
Now that I’m becoming an “old pro” at mural-hunting, it’s a little like the old Concentration game. I keep coming across muralists whose work I’ve seen before and recognize either by the style or by their signature. Where was the other one(s) by this person?

This one, in the heart of the Roosevelt Row arts district (at Pravus Gallery, 501 E. Roosevelt Street), was done by “Elmac Kofie.” See the signature on the upper left above. I know I’ve seen that name before (actually this mural is a collaboration by Elmac and his friend, Kofie). Elmac is very prolific and has painted murals all over the world. You can see more of his work on his blog.

Oh, yeah, I saw it a mile or two away a couple of weeks ago in another section of the arts district at 1105 Grand Avenue. And now that I look at both of them, they look very similar to one I saw at Zao Gallery/Universal Hair Salon (925 Grand Avenue) recently.

Yes, down there on the left side, amidst her hair, is “Elmac.” The signature is a little different but the style is the same. This was a couple blocks away from the one above it. And back to the one above it:

Next to the Elmac mural is one by Lalo Cota, who I wrote about in my Calaveras post, including this one by him above. Murals at three different locations were shown in that post and now here is another one by Lalo, distinct in its style:

This van is outside Conspire, a coffeehouse/artist-run shop, at 901 N. 5th Street. The walls of Conspire have more murals by Lalo.

It’s pretty fun getting accustomed to their styles and coming across them all over downtown Phoenix. Every time I go out to photograph a mural, I seem to see or hear about some other ones. This project could go on for a long time. Hopefully, you will go out and see them in person and let me know of others that you have seen Downtown in the Comments section.
Nomojoe and Tequilya
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011NoMoJoe and Tequilya. If you live in the Phoenix area, you know what that means and who these calaveras represent.
This mural on Roosevelt Row is by Lalo Cota, who I wrote about~again~a few days ago and his sometime collaborator, Thomas Breeze Marcus. I’ve photographed this building in the alley of the 400 block of East Roosevelt between Eye Lounge and Modified Arts before. This is what it looked like a year ago:
You can see that some of the roses and part of the background remain the same.
Over to the left, under the billboard, this is the mural on the side of Eye Lounge this month.
This mural changes every First Friday (except in the summer) and is always done by Joe Pagac, who you can watch paint amidst the crowds. This is what it looked like about a year ago:
And below is what it looked like about 6 months ago. This performance wall is commissioned by Stateside Presents, a concert and event promoter. So it’s a good gig for Joe Pagac.
Check it out this coming First Friday and see what changes are in store…
Tags: downtown, downtown phoenix, downtown phx, First Friday, Joe Pagac, Lalo Cota, Murals, phoenix, phoenix art, Roosevelt Row, things to do
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