Cornered Animal

Amongst the stickers & tags, lives a creature sprung from the imagination of artist Avantarded.
An impressive handpainted and quite detailed black & white image of a populated landscape,
and then cut into the shape of a four-legged creature that we are quite undecided on the species.
Found on the corner of Charleston and 3rd in the 18b Arts District.  

Just Around the Corner

We found these photographs featuring The Stratosphere pasted amongst the art on Coolidge.
Two black & white images with an almost oppressive feel, combing the foreground images of chain link fence
and razor wire seemingly around the casino and below. We must say a multitude of ideas came to mind when we viewed these images, which is a high mark of many a great photograph, no? Yes, we dig it! 

Sucker!

Dan45 gets up on the corner of Charleston and Casino with another one of his handmade pieces.
A wooden puzzle piece painted bright orange, with black cryptic numbers and a message. "you're a sucker".
We have heard there are several more of these located around town, can't wait to find the next one!  

Box Hawg

A fancy pig is surrounded by art and waiting on the corner of Charleston and Casino.
This little guy painted in pink & black looks pretty dapper with his bowtie on yellowed paper,
complete with uni-brow and hair curl on top. He waits patiently for..... Well, whatever he is waiting for.
Artist unknown in the 18b Arts District.

Bunny Barrier

Milk the Bunny's new hand painted wheatpaste piece on 3rd and Charleston in the outskirts of the 18b.
This double headed bunny with brightly colored fur looks great. Overtime the Sun has distressed the wall til the paint is peeling off to an older and duller layer, while this new image is bright, colorful and popping off the wall!
The environment definitely comes into play when getting up and this time it really works!

Of Gods and Mice

When looking for Street Art, you can discover some usual pieces of artwork, this time is no different.
A cut up Mickey Mouse t-shirt glued to the wall, painted with silver glitter and God written with a line through it.
Add some red paint splatter with Mickey's eyes crossed out and..... And yeah, your message is completely lost.
Well its lost on us at least. Found in the 18b Arts District, weird.

Corner Stop

Another Thrashbird piece located in the 18b, patiently waiting to cross the street at Coolidge and Casino.
Thrashbird has been getting up huge in high profile Los Angeles spots for some time now, only recently taking his art beyond the borders of California. Known more for his larger pieces in high profile locations, this smaller stenciled piece is a cool find for sure.

Black Rainbow

There She Is returns to the 18b Arts District with some religious iconography of her own.
Stickers of 80s cartoon character Rainbow Brite, dead and crucified, placed around the area.
Done in a multitude of colored ink pens on a black and white sticker with hand painted embellishments.
She looks so sad and serene hanging there in her colorful dress, but don't worry. I hear she comes back.

The Church of Street Art

Los Angeles street artist Thrashbird turns the 18b Arts District into the Church of Street Art.
Using a hand painted Christ on a child's alphabet playroom mat joined together in the shape of a cross.
This piece certainly cuts a striking image hanging high above the other artwork, giving the whole scene a pseudo-religious feel with his black and white crucified Christ looking down and judging us all..Amen!

Street Magic

Abracadabra! The second Los Angeles street artist Teacher piece appears overnight, almost like magic.
Teacher's artistic abilities are only matched by the amount they are varied! This colorful, detailed and tightly sprayed stenciled image of magician David Blaine is a great example of just one of the mediums he uses to spread his message. Located right off Coolidge in the 18b Arts District. Great stuff!

Teamwork = Streetwork

We got a call last week from Thrashbird letting us know that him and Teacher would be pulling through
Vegas with some new pieces, so we let them know spots to hit and were excited to see their results.
Both artists have completely different styles and yet complimentary to each other, as well as being two
of the most visual artists on the streets of Los Angeles. Teacher with his messages of "Teach Each Child"
and "Teach Peace" and Thrashbird with his clone images reminding us how we are slaves to our phones.
Here is the first of a few pieces that you'll be seeing this week from the duo, on Coolidge in the 18b Arts District.

They Live

We were strolling downtown on Fremont when we spotted this new sticker outta the comer of our eye.
Portland's Hesher Park teams up with the Las Vegas Fuck Ups for a new collab sticker,
a black and white image of the Luxor with the stylized Hesher Park images and text we've grown to love.
We have been huge fans of Hesher Park for years, great to see them around town.

Abstracted Face

Riding above an older Aware piece in the 18b Arts District, we found another abstract looking face.
The black ink on yellowed paper reminds me of an Avantarded piece, but we still aren't 100% sure.
We have seen a couple of these popping up around town and always enjoy them, but dammit. Sign it!!!
Artist unknown.

Updated: Olsenink let us know this artist is itsmeitserik, thanks again! 

Romantic in Blue

Another Coua piece in the 18b, an abstract female holding a flower and looking decidedly more blue.
This one is just right around the corner from their previous El Carlito piece, maybe these tell us something.
Maybe they symbolize a lost love, or possibly simply trying to find someone to love? Who knows?
But whatever these two are looking for, I hope they can find it! Great pieces. 

Runny Nose

An abstract looking fellow going by the name of El Carlito is hanging around the 18b Arts District.
This new piece from Coua with its use of red and blue paint really makes the figure stand out against the gray,
we especially love how they have incorporated an already existing faucet on the wall as his nose.
Great use of the environment and imagination to make one solid piece.

In Ascent

Indecline goes huge with this giant wheatpaste the side of the Western, right off Fremont Street.
Not sure if this artwork was part of the Life Is Beautiful festival or if this is an illegal piece.
Either way, to us this is how good street art is done. Strong design, able to be interpreted several ways,
not caked with paste, put up straight and with care. (We sometimes can't believe how many artists miss these simple things.) It is nice to see that the Las Vegas street art scene is still building momentum, but!
Indecline shows us that we are all gonna need to step it up a notch or three to keep up! Nice!

Share Art Here

Usually people make art at Reclaimed Art Suppliez and take it home with them, but not this time.
Olsenink, Dan 45 and I Am Physiocraft decided to share some of their artwork on the side of the building.
Dan 45 with another puzzle piece with the words "cut stencils not people", Olsenink with a ink on craft paper image of a woman's face, and I Am Physiocraft with her Spirit of Downtown sticker. Nice!

Booty Had Me Like

We came across this group of stickers and pasters hanging out by the alley recently.
The girl and Dali might be from the same artist, they seem to have the same super contrasted vibe,
the other Ying & Yang design looks to be a colored pen drawing that reminds us of a child's drawing.
All different styles and techniques from these unknown artists, found in the 18b Arts District.

Cats, Cats, Cats...

Cats and internet meme cats are taking up residence in the 18b Arts District as of late.
Across the street from Jesse Smigel's Snowball in Vegas sculpture we found a Pizza Cat sticker,
joined by a tag that says Chocolate Jesus that is pretty bad. Dig the clean redrawn look of the sticker,
but man that handwriting... Ugh!

Grim Buddies

Atomsk is back in the 18b Arts District with a new stencil piece finished with hand done embellishments.
The artwork comes from the cover of the Brand New's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" album.
A nice combo of techniques to give us a more finished feel than previous works, we are digging it!

Disembodied Beauty

A beautiful woman lives down an alley in the 18b Arts District, or at least her head does.
This hand drawn piece in black ink on yellowed paper cuts a elegant image amongst the tags and stickers.
Another quality piece from Olsenink, we really have been enjoying his broad range of styles on his artwork. 

The Missing Piece

A missing piece of a puzzle located in the 18b Arts District, a brightly painted wooden piece
with a trippy looking skateboard with "destroy" written on the underside of the deck. We can't help but wonder how many more of these are out there in the city, and more importantly?! Will other said pieces (if any) make something of a bigger picture to decode when all together? Hmm... Interesting!

Love Thy Self Behind Bars

Another piece in the 18b Arts District and another message from iamphysiocraft.
She reminds us to always "Love Thy Self" with this smaller paster image found behind metal bars.
Here is a bit more info in the artist's own words "reminder, be easy on yourself, more love more gain."
We have really been enjoying her artwork and feel that self positivity is an amazing thing! Nice!

Yin & Yang

Clouds are forming overhead in the 18b Arts District courtesy of iamphysiocraft.
These mysterious looking clouds are bustling with energy and seem to be swirling into a Yin & Yang shape.
A detailed and enjoyable wheatpaste image that definitely stands out amongst the other artwork, great piece!

It's All In The Details

Avantarded with a larger piece of art, a richly detailed black ink drawing on butcher paper
with a great use of multi-sized line work. We see some silver spray paint added to the globe shape in there
but not entirely sure if the artist or someone else did that after the fact, but a great new piece to enjoy
and take some time to study in the 18b Arts District.

Branding The Street

A clothing company gets up in the 18b with, well lets be honest, an advertisement.
We dig the fancy polar bear with his stylish mustache, joined by their diamond logo below.
Lately it seems like any group of people with a bucket of wheatpaste and a printing press thinks they are "street"
or even worse a "street brand", but dammit we'd like to see more art and way less advertising!
With all that being said, these are some pretty damn solid designs from Official Genius.

District of the Dead

You Killed Me First gets up in the 18b Arts District with a stylized version of an old movie poster,
combining the two movies "Dawn of the Dead" and his namesake "You Killed Me First" for this image.
The box to the right has There She Is with her hand painted robot grabbing lightening from the clouds.
These artists always appear together in the streets, sometimes working together to compliment each others art using the same colors and feel and sometimes in juxtaposition. Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!

Black Dahlia District

The Black Dahlia pays a visit to the 18b Arts District courtesy of Struggle Buggy,
with an image of Elizabeth Short with a group of people with black bars to conceal their identities.
The image on stained and yellowed paper really gives this piece a feel from another time,
joined by sticker of a purple and atomically correct heart. Possibly to replace her now stopped heart? 

Two Faced Team

You Killed Me First and There She Is team up to give concert goers an alternative to commercial logos
and an overkill of advertisements with new bright and colorful pieces for the Life is Beautiful festival.
There She Is with her hand painted face of Medusa and her head of snakes inviting you closer to your doom,
and You Killed Me First combining an intense stare with neon colors assault your eyes on the downtown streets.

No Trespassing

Another year, another round of new Life is Beautiful murals but lets stay focused on the illegal artwork.
D*Face's Card Shark stencil pieces have been riding since last year, they look so solid and blend perfectly with the scenery that the buffman keeps missing them. Olsenink up top with a larger color sticker of a hairy legged women joining in on the fun, with Missy Elliot lyrics "Put my thang down, flip it and reverse it." Found downtown.

The Spirit of Downtown

AEC from Interesni Kazki's buffed Life Is Beautiful mural lives again with these stickers found downtown.
The black n white is for certain a Olsenink design, and the others we're are not 100% sure of the artists.
But together they do make a strong statement about the spirit of downtown unjustly buffing and censoring
of a mural that someone somewhere felt was too negative, well in their eyes anyway. Great to see it back threefold!

Bird Box

Found this artist unknown piece on Bridger between 6th and Las Vegas Blvd., this time sans skateboard.
We're not even sure what this little guy even is, a hipster bird, a vampire duck? Who knows?!
But we've been seeing him more and more, and its always good to see a familiar face around town.

Big Bunny

Milk the Bunny goes big with the largest piece we've seen from her thus far,
a large pink circle surrounding a bright, multicolored and psychedelic unicorn bunny.
Spotted, located, tagged and released in the 18b Arts District, stay up!

Practice Compassion?

Another Picasso paster spotted from The Producer BDB in the 18b Arts District,
joined by a Practice Compassion sticker riding above his head like a message just for us.
But um...the complete ridiculousness of having that message above a defaced image of Pablo Picasso
with his eyes crossed out and then complete it by drawing a penis in his mouth?...
This is either an amazing collab or someone has just offended the hell outta me, nice job!

The Grim Ripper

New digital print piece found on the side-door of the old Western Hotel on Fremont,
the Grim Reaper riding a skateboard with an abstract face and ever present scythe in hand.
The face is almost reminiscent of an plague doctors masks, kinda makes this artist unknown
piece a little more poignant with current events. Joined by tags and a Ray Moore sticker.

Group Meeting

A multi-piece collage of art is waiting for you in the alley behind the Velveteen Rabbit in the 18b.
This wall features an array of colors and different styles of artwork by various artists.
These out of the way, almost hidden pieces are always satisfying to find when you locate them.
A little effort can go a long way in this town, be it from the artist or just simply looking for art.

The Lady In Purple

Another find in another alley in the 18b, a beautiful stencil of a woman on a purple background.
This striking image is spray painted in white and joined by some tags and web address stickers.
Funny how artists spend so much time cutting out an stencil, then hit the streets painting as fast as possible.
Well, when your choices are commit or get caught? You kinda get in a rush sometimes, artist unknown. 

Alley Oops

We discovered someone in the alley behind Velveteen Rabbit having a bit of a break this weekend.
Tucked away from prying eyes and the graffiti, we have a hooded hipster kid relieving himself.
The amount of stained piss on the ground makes this piece work extremely well with its surroundings,
but it almost comes off like more of an instructional manual than artwork. Artist unknown.

Stay Fixed

A newer Milk the Bunny piece found downtown with the words Stay Fixed and another set of ears.
Omayra Amador is one of the first artists we became familiar with after moving from LA to LV,
her artwork has been a permanent and often times temporary fixture on the streets and walls of Vegas.
Our friends over at Paint This Desert.com recently ran a great article on her, make sure to check it out!
http://www.paintthisdesert.com/field-notes/milk-the-bunny-by-omayra-amador Stay Up!

Friendly Monster

We found a monster lurking in the shadows of the night in the 18b Arts District,
well actually it was broad daylight and the monster is a piece from Olsenink. But still!
Olsenink has been hitting the city with a wide range of styles and colors with his pieces,
this latest one is aging nicely with a little help from some asshole who thinks messing with art is funny.
Haters, they will always let you know when your artwork better than theirs, So, umm. Thanks?!

3 Artists 1 Wall

Struggle Buggy, There She Is and You Killed Me First hit a wall together with a group of pasters.
Ranging from faux ads to pop culture characters and beyond, quite the selection of subject matter.
An Elizabeth Short wanted poster by Struggle Buggy, There She Is with hand painted images of David Bowie

as Jareth from Labyrinth joined by her stylized version of a Toulouse-Lautrec poster from the 1800's.

Lastly a familiar image from Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and an ad from the movie Beetlejuice

from You Killed Me First. Quite a blast of color found on Coolidge in the 18b Arts District.

Beautifully Destroyed

Last year's Life is Beautiful festival brought in some amazing artists from around the globe into Vegas,
we usually don't like to post legal pieces but when the art and talent are undeniable its a given!
Portuguese artist Vhils goes big downtown on 7th with his unique technique of painted portrait images.
Then he carves the image into the wall, often with just a hammer and chisel! Impressive piece and style.

Blue Blood

A new Give Blood piece spotted outside Artifice in the 18b, this time with an addition of a blue...
Uh, maybe a drop of blood? Hmmm, or is that a comma that fell over? Well whatever that thing is,
it was on the paper before the print and gives it a unique look. Unique as in "hey we only have this paper
with that blue spot on it, oh use it anyway?" sort of unique. Joined by Sher & Bala, stay up! 

Street Picasso

We found another piece from The Producer BDB on Fremont Street, an image of an older man.
That man just happens to be artist Pablo Picasso, and the look on his face speaks volumes.
He looks like a sad and worried man standing on the corner waiting, for something we will never know.
I believe good street art can instantly invoke stories in your head, and this is just such a piece.

Hmmm or maybe its just too early to think clearly this morning? Either way, stay up!

Framed On Fremont

We found this familiar looking monster hanging around on the corner of Fremont and 7th,
hand painted butcher paper paster with a colorful and splattered background inside a frame.
The little white character reminds us of an abstract version of a face in a Smear piece.
Since its unsigned... We'll say nah, probably not. Artist unknown.

High In The Sky

Neo gets up high over the 18b Arts District on Coolidge with colorful balloons spelling out their name.
This appears to be completely hand painted which makes me wonder if they did this piece at night, or?
I'm thinking either someone had permission to paint this wall or someone can paint pretty damn fast!
Fairly impressive if it's the latter, but honestly its just great to see so much new artwork going up!

Downtown Secret

The Town Lodge Motel sign hides a secret, there is a piece on the inside of the signage hidden from view.
It's a somewhat bizarre and textless mash up of Beatle John Lennon and former president John F. Kennedy.
Lennon wrote lyrics like "I don't believe in Kennedy" in 1970 for his song God (John Lennon song),
is there any connection between to the two men I am failing to see? Other than horrible assassinations
and jumbled conspiracy theories? Artist unknown on 7th street.

Lunch Date

Emcee has been putting in work lately, hitting more high profile spots with larger pieces.
Like this ink and colored pencil piece, joined by a face that has been drawn in a similar style.
I'm not 100% sure if the face was drawn as an afterthought by the artist or by someone else,
but they do make quite the interesting couple! Found at the corner of Carson & 7th.

Too Early To Quit

Another day, another search for art. This time we turned up this unknown artist piece in the 18b.
A hand painted colorful paster that seems to tell us its always too early to quit dreaming, or is it thinking?
Misinterpreted or not, we think it is always good to see a positive message within artwork on the streets.
Love the care they put into cutting the shape too, jagged cuts with straight lines around the text. Nice!

Shitting Bricks

Unknown artist piece spotting on Charleston on the outskirts of the 18b Arts District.
Black ink on butcher paper design once again, been seeing this combo and wonder if its the same artist?
We are starting to sense a theme with these pseudo-hieroglyphic styled pieces, this new one featuring a stone person literally shitting bricks with two sets of the Eye of Providence looking on in the background.
Definitely not the time to develop rhypophobia....