German Street Artist ECB recently finished painting this elongated white guys head on a 150 year old building in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. ECB says he likes painting wrinkles and ends up painting men because they have more. Additionally, stretching them out of proportion is a favorite technique, pushing the features and proportions like silly putty to cover as much space as possible. If you have been in Bushwick much over the past two years you’ve seen many of them wrapping around old warehouses and factory buildings.
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
While inspecting the latest ECB, we got to meet the owner of the building, Franz, a senior gentleman who actually was so engaging that he gave an entire tour of it, such is the nature of some friendly people. As you walk from floor to floor seeing how the building is used, it might strike you that Franz could easily be a sitter for one of ECB’s pieces. He explains that this building used to be a family farmhouse an stable and a resting station for horses. Travelers on a long trip from the North would replace their tired team of horses with a new fresh team and continue their journey. On their way back home they picked their own team up and headed back home.
Franz, an emigrant from Austria and a Master cabinet maker, has been working with wood and making custom furniture for over 50 years. He purchased the Bushwick farmhouse 35 years ago for $85,000 once the seller agreed to put on a new roof. Ask him why he still works so hard everyday and he looks at you like you’re crazy. He can build anything you ask, loves what he does, and has a staff of six assistants, one apprentice and an artist for faux wood finishing.
And what about the artists on the street? He said he likes to help out the young artists and is very happy to allow them to paint on the building’s front and sidewalls. He said he enjoys the murals, likes the crumbling paint on the bricks and wants things to stay as they are.
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
MYTH is a perfect name for a street artist, right? The practice can allow one to be the subject of mythology, or to make stories about other mythological creatures or super/anti heroes. You may wish ...
A collaboration between two Gen Y Mexican muralists went up this month for college age festival goers at an electronic dance event in Mexico City that features multiple DJs, carnival rides, laser ligh...
Existentialist brothers How & Nosm brought their skillz to Mana Contemporary in Jersey City this week to knock out a huge new wall for their Urban Art Project, and you may ask yourself what is at ...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : 1. NEMCO, Three Stages: Primaticcio. Part I 2. NEMCO, Three Stages: Salento. Part II 3. NEMCO, Th...
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Ultimately people respond to graffiti and street art because of the humanity that vibrates from it. You may care deeply, or care not. If it is effective, ar...