just how we like it. Less people, more nature, lovely weather, and good food. Highlight of the trip was to land an unexpected gig and lock in the job details on the beach. Gotta love NY!

I havent had the time to write a post in a while on this here TF blog. I try my best to keep it up to date, even if posts are a little late. My blog is a place to document it all, but more and more Instagram does the same. Websites, blogs, etc are feeling dusty. Check in on them once and a while or none at all right? Aint nobody logging on to your page! We are all busy scrolling on IG, FB, Twitter. So that is to say that I am unsure how long I can keep up to date with yall here meng. It is time consuming especially now that it is getting busy as fuck. I am waiting for my flight as we speak and took a minute here. It is however a great place to write long ( Day in the Life ) stories that reflect more than any other place.  Folks can check in here when they like, just cuz.  Back when I had started the blog there was no social media you guys. I enjoyed taking photos myself and sharing it solely on my blog with my thoughts and ideas.  I threw in a little personal stuff, my art, travels, and ideas. These days I have a personal IG not everyone can see. I like that kind of privacy with my closest, trusted, and most respected. I also have the public one which allows me to share just work and projects with anyone worldwide. Not everyone gotta be in your personal business know what I mean? These days its all instant and your cell makes it easy to post every damn thing, image, thought that you want. I guess its cool, sometimes. So many of us go overboard with it. Like how many feet photos do I really need?  These apps are so good these days tho. I never learned how to drive living in NY because theres an excellent subway system in place that when it works works well. Buses, Bike Lanes, Shuttles etc. Now that we also have these taxi apps like Lyft, Uber, etc you can grab a taxi for short or long trips it makes everything that much more productive.  Car pooling, and sharing rides helps everyone —-  and it helps stay on budget when its for a job mission. As a full time traveling artist/mobile artist these days its helps biz run smoother than before.  All to say that technology is helping artist like myself in many more ways than before as we continue to grow and improve society. Unsure what the next change in tech will be for us dreamers adn doers to continue to do what we do. Shout out to everyone who supports my work, and to the universe who looks out for me and mine. Hard work pays off, and loving what you do makes the world go round . It makes you happier too. 2018 is big year for my biz and personal life. I am truly loving all of it!!!  #NEWYORKCITYGIRL 4EVA.

I LOVE TO TRAVEL!!! Especially with my dearest family and friends. This year we had so much to celebrate that I decided to treat my mom to a vacation! One that she would absolutely love and we can visit various places like ruins, beach, cenotes, and more. It was a beautiful trip I love the Yucatan. I super enjoyed it with my two most adored people in the world.  Appreciate your loved ones!!! and your time on beautiful parts of the planet before its really all too late. Time waits for no-one.

HAPPY NEW YEAR BITCHES!!!!

Whoa! The year is about to come to end once more. What a year!!! I personally was having a great one until mercury retrograde knocked on my door. All good. Gotta take the good and the bad and make it work. I don’t like it when the reality of life rains on my parade. I work very hard to keep things in order as to avoid all conflict but sometimes it likes to mess with me. I decided to head down to Miami and see my friends and avoid it the bad vibes. Family dramas or conflicts are unavoidable in life unfortunately.  It’s a good thing I was in a rooftop pool with my friends when it all went down. The infamous e-mails where you let out all your feelings as raw as possible so it can drill into your family’s head that they suck. I swam it all away that day. Even the tears. No regrets. It needed to be said now or later It be that way sometimes right? — The good, the very good thing I do well for my own sanity is “LET GO” It’s an amazing trait to have. I personally can let things go much easier these days. I easily close doors on fucked up shit in life and move right on. I do not anything waste my time anymore. If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work. I know how short life is and how precious it is and unless its full of the good stuff I don’t need it.

Miami was the perfect place to be when dealing with the family drama. The sunshine, the water, my friends, the meals, the parties, the fun! I love to have fun. It makes me happy and it gives me peace. Anyways, at some point the family stuff works itself out. Or not? Either way each of us keeps pushing forward with what feels good what feels right and what truly matters. Everything else can fall back. Care less or care more where necessary to keep life in balance. That’s why my friends are my true family and always have been. Blood doesn’t mean a damn thing. It’s a good thing Art Basel was spent at one of my BFF’s home because it made even more sense who I need to be around. So yes, Art basel was cool for this reason and many more. I was not busy painting, or showcasing any work. It gave me time to spend with my dear friends, enjoy the simple things in life, and enjoy the moment. It was dope! I recommend everyone to check out Art Basel during December especially if you live in NY and need a break from the winter cold. A special shout out to all my hommies who made the trip there to link up and boogie, especially my BBF Mr. @LatinoLife who made our stay amazing!!! Every luxury you can imagine, was all that and more!

What’s up world! I’ve been in a great mood lately. I have a ton of fresh new ideas for the year to come. Preparing as we speak for the fall and planting seeds for 2017. Living the artist dream and never going back to anything else. Moving from city life has given me the greatest gift ((( TIME )))  Time to create at my own peaceful pace, work on projects I enjoy, as well as travel and paint. I wake up every morning giving thanks for days like today. Full of optimism! — don’t get me wrong I have my bad days too. They suck super bad! it’s usually a funk that life throws at you when your not aligned. Getting off balance has many factors, but if you can curve it and get back on track your good. Some give up. Not me. My momma worked to hard in life, and I will never lose hope. If your doing what you love, the fruits of your labor will provide all you need in life. It helps to have love in your life folks. Love of self, love of others, love of love to love and love more. The secret to a life worth living…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It’s 2016 wow…I’m a little late on this post. Warmi Paint Festival kicked my ass ya’ll. I am not ready to talk about it just yet so I am gonna move forward with the rest of my posts before they pile up again. Sorry for the delay! – More about that soon. I thought I was going to spend the Holiday’s in Quito but a last minute trip to NY came up just in the nick of time. I was hella happy because I had cancelled all my trips at the end of the year just to get through all the legal shit with the event. I cancelled Colombia, Peru, NY, and ART BASEL that I enjoy attending at the end of the year. It made me very sad, but because the 5Pointz case is now in motion the lawyers set me up for the deposition. I had a week to prepare for the trip and made the best of it. I scheduled a super quick Holiday Pop-Up shop in BK, and got a chance to spend Xmas and New Years with my beloved NY fam. It was a cozy fam style  year even though it was mad hot! Damn Xmas eve was like 70 degrees yeo WTF is going on with the weather? Did you guys feel that. We had to rock some shorts and tank tops that day with all the home cooking indoors. Last time it was that hot was 1996…I remember us outside in shorts and timbs with the snow melting away. Memories….anyway back to my post. Looking back all I can say is that 2015 was a good year but a tough one at the end because I got involved in a monster project I was unprepared for. I rocked it though in true “Toofly Style” Lessons were felt hard, and my heart got a little colder. That is not a good thing for TOOFLY! No no no…but those damn ignorant fools and fucked up system don’t make it easy to love everyone and everything man. The more good you try to do in life more shade you will experience. It’s ill…human behavior is ill mujer or hombre. One thing is for sure everyone’s true colors reveal themselves in time. In the end the universe takes care of it all. Lauryn Hill explains it best “LOST ONES”

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My last day in NY was super sweet! Spent the 4th of July at my favorite place in Queens the Long Island City Pier. I had a lovely combination of work and play that day. Worked on a live art piece with my cousin Richie for the LIC FLEA, sipped on some beer, and enjoyed a juicy turkey burger with fries. YUM! It had been a minute to sin. Summer in NY is the ultimate, each time shorter than the next unfortunately. My schedule more hectic every year. I hardly get a chance to hang with my friends now, but one way or the other they make the effort to meet up and I LOVE THEM FOR THAT!!! Being loved by your friends is one of the happiest of feelings. Especially since I spend months at a time now without them.  You should always show your true peeps love as well as those family member who care. To my dear friend Evelyn who I love very much thank you for always being there and sharing the family time with me:)

( EVELYN PHOTOS HERE, Dude send them lol! )

Making the best of my NY minute with dearest of friends and family <3

Stuck in Cancun, Mexico for a few more days and that is totally okay because I am not looking forward to the blizzard in New York one bit! It’s also good because I am back in chillax mode after #TulumArtProject wall and can rock this blog post in peace. To set off 2015 I decided to take a little vacation to my favorite beach destination, paint, draw, get a tan, visit ruins, eat lot’s of tamales, tortillas, tacos, elotes, sopes, and all the yummy mexican food I can squeeze into my travel budget. I recently discovered champurrado at the local mercado and I can’t get enough!!! What a delicious drink hot or cold. Discovering the local “spots” is such a treat!

Traveling to the Yucatan part of Mexico during January is perfect. The weather is sweet, and not terribly hot like other months. There’s a nice breeze throughout the day and it feels really good when your out all day visiting the ruins or catching a beach sunset. Last time I visited in 2011 I did not get a chance to visit Chichen Itza so I made sure to go this time. One of the 7 wonders of the world is not to be missed! – These ruins are the largest of Mayan sites in Mexico. Just 3-4hrs by bus from Cancun with a must stop in this lovely town of Valladolid. I did not get a chance to stay here long but I saw some really beautiful artisan shops, and restaurants with high ceilings with colonial style decor. Beautiful!

Once at the ruins you make your rounds trying your best to dodge the hundreds of tourists to get a good shot of the pyramids. It’s a bummer that you can no longer climb them, and that there are so many people there. Also didn’t dig that there are so many vendors who all sell and make the same stuff. Beautiful, but over saturated. It kind of kills the whole moment. Where are the handcrafted works uniquely created by true craftsmen? Why do they all make the same stuff? Anyway it must be a tourist thing, I guess to accommodate the gringo consumerism for cheap “regalitos” When I finally found a quiet place to sit, and the crowds went far from sight ( following the tour guides like sheep ) I took the time to appreciate the site a little more. Most of the stone monuments had well detailed illustrations carved out on the wall. Mostly the underworld of snakes, and skulls. Trying to imagine this kind of world existed years and years ago is a trip. I can’t get around the chopping off heads for sacrifice and all that? I gotta read up on it some more…

Shout out to Silvia from New Zealand for meeting up and hanging out <3 Hope we meet again in our travelz…

My first 2 weeks in Cancun was nice. Made sure to get my Delfines beach on and my ruins trip in. There is not much else to do in Cancun. The hotel life here is stagnant. There is just too many tourists and it’s a little pricey but I got a great deal at a hostel I couldn’t pass up especially since I was gonna be here for a whole month! Glad I was only 45 minutes away from Playa Del Carmen because when it was time to visit my amiga linda I packed up and took the $3 van there. My homegirl Fransiska and her daughter Mika hosted me for a quick minute before it was time to head to Tulum. We haven’t seen each other in many many years. Catching up was super nice, and learning new things we had each discovered in our life journey was fresh. We shared stories of our move away from New York City and how so much of the same things helped us make that decision. Beach life for the girls is a whole new life, and a healthier one. I am happy for my friend and her daughter <3 If that mangu crave, or uptown flava kicks in she’s only a few hours and dollars away from it all:)  But wow who can ever give up that local MAMEY!!! hahahhaha I so need to find this fruit in Ecuador. What a delicious fruit! It’s like flang in a fruit or something like it. DELICIOUS. Thank you for hosting me my sweet friend, and introducing to your neighborhood peeps. Get that solar power boombox and transmit that Iska.World.101 jump off!

As my trip came to a close I got wonderful news from the folks at the Tulum Art Project. I was confirmed to paint a wall! – After my happy dance I packed my bags up again and was off to Tulum another 45 minutes away—> read more about out in on the TULUM ART PROJECT 2015 POST.

The countdown to 2015 has begun!

In a few hours I will be back in New York to ring in the New Year with my loving friends <3  I am most definitely going to dance my ass off, and give many, many thanks for all the blessings I have received this year. My high will surely carry me over on my next flight to Cancun Mexico, which I am super anxious to get to!!! January 2nd can’t get here fast enough. I am truly at the happiest point in my life EVER. I have love, I’m doing what I love, it feels super good, I can share it, and I feel free to take off in any direction I damn well please with it. 2014 and every year since I moved back to the mothaland has been :::AMAZING::: One of the biggest things my love and I are proud of having created this year is our first home. Every single penny we earned off our independent business and my artwork has allowed us to build a beautiful house in the mountains of Quito, Ecuador, from scratch! It was a wonderful experience that with vision and care was made possible with the humblest of folks. Best part is that it’s all is fully payed for and we are debt freeeeeee OMG YES. I can’t believe it. The peace of mind is bliss folks. No worries for the rest of  our lives when it comes to having a roof over your head to live out your days. We don’t owe any greedy mofo anything. That was one of my fears back in the states…If I ever bought a home in NY…I would be working like a madwoman just to pay off a debt to some bank that would surely take a toll on my health, kill my spirit in more ways than I think of, and maybe make me bitter. Maybe…because I don’t let anything or anyone rain on my parade. I would think tho, imagine not having the freedom to wake up when I want?  go where I want?  take off for how ever many months I want? paint long hours without a care of time, eating local organic food, traveling the world to paint, explore, BE ON MY NATURAL FLOW, etc; my bucket list for “my life” on this small planet would have been almost impossible to create. It would have made me sad. Ain’t nobody got time for dat! LIFE IS SHORT people. We gotta wake up, it is real out there. I am not trying to get caught up in that system. It will eat you up alive if you don’t get aware of what is happening. I think a lot more critically these days. I am getting older, wiser, and I truly just have no time to be playing games anymore. This is how I do now, and every day I wake up I WANT TO ENJOY IT (((( NOW ))) not tomorrow, not later, not in the future when I’m old, tired, and weak ::: RIGHT NOW :::: Why not right? At this moment it is freak’n awesome, and I’m gonna party like it’s 1999 baby! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

More on my little house in the mountains creating new works and growing my own food soon. Thank you all for your continued love and support.

– Toofly

During NY trip I made sure to stop by one of my favorite graffiti shops LOW BROW ARTIQUE. It’s my shop of choice because they have a large selection of spray paint especially Montana 94, Montana Gold, and Montana Black. They always have what I need and I make sure to support all my good peoples. Meres introduced me to shop owner Bishop about a year ago when we were working on our last wall at 5Pointz. He’s mad cool:)   happy I got a chance to drop a piece before heading back to the Motherland. Thanks Bishop! The pieces run 2 weeks tops so be sure to check it before it’s gone. Shout out to the entire LowBrow Crew who hanged out a bit during the process of this new piece on a beautiful sunny day in Bushwick Brooklyn.

Because pieces run 2 weeks it’s only a matter of time before it transforms. There’s something beautiful about the remix of artists work and the layers during process that develop. This could almost be a beautiful collaboration as a stop motion video! I love graffiti/street art <3 The tall ladder was missing in action unfortunately so I had to work with the existing background into my piece. It actually worked out perfect! Gotta love when that happens…

Low Brow Artique carries the largest assortment of Montana spray paint in the New York Metropolitan area. We carry almost every color in both the Gold and Black lines, as well as a large assortment of Ironlak. We are also VERY strict on selling spray paint to minors, so please bring ID as you will be carded! Outside of spray paint we also carry a small scale of art supplies ranging from canvas’s, wood panels, screen print supplies, 1 Shot, Liquitex paints, Krink and much more.  If you do not see something in our store, please let us know as we are interested in catering to the neighborhoods needs. We also carry an assortment of hand-printed and home-made goods, made by artists that live in the neighborhood. You can see most of our goods throughout our online store.

If you are interested in selling you goods with us please email Bishop or stop by our store in person with your product. // Low Brow Artique // 143 Central Avenue // Brookly, NY 11221
(718)724-3450

Shout out to Leanne who came thru to take some polaroids:) Please email me so I can add to blog: tooflynyc@gmail.com

“La Reyna” Is based on a recent illustration I created right before NY trip. I didn’t have enough time to put in all the details the original sketch/ink piece has but on the wall I tried something new. I took away the black linework I am used to doing and messed around with the graphic colors of the paint. It was an interesting look, one that I have to continue to develop in cases where I run out of black paint, or have limited time to work. Linework takes hours and hours to do, especially on a big wall that needs to be completed in one day. Hoping to give this piece another try in the future with all the details, and on a wall that will run for a long while too <3

Thanks fellas! It was nice to meet and chat with all of you <3 Enjoy the summer:)

Living in Latin America for the past 2 years has given me the opportunity to do and see lots. Thankful and lucky this side of the world is easy to get around, safe for the most part, and cheap! This month I decided to take off and head over to Panama just two air hours away. I arrived in Panama City with one goal in mind; “where’s the beach!?” There’s a ton of traffic here but at least the buses are brand new, clean, and have air conditioning. They also just recently finished their metro system which made me smile. All cities with traffic problems need this! The one thing I  still don’t understand though is where did all the funding go for the garbage cans? A busy city needs garbage cans on every street corner. One day I was staring out into the ocean on the plaza as the sun went down…I was all smiles…but then I looked down and there was a ton of garbage floating and washing off shore. A Panamanian lady next to me said “Es q’ los Panamenios somos cochinos” as if it was acceptable ?  I think this side of the world needs an education campaign on litter man! From  fast food, to cuchifrito spots, to mercados with limited produce. The imports from china are at a max which is unfortunate because that means that all the evil junk passes through Panama and unfortunately stays here:( It’s really too bad because during my bus travels I saw a land rich for agriculture but nobody working it. What’s up with Panamanian agriculture culture I wondered? My trip was too short to learn of it’s history. When I took cabs the Panamanias talked so fast it reminded me of Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in NY. There’s lot’s of caribbean flow here. At first I was like yeah! I know these songs crank that reggaeton music! After a few days of it all I was ready to get out of town, and go where lands are green, and people are not mean.

PANAMA CITY

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Back from Paradise! I looooved Cartagena Colombia. Decided to dip out for a few days to kick it with some friends traveling thru. With only 3 hours away from Ecuador why not! Cartagena is beautiful. The colonial town with blooming flowers on it’s balconies, vendors of all kinds on the street selling; ice cold fruit drinks, hot colombian coffee, salty hot sauce fruits, grilled arepas with cheese, empanadas, seafood, the list goes on. Street food is the bomb. There was cute shops everywhere filled with their classic colorful wayuu bags. Read more

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

I’m a little late on this post. The holiday’s are jammed packed with family & friends gatherings to close out the year. It’s not until everyone has settled back into their daily lives that I get a chance to reflect and think what it all really means really really…you know? It’s important to grab on to those thoughts before they slip by. Time flies. Not so cool to go on in life aimlessly right? What is truly guiding you out there? It’s winter, and it’s cold, and your probably indoors on this lazy Sunday afternoon like I am. Only it’s like 70+ degrees here like everyday. Either way, it’s a perfect time for thoughts:)

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On a serious grind this month! I finally have a chance to update ya’ll a bit on some super cool projects that are in the works, and coming up…but first LONDON 2013! It was a super quick trip. I almost didn’t make it. I had to pack my bags and speed mode it to the airport in Quito , Ecuador after the GRAFFF festival  in order to take on an awesome awesome gig. SOOooooo glad I made it! I’m proud of how far I have come with my work, and my independent business. Unfortunately I can not share the project details at this time, but will share a few flicks from trip below. I want to send a big thank you to the folks that were involved in making this trip, and project possible. “Dare to be Different!”

THANK YOU LONDON! XOXO

Earlier this year during my trip to Peru I met Alejandro Carranza Vela. A local artisan who travels throughout South America  “parchando” ( setting up shop on the street ) and living a carefree street life. From Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and heading north this year, Alejandro is an amazing soul. I was impressed with his handmade jewelry works on metal, and thread. It’s amazing what one can do with stones, rocks, and beads. There is a whole tribe of friends like Alejandro who travel and set up shop in plazas. They live on the basics, and spend afternoons under the sun making art, music, and friends. I’m enchanted with this whole bohemian hippie life! ((( Inspired ))) Stay tuned for our 2013 jewelry/art collaboration:)

to check out Alejandro’s work visit his Tumblr page: ARTE.VIDA.CULTURA