{Alien} Art Form

Like any DIY'er worth her salt, I am a spray paint enthusiast. It's cheap, comes in a wide array of colors and finishes, is easily purchased at a variety of stores and has the power to magically transform all those mis-fit pieces of furniture and knik-knaks that would otherwise be cast away. Who DOESN'T use spray paint, I'd like to know?! In my years of spray paint use, I thought I'd seen pretty much every color and brand out there, but recently came across a product I haven't seen before.

Originally from Spain, 'Alien' spray paint from Montana Colors caught my eye at my local hardware store. It comes in short, black cans in a  w  i  d  e  selection of colors and I was instantly curious about it. What makes it different, what's with the name, where does it come from and why haven't I seen it before? I asked the clerk all these questions, but they had just gotten it in, so he didn't know any more than me. I bought a can of 'Karma Violet' and went home to research this new alien paint! I found out this is the preferred paint of street artists world wide. By street artists, ya'll know I'm talking about graffiti.

Now don't think cold, grey, concrete freeway overpass with some gang tag sprawled across it in black paint.....Think beautifully colored public art murals exploding in depth and texture right off the side of that downtown building. Graffiti art has come a long way in credibility and acceptance to be regarded as a true art form. Some cities even sanction specific buildings for graffiti artists to use as their canvas. While there is always going to be the 'ugly' variety of graffiti, I feel the artists speaking in this clip sum it up pretty well:
MTN COLORS: The Original Since 1994 from The WereHaus™ on Vimeo.

So, all in all, it was a pretty productive trip to the hardware store! I got excited about a product I hadn't seen before and learned a little something about an art form I had never really considered legit. Oh, and the spray paint works beautifully! Easy to use, great colors, a *little* bit more money than the usual suspects, but worth it. Who knows...I may even be inspired to create my own {Alien} art!

How do you feel about graffiti? Love, hate or indifferent, leave me a comment and let me know! I appreciate your visit today,,,Thanks!

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