Stikman

stikman-maybe he always looks the same

Featured in Woodward Gallery’s current exhibit Potentia Triumalong with works by Thomas Buildmore and Terence Netter, are over two dozen variations of our beloved stikman.  Representing an extraordinary range of imaginative styles and genres fashioned from sundry materials — many recycled — the artworks remain on display through December 22.

 One of many on paper, Mixed media 

stikman-on-paper-woodward-gallery

Collage on paper series, with Terence Netter on left and Thomas Buildmore on right rear

stikman-buildmore-and-Terence-Netter

Small Concrete Painting, Mixed media

stikman-on-found-surface-on-floor

Bird Garden Shelter, Mixed media

stikman-encaged

Stiks, Stone, Metal, Mixed media

stikman-on-stone

A larger segment of the huge installation in the rear room

stikman-woodward-gallery-jw

Woodward Gallery is located at 133 Eldridge Street between Broome and Delancey Streets. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm; Sunday: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm and by appointment.

First image: Maybe He Always Looks the Same. but It’s Us that See Him Differently, Close-up, Mixed media

Photo credits: 1-6 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 7 John Woodward

Note: Check here for more of stikman now on view at Woodward Gallery — as captured by Kendall Whitehouse.

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Even the pavement speaks here in NYC — with everything from intriguing images to poetic prose to political messages. Here’s a sampling:

Hunt Rodriguez in Bushwick

"Hunt Rodriguez"

stikman in Chelsea

stikman

A political statement in Williamsburg

save-syria-now

Chris and Veng RWK in the East Village

Chris-and-Veng-RWK-pavement-street-art

An excerpt from The Bell Jar, the only novel penned by the acclaimed American poet and writer Sylvia Plath

sylvia-plath-poem-on-pavement

Anthony Lister in Bushwick

Anthony-lister-pavement-street-art-nyc

Unidentified stencil art on Chelsea sidewalk

stencil-pavement-street-art-NYC

A reference to Gaza on the Upper West Side

political-art-on-nyc-pavement-street-art

And a political statement in Bushwick

NYC-political-street-art-pavement

Photos — 1, 2, 6-9 by Lois Stavsky; 3 – 5 by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Woodward Gallery‘s first exhibit of 2015 presents a wonderfully diverse selection of works in a range of media by 20 contemporary artists. Among those artists featured are several with special appeal to us street art aficionados, as their artworks have also surfaced in public spaces. Here’s a sampling:

Moody, Mixed media on album cover, 2015

Moody

Darkcloud, The End Times, Spray paint, enamel and resin on foam core, 2014

Darkcloud - The End Times

 Darkcloud, close-up

darkclouds-close-up-woodward-gallery

Kenji Nakayama, Naked Lunch, Acrylic on wood, close-up, 2012

"Kenji Nakayama"

Cycle, Rex vs Rex, Acrylic on canvas, 2013

"Chris Cycle"

stikman, Threaded, Acrylic on plexiglass, 2014

stikman

Richard Hambleton, (L) Malibu Seascape, 1986 and (R) Dancing Shadowman, Acrylic on paper, 1983

Richard-Hambleton

Woodward Gallery is located at 133 Eldridge Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is open Tuesday – Saturday 11-6pm and Sunday from 12-5pm.

Photos credits: 1 & 3 City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; 2, 5 & 7 courtesy Woodward Gallery; 4 Lois Stavsky & 6 Dani Reyes Mozeson

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stikman-street-art-figure-NYC

Huge fans of stikman — in all his permutations — we were delighted to discover how active he’s recently been in Little Italy, particularly on Mulberry Street. Here’s a sampling of what we discovered this past week:

stikman

stikman-character-street-art-nyc-

And his homage to Dr.Seuss, whose very first children’s book was And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

stikman-street-art-paste-up-NYC

With an earlier 3-D variation peering from the rear left

stikman-street-art-NYC

And lurking behind bars

stikman-street-art-gated-NYC

 Photos 1, 2, 4 and 6 by Lois Stavsky; 3 and 5 by the acutely observant City-as-School intern Robert Verdejo

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This is the fifth in a series of occasional posts featuring the range of curious characters that have found a home on NYC streets:

Buff Monster in Little Italy

"Buff Monster"

Federico Massa aka Cruz in Bushwick

Cruz

Nepo in Bushwick

Nepo

Nemo — in from Italy — in Williamsburg

Nemo

Pose in SoHo

Pose

stikman in SoHo

Stikman

Unidentified artist in Brooklyn

unidentified-street-art-NYC

Claw Money in Midtown Manhattan

"Claw Money"

Photo of Pose by Lois Stavsky; all others by Dani Reyes Mozeson

 

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Woodward Gallery launched its 20th Anniversary in early January with the group exhibition Sur-Real, a fantastical foray into the subconscious. And, alongside such notable artists as Margaret Morrison, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Andy Warhol, are some of our favorites who continue to maintain a presence in our streets. Here’s a sampling of what can be seen at 133 Eldridge Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side through February 22nd:

NoseGo, Daily Spontaneous Excursions

NoseGi

Kosby, Knee Deep

Kosby

Thomas Buildmore, A Funeral for Both of Us

"Thomas Buildmore"

Kenji Nakayama takes us inside Albert Einstein’s mind

Kenji Nakayama

And stikman is encaged

stikman

Photos of artworks by Lois Stavsky

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On view this evening from 7-11pm at 17 Frost in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is October Surprise.  Curated by Jason Mamarella, aka d.w. krsna, it features works by some of our favorite artists who are active both on the streets and in their studios. Here’s a brief sampling:

Billi Kid

Billi kid

Abe Lincoln, Jr.

Abe Lincoln Jr.

Cake

Cake

Jason Mamarella, aka d.w. krsna, close-up (look carefully!)

Jason Mamarella

stikman

stikman

And here’s a close-up from WC Bevan — who works with ink he creates on paper recycled from abandoned spaces

W-C-Bevan-at-17-Frost

Photos of artworks by Lois Stavsky

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NYC’s Dashing Pavement Art

January 21, 2013

Paul Richard

From Paul Richard’s elegant gentlemen to Dceve’s stylish tags, the images that surface on NYC’s pavement intrigue:

Another one by Paul Richard

Paul Richard

The itinerant Swamp Donkey aka Swampy

Swampy

Meres at 5Pointz

Meres

Close-up of extraordinary piece by the wonderfully talented David Ellis

David Ellis

The iconic UFO

UFO

The elusive stikman

stikman-street-art-on-NYC-pavement

And stylish writing by Dceve of the legendary Smart Crew

DCEVE

 Photos by Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray & Lois Stavsky

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"stikman street art"

Our beloved stikman has been part of New York City’s visual landscape for as long as we can remember.  We’ve seen him in an amazing array of styles on countless surfaces.  We’ve always wondered about the artist behind one of our favorite street art charactersStreetArtNYC recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

When was stikman born?

This year marks his 20th anniversary.

What inspired you to create him?

I was flea market – hunting when I came upon an old plaster plaque depicting a man made of sticks who had, somehow, fled the hold of the plaster.   I was intrigued.  His escape and the many forms and shapes he could take on his journey gripped my imagination.  And that was the beginning of this artistic journey.

Where did your first stikman surface?

In 1992 in the East Village. I constructed about 50 that first year – all from unpainted basswood. About four years later, I started painting 3-D stikmen and also designing stickers.

"stikman 3-D street art"

Had you a presence on the streets before stikman?

I started getting my name up when I was 14 years old, and later on I was into writing anti-war statements in public spaces. I’ve been building brick and stick towers since then as well.

We’ve seen our beloved stikman in a variety of media. Can you tell us something about them?

I’ve fashioned stikman from a range of materials including: metal, wood, cloth and plastic objects. Among the objects I’ve painted over are: LP record covers, prints, playing cards and book pages.

Have you any favorite surfaces?

I like flat metal as well as walls covered in paste-ups and stencils. But I especially love old, deteriorated urban elements that have been altered by time.

"stikman street art"

Have you any message to convey with stikman?

No. I like my art to speak for itself. There is no hidden message or meaning in the traditional sense, but it is possible to analyze the work on many levels if one is so inclined.  I do hope that the viewers develop a keen sense of the visual environment that is all around them.

Stikman has been quite ephemeral in certain locations. How do you feel about folks removing your art?

It’s disappointing, but I don’t view my art as “precious.”  When it vanishes, the space eventually returns to its previous state.

As evidenced by what we’ve encountered on the streets this past year and seen at Williamsburg’s Pandemic and Philly’s Stupid Easy galleries, stikman continues to evolve – in quite ingenious ways. What percentage of your time is devoted to him?

Most of it.  And I spend lots of time in flea markets and wandering the streets, which are constant sources of inspiration.

"stikman street art"

How does your family feel about all this?

My wife and kids love what I do. They’re all big stikman fans.

In addition to Pandemic and Stupid Easy, your work has been featured in exhibits at Factory Fresh and at Woodward Gallery. How do you feel about the movement of street art and graffiti into galleries?

Conscientious galleries can help the public understand art that is new and challenging. I encourage anyone who’s making a living by producing and exhibiting art.

Any thoughts about the graffiti/street art divide?

At its core we all work in that vibrant zone where art meets real life in the space we all share.  There are so many art movements, and they all inspire one another.

"stikman street art"

Have you found inspiration in any particular public art projects?

Christo’s “Wall of Oil Barrels-Iron Curtain, Rue Visconti, Paris” circa 1962. When I was young, I saw photos of it  I realized I was also an artist.

Have you had any particularly frightening or disturbing experiences while out on the streets with stikman?

Almost getting run over while stenciling him onto the pavement at a busy intersection was somewhat scary.  And I’ve been in some areas I shouldn’t have been in though I believe in taking my art into troubled neighborhoods.

"stikman street art on pavement"

How do you feel about the role of the Internet in all this?

I embrace it. It has allowed artists and art enthusiasts from many places and cultures to have an awareness of art projects they were unlikely to experience any other way.  My personal experience, however, is that encountering this art in its natural location has the most visual satisfaction and transcendent possibilities.

What’s ahead?

Nothing is planned. Stikman will continue to evolve. It’s all serendipity. I am working on the 7th edition of the ten year cycle tribal/insect stikman. Look for him on the streets starting in January.

 ‘sounds great.  We are looking forward!

Photos by Dani Mozeson and Lois Stavsky

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This is the first in a series of the wide array of art — from first-rate stickers to iconic installations — that can be seen on and from the Williamsburg Bridge:

Swamp Donkey aka Swampy as seen from the Williamsburg Bridge

"Swampy street art" More after the jump!

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