The Old Car at the Old Scene

M&F's return back to Miami brought on all kinds of nostalgia.  Not only were the streets familiar, but the scene even looked the same.

Like here.  This is a mural in the Wynwood Arts District from Leza One.  And sitting in front of it is a red Honda Accord Coupe, the exact same car M&F drove while living in Miami.

Some things change, but the scenery stays the same~

Don't Rule Out the Paint Fumes

"All these Wynwood Wall murals are making my head spin!" Says the lady.

"I wouldn't rule out the paint fumes" responds the dude.

Mural in Miami making commentary on the murals in Miami.

The World Expands for a Boy with Horns (pt. 2)

This wall was so huge and so intricately detailed that it required a second feature.

Click the jump for more of this massive collaborative wall in Miami

The World Expands for a Boy with Horns

A huge collaboration mural wall in Miami.  Featuring many different artists with signature styles.

Including work from Jaz, Cope2, Never 2501 and more.  Can anyone name the other artists on this wall?

Little Havana and Little Los Angeles in Miami

Shiiiiit, Miami already has its 'Little Havana'.  But there is so much LA flavor in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami, that maybe the area should just be renamed 'Little Los Angeles'.

Like this here.  With Snyder and Bamp holding this corner in Wynwood down for Los Angeles artists.

Dig it.  Stay up--in LA and Miami!~

The Old Home Gets a New Paint Job

This is the front side of the old apartment building in Miami where M&F used to live, and this is the spot where M&F fell in love with graffiti and street art.

In the decade since living here, the building has gotten some new paint jobs, both at the Cuban restaurant next door and also around the entrance to the apartment buildings.

This building used to be bare except for some ever-present graffiti tags on the door, and even though it looks different, seeing it sure brings back memories.  For instance, see the 6 inch ledge below the 2nd story windows?  Well, one day Shasta decided she wanted out--of the window upstairs.  When we returned home Shasta was walking that 6 inch ledge back and forth below the windows.  And that hallway . . . Geez, you can almost smell the cat piss and mildew from here.

Its good to visit back in Miami, but its even better to come home to Los Angeles~

Home, Painted Home

This ghetto apartment building in N. Miami is where M&F used to call 'home, sweet home'.

Now, the building has a fresh coat of paint signifying its place on the corner of 20th Street, which is the beginning of the Wynwood (Arts) District.

Wynwood has always had an active local graffiti and street art scene.   But now, Wynwood has grown to be one of the most heavily painted street art areas in North America, where nearly every building is painted, like M&F's old home.

Miss Giraffe

Funny combination with a giraffe head placed on a human body.

Dig it, Miss Giraffe~

This Is Where It All Began

This is where it all began.

These train tracks lie behind the building where we used to live in M&F, and in the early 2000's, this is the location where we first discovered the wild and wonderful world of graffiti and street art.

After graduating college, M&F quit a job at a mortgage company and moved to Miami to open up a rock n' roll club with some friends.  We didn't know anything about permits or starting up a club, so everything was done guerrilla style.  The club was called The Lemming Theatre and even though it only lasted 3 months before poor business decisions led to its demise, but there were some insane shows while the fun lasted.

After the music club went under, M&F decided to remain in Miami for one reason.   As we told our friends at the time, it seemed that Miami was a hotbed for artistic culture.  Indeed, this was the exact time era when Art Basel was first setting its roots in Miami, and it is exciting to think that M&F was around when the seeds were first being planted.

The club was located at N. Miami Ave and 20th Street, and M&F rented a studio room above the club for $350 per month.  The intersection where the building sits is right at the border between Overtown, which is Miami's historic black district, and Wynwood.  It was commonly known as Wynwood at the time, but the tremendous success of Art Basel has earned the area the name of the Wynwood Arts District, and it is one of the hottest places on earth for street art and low brow art.

But really, M&F's fascination with graffiti and street art can be credited to having a dog who likes to explore and chase stuff.  There are very few places in Miami to find places to walk a dog, so we ended up exploring the areas off the grid, like rail road tracks and abandoned buildings.  And it was walking along these rail road tracks that we first became intrigued with, and then fell in love with graffiti.

Stay up, Los Angeles!  and Miami!~

Graffiti bombs on the old tracks of home.  These are the first spots that we started documenting back in the day with artists like Air, Ewe and Ikue.  The walls are still getting held down and slammed with graffiti from Steve, Edaps and Elmser.

Panda Bear Pac Man

Panda Bear Pac Man game being acted out on the rooftops of the Wynwood Arts District in Miami.

Riding with a bearded dude too.

Spaced Invader - Armed and Loaded

Space Invader claims a hot rooftop in Miami, right next to the guns, ammo and 'survival store'.

Yikes.

Dig the result of the placement and the way the piece pops from the street.