Urban taggin' -3 MUST HAVE BOOKS

Piecebook: The Secret Drawings of Graffiti Writers by Sacha Jenkins, David (Chino) Villorente

Publisher: Prestel USA (April 30, 2008)

Original in concept and design, this living history of the graffiti movement mimics the actual sketchbooks graffiti artists use to perfect their work before it goes public. Before it hits the wall, graffiti is often painstakingly planned out in a sketchbook or piece book. Well-worn and dog-eared, these books are passed along from artist to artist as a way of sharing ideas and offering instruction. Here hundreds of drawings, most of them never before published, are reproduced on uncoated paper to resemble the pages of an authentic piecebook. Bold and beautiful works from graffiti history s most important sources or seeds Zephyr, Dondi, Daze, CRASH, Lady Pink, T-Kid, CAP and Ghost, among others represent a dizzying array of techniques. The authors, former graffiti practitioners themselves, offer biographies of the artists and an introductory essay on why piecebooks have become such valuable historical records. Fans of graffiti will find this an irresistible inside look at how their favorite artists perfected their talents.

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Street World: Urban Art and Culture from Five Continents Around the Globe

by Roger Gastman, Caleb Neelon, and Anthony Smyrski

The authors of Street World have put together this rich collection showcasing over 1,000 images and authoritative text, highlighting street art and life in cultural hot spots around the globe. Street World: Urban Art and Culture from Five Continents Around the Globe follows skateboarders in Japan, hunts down graffiti artists in San Paolo, Brazil, and exposes the newest Pakistani truck artwork in the world.
At almost 500 pages, this book, with its rare images and in-depth commentary, is sure to become a staple in libraries of any true street art fan.
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SOON TO GET PUBLISHED-PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Written On The City: Graffiti Messages Worldwide
Axel Albin, Josh Kamler
Publisher: How (September 2, 2008)

Newsweek, Aug. 18-25, 2008
"Poignant ... funny ... thought-provoking ..."

Written on the City is a glimpse into a vast conversation happening illegally and in public. All over the world, people are writing messages on the walls and sidewalks of the cities in which we live. They are staying up late, breaking the law, and taking risks to say something to you. Some of it is funny. Some of it is beautiful. Lots of it is upsetting, crazy, and brilliant at the same time. And all of it is important. This book continues that conversation through the eyes of photographers who recognized the importance of those words on the walls and shared them with us.

The philosophy of Obey

The Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant) is said to be "one of the fundamental texts of 21st Century aesthetics - short, bold, candid, puzzling and remarkable in its power to stir the imagination of philosophers and artists alike.”

Philosophy of Obey is the only artistic — philosophical work that Obey has published during its campaign.
Written in short, carefully numbered sentences of extremely revealing candor, it is certain to capture the imagination of a generation of Street Artists and philosophers. For Obey, discourse is something used to examine reality, which is in itself both elusive and unobtainable.
Shepard of Obey famously summarised this book in the following words:

“I aim to bring something new to every artwork.”

The work is prefaced by Sarah Jaye Williams introduction to the first edition.
Sarah Jaye Williams has followed all Obey's art and ideas throughout Shepard Fairey's career.
She has compiled quotes for the “Philosophy of Obey” book by meticulously reading hundreds of his articles and interviews. These quotes touch on a broad range of topics and show the evolution of Fairey's positions over the years.
"There is humour, irreverence, hope, pessimism, anger, jubilation, and even maybe some wisdom mixed in with all the potentially contradictory thoughts and emotions," comments Shepard Fairey about the book.

The Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant): The Formative Years (1989 - 2008) by Sarah Jaye Williams (NerveBooks - UK)
Three (3) Versions of the book are available at nervebooks.net; Comprehensive, Volume I and Volume II
Obey Giant (1989 – 2008). Regarded by many as one of the most significant street art campaigns.

Pink, Orange, and Yellow Sheets

One of the many ways in which a royalty-free art book can be used!

The below photos display an installation of over 180 graphics from the new book, "Reproduce & Revolt" (Soft Skull Press/Counterpoint; 978-0-9796636-1-1). All images in the book are copyright free and were reproduced via xerox on neon-colored paper. The more than 150 sheets of paper were manually tacked in about 8 hours of time! Special thanks to my buddies Ray Hernandez and Leticia Hernandez for helping me with this great task!!

The photo shows Reproduce and Revolt's co-editor, Favianna Rodriguez and Ray Hernandez.

The piece is part of the book release party happening this weekend in Los Angeles, CA.

Photo by Favianna Rodriguez

Agent under fire

To celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the birth of Ian Lancaster Fleming [born May 28, 1908], creator of spy novels James Bond 007, Penguin publishing house commissioned British born, San Francisco artist/illustrator Michael Gillette to paint the iconic covers--adapted to movies-- of 14 James Bond stories.

Take a look at the images above of just a few of the women, who have graced the world of James Bond 007 and see for yourself: the result is as sexy as the James Bond Girls themselves, who have become as famous as Agent 007 himself.

With exotic and far out names like Honey, Kissy, Pussy, Plenty, Tilly, Holly, Stacy, Tracy, Aki, Rosie, Bibi, Lupe, Magda, Pola, Kara, and Jinx – it’s no wonder!
Gillette's sexy interpretation of eye-candy Fleming Bond Girls, with a striking minimal colour palette overlaid with interlocking 60's inspire type treatments, are so good they're sure to bounce off the shelf. You can check out more of Gillette's paintings madness, while taking a look at his blog Pencil Squeezing.

Click here to read an interview done with Michael Gillette by MI6, the home of James Bond.

These beautiful pieces were made available on May 29 if you wanna purchase any;
however, the good news is that a limited edition of 25 signed Giclée prints (50x70) of each of the covers have been made for sale (£145.00 each) by Cosh.

Also, if you're in London over the next few months some of the work will be on display at BOND BOUND: IAN FLEMING AND THE ART OF COVER DESIGN: 22nd April - 28th June 2008 @ The Fleming Collection 13 Berkeley Street London W1J 8DU.

Moreover, it would be noteworthy mentioning that the James Bond films have grossed over US$4 billion (nearly $11 billion when adjusted for inflation) worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film series ever after Harry Potter when not adjusting for inflation.{source Wikipidia}

On another level, and for the little story, in 1960, Fleming was commissioned by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to write a book on the country and its oil industry. The typescript is titled State of Excitement: Impressions of Kuwait was never published, due to the Kuwaiti government disapproval.
According to Fleming: "The Oil Company expressed approval of the book but felt it's their duty to submit the typescript to members of the Kuwait Government for their approval. The Sheikhs concerned found unpalatable certain mild comments and criticisms and particularly the passages referring to the adventurous past of the country, which now wishes to be 'civilised' in every respect and forget its romantic origins."

Pop up portraits

© Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn) Andy Warhol, 1967

© Hunt for the Best Mel Ramos, 1965. Oil on canvas, 1213 x 781mm. The Richard Weisman Collection.

© In the Car Roy Lichtenstein, 1963. Oil and magna on canvas, 1720 x 2035mm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
© Self-Portrait Andy Warhol, 1967. Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 1867 x 1867 x 52mm. Tate, London, 2007.

Pop Art Portraits
Paul Moorhouse
With essay by Dominic Sandbrook

Pop Art defined the look of the 1960s and turned the tables on high art. By reacting against the post-war trend for abstract art, Pop Art asserted itself as a brash, bold figurative art.
With its groundbreaking use of familiar imagery from the world of advertising, magazines, pop music, cinema and comics, Pop Art blurred the boundaries between high and low culture. Although seen as subversive, Pop Art rapidly gained widespread appeal and its fascination with instantly recognisable celebrities placed portraiture at the centre of the Pop Art movement.

With the exhibition 'Pop Art Portrait' that took place at the National Portrait Gallery from October 07 till end of Jan 08, here is a book that complements the show, which both mission is to examine the role and significance of portraiture within Pop Art, one of the major art movements of the late twentieth century.

Pop Art Portrait, which can be ordered online, is published by curator Paul Moorhouse, and includes 65 pop illustrations. The book explores the vital role portraiture played in the parallel development of Pop in Britain and the USA.
Pop Art Portraits traces Pop Art's complex and creative engagement with portraiture from the early 1950s to its heyday and maturity in the 1960s.
This strikingly illustrated book shows how British and American Pop artists interconnected and differed.