Northern quarter graffiti : Dan Witz.

I took a few snaps yesterday in Manchesters' northern quarter,there's an area just off Oldham street that i always walk through and i wanted to capture the graffiti and sticker art to inspire my non-developing poster art project. I recently read a book about sticker art and hadn't seen any in Manchester yet,so i began a hunt. Sticker art is usually quite small but it can also be large and eye-cathcing,particualr in built up areas of America.. i managed to find some and it has inspired me even more to make my own. The images of this will be included in my next post. For those of you who may not be sure what sticker art is, it quicker and usually smaller alternative to the illegal fly poster style of graffiti. One of my favourite street artists that tested this method in the earlier days of the medium is Dan Witz. His more recent works continue to use contemporary ideas,such as a 'mosh pit' and creates these paintings of people seemingly going about their everyday business but uncomfortably close..he uses the impact of the urban jungle to increase the impact of his work.His latest street art work follows the theme of grills and barred/glass windows,which Witz has re-created using mixed media and inserted often upsetting scenes,religious and frightening, he them pastes these on doors or walls in public spaces. The craftsmanship of the work is extremely high and takes fly posters to a WHOLE new level. If i saw one of the grids on a wall with a face slowly appearing out of the dark ..i think i would have a heart attack! One of my favourite of his works,is the hummingbird,which he used in 1995. It contrasts so beautifully with the harshness of the decaying, dirty red wall.

The more i look at his work, i realise that he not only a renegade street artist but an amazingly talented photo-realist painter and his street art pushes the boundaries of environmental art/installation using the urban landscape and traditional painting.