The Most Well Connected Poorman in America: City Murals Newark New Jersey….Progress and Pictures

Yes the Mural is moving forward
By this weekend we will have all of the elements in and then for the next few weeks we will paint and repaint refine and add what ever is needed to make it pop.
Their are a lot of people that come by daily to watch and encourage me and mine.

First off don't be scared..... the writing on the figure will be removed, James just needs this to begin with . ................
So don't panic
Having said that, in our rush to work with young people in the school system.
I always feel like we forget those young people who have not only survived, but prospered while living in Newark.
James is from the garden Spires, he went on to graduate from the Fashion Institute of tech. after attending arts high school in Newark.
James was Newark first real skateboarder, he was skateboarding in Newark and new york when he was 10 years old. Back in those days, people would call him names and actually throw rocks at him. What is a Black and puerto Rica doing on a skateboard.
How the world has flipped, many of the kids that James skateboarded with went on to become quite famous, most were in that Movie that came out a few years ago "kids".
James has worked in many of the top art galleries in new york, has been in movies and can call more than a few of the rich and famous his friends.
He is still in Newark, working as a tattoo artist after the collapse of the economy and is still painting up a storm. So it is fitting that he would draw the skateboarder on the he wall.

This is a picture of the main body of my mural team, from the last mural

Pictured are Cesar,Rich, my son in law (foreman) , James and James Girlfriend Veronica.
Cesar is about to graduate from the Art institute of New York in Just two weeks. He has worked with me since he was about 15 and is invaluable.
He is the child of immigrants of Peruvian-Colombian origin and is one of the most talented young artist around. I count his parent as some of my best friends. the struggled to keep this kid in school and should be applauded.
I always feel like
in organization's quest for grants and kids, that they always tend to focus on kids in trouble. Now that's OK, but all kids growing up in a urban environment have their share of trouble. And inst it just as hard to become some thing than to be nothing. Young people like Cesar, who are making it, who struggle to have the money to go to school stay in school and to stay focused...... are often over looked by local organizations.
what is it about America that seems to have a problem with education, as much as we profess to aspire to achieve. All of our kids deserved support and encouragement..............not just the ones active in gangs, or more.
I am not saying that all kids don't deserve a shot, just that in the rush for grants, and to show that we are helping the poor....we miss so many kids who have had just as hard of time and still prospered.

Having said that these are two high risk kids(Omar and Jesus) from North Newark, who worked with me on the Mural at the Hawkins street school. They walk, bus do any thing to get down to the mural site, they love doing murals and tell me that they feel like when they are making murals that they are doing some thing good, Doing some thing that they can feel proud about……….you cant beat that

The crane, drawn by my son in law rich

a graduate of Fit and a previous employee of the Central park conservancy in new york...........is coming out grand.
Rich is marrying my daughter is less than a month.
My daughter by the way is a graduate of Arts high school, which she attended with James
She is now the annual funds manager at the cooper union in new york, one of the greatest engineering architecture and art schools in the world.
These are Newark story's too........why aren't they being told................

--
The Aztecs mask are forming

Full view Cesar did the mask and the lettering

James skateboarder, again don't panic their will be no writing on the figure and i do know better than to use red in the cript gangs territory...........