New Print: "Prayer"

I will be releasing a new print titled "Prayer" this tuesday Nov.22nd through Moon Editions of San Francisco. I haven't put out a print for a little while now, and this is a special one. It's based on the painting I created for the New Masters show at Subliminal Projects in LA earlier this year. I put a lot of time into painting this just how I wanted it, and the guys at Moon did a perfect job making it into a print. Thanks to Nick Portalupi & Brett Aronson for taking the time & effort to do it right, and thanks to Patrick Kawahara for the great documentation.

Here are some details:

EL MAC "Prayer" 2011

Two-color serigraph on archival Stonehenge 320 gsm.

100% cotton, acid-free.

Print is 21"x28"

Signed, stamped and numbered by the artist.

Vermilion red / Edition of 49

Metallic copper / Edition of 39

Teal blue variant / Edition of 9

Available Tuesday (Nov. 22) at a random time @ shop.mooneditions.com

For more information visit: mooneditions.com

New EL MAC mural in Barcelona, Spain

Here are shots of a mural I painted at the Montana paint factory just outside Barcelona, Spain. I've used the paint produced there for years and I had always imagined the place to be located in some harsh industrial wasteland. It is in fact surrounded by mountains and forests, just north of the famous Montserrat abbey and mountain range. This contrast between something so industrial and urban, and an environment so peaceful and natural seemed like a good setting for what I painted. I had access to hundreds of colors but decided to limit my color palette to just black, white and grey (and leave the full spectrum to the classic Os Gemeos mural across the way). Thanks to Lacheln for modeling for this, thanks to Ari and Kim for ground support, Jorge y Javier de Avant-Garde Urbano, y gracias a Jordi, Albert y todos los de MTN por hacer posible este mural.

New EL MAC mural in London: "Un Campechano en Londres"

Painted this quick little mural in the Shoreditch area of London a couple months ago. Based it on a photo I took of a local campesino when I was in Campeche, México last year. Wasn't even in London a full 24 hours, and basically spent the whole time there just painting this. Special thanks to Jim & Matilda of EOTL for the wall & amenities, thanks to the Bristol City Council for the paint, and thanks to the weather for not starting to rain until I finished.

New mural in LA with Kofie for Sound Space/KROQ/RedBull

Here's some shots of a new mural I just painted with my good friend Kofie in LA. It was commissioned for the new Red Bull Sound Space venue at the KROQ headquarters. Coincidentally, I just painted a guitarist in Spain recently, so this is a more modern, harder, electric companion to that. This is based on a photo I took of my girl Kim playing her vintage Supro guitar. I wanted this to convey a sense of rocking out combined with musicianship- I think Kofie's sharp, aggressive angles are a good compliment to the more focused, serene feel of the figure. Music is a key part of my painting process, I hardly ever paint without listening to some kind of music...so this is sort of an appreciation for all the great musicians that help us do what we do and make life better, one drum beat or guitar riff at a time. Thanks to Kim for modeling, and all the good folks from KROQ and Red Bull that helped make this mural possible.

New EL MAC mural in Tudela, Spain: "El Guitarrista"

These are shots of a new mural titled "El Guitarrista" I just painted in Spain. This was part of the Avant-Garde Urbano 2011 "international festival of artistic interventions in the urban space" held a couple weeks ago in Tudela de Navarra. The mural was painted in an old Gypsy neighborhood, next to a Romanesque church from the 12th century, La Iglesia de la Magdalena. The history and culture in this area runs deep. Christians, Jews and Muslims have all shaped the identity of old Tudela, and it was inspiring to soak some of this in. The wall faces a little plaza where each day families hang out, little kids play, and old ladies keep the mosquito population in check with their flyswatters. The image I painted there was based on a photo I took of a Mexican guitar player in East LA, and it seemed perfectly appropriate considering the connections between Flamenco music and Mexican/Latin-American music. This was produced by the Castel Ruiz cultural center and curated by Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada. The other participating artists included BLU, SUSO33, Filippo Minelli, Buenos Aires Stencil + Run Don't Walk. Many thanks to the talented and amazing Jorge & Ana, Javier & Castel Ruiz, Juanjo y su familia, my roll dogs Ari and Kim, MTN paints, and everyone else that helped make this project possible.

New mural project in Tudela, Spain

More details and images soon...

New Video from Germany- "Portrait of a Dying Cockroach"

Here's a new timelapse video of a piece I painted for the Public Provocations show at the Carhartt Gallery held during the last Art Basel in Switzerland. This was painted with just spraypaint and fatcaps, no stencils or projectors, etc. As I explained in this earlier post, this was based on a photograph I took of a cockroach on the floor of the Margulies Collection when we painted their building during the last Miami Art Basel. It felt appropriate to then paint this during the Swiss Art Basel, alongside all the glamour and wealth. (Someone told me they don't have roaches in Switzerland)

Many thanks to Dans & the crew at Carhartt Gallery for putting this together.

New EL MAC mural in Bristol, England: "Clothed With the Sun"

This is a new mural I painted in Bristol, England titled "Clothed With the Sun". It is located in the center of the city, on a building six stories high. It was painted during an event called "See No Evil", as part of an effort to revitalize one of the more drab streets in the heart of Bristol (yes, the same Bristol that street art superstar Banksy is from). A bunch of other European artists also painted for this event, billed as "Europe's largest permanent street art project".
I wanted to make this image something like a modernized scene from a Renaissance painting, serene and grandiose. Hopefully Raphael or Michelangelo would approve. You could interpret this as an updated Madonna painting, or an homage to single mothers in a country that has the highest rate of single mothers in Europe.

Many thanks to my lady Kim & her baby niece Madeleine for posing, The Bristol City Council & Inkie for helping make this possible, TATS cru for comedy, Weapon of Choice, Tim, and everyone else that helped out or showed some love.

Here's a no-frills timelapse video someone took from a nearby building:

..and here's a painting by Raphael from about 1504 that's a good example of the inspiration behind the mural.

New video- Retna, El Mac: les murs clairs-obscurs de Los Angeles

Retna, El Mac: les murs clairs-obscurs de Los... by Mediapart

Here is a nice new video that was put together by Hugo Vitrani for the French news magazine Mediapart as part of a series of artist profiles, titled "Retna, El Mac: les murs clairs-obscurs de Los Angeles" (Los Angeles chiaroscuro walls).
Here's the video description:
Mixage contemporain des murales mexicains et chicanos, de la peinture classique italienne et des gang graffiti, les fresques monumentales de Retna et El Mac nous font lever les yeux aux murs, pour mieux nous les ouvrir. Touchant de la bombe et du pinceau la misère des barrios de L.A, leurs murs transpirent la pauvreté, l'espoir, la révolte et les identitées déracinées-métissées.

New mural in Montréal - "Spirit of Summer / l'Esprit d'Été"

Here's a recent mural I just painted in Montreal, Canada. This one's titled "Spirit of Summer" and was my expression of the vitality you can feel this time of year there. Montreal is one of my favorite cities, and it seems to hold a unique creative energy. I also know how cold, drab and grey it can get there when it isn't summer, so I almost felt a sense of obligation to paint this with more color than usual. In addition, this is kind of an interpretation of a young Rose Phillips, the namesake of the neighborhood this is in, "Rosemont". Many thanks to Louis, my main Quebec connect, for making this all possible. Thanks also to the other Louis for sponsorship and support, Lacheln for modeling, and to everyone that came by to help or hang out. More updates soon..