Unicorn Horns

Okay so here’s a quick run-down of how I made 1200 unicorn horn stickers by hand:

I designed these stickers based on a sticker that I found in a Berlin metro station. I was peeling it off and noticed how high quality it was! The backing was a gummy, sticky, tape with a thread lattice. It seemed weatherproof and it was difficult to remove. I knew that I had to find out what this tape was.

A couple months passed before I was in Iceland with my beautiful friend and wonderful filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff. We were discussing ideas for promotion for her film, which was scheduled to debut at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas in March. We talked briefly about the idea to make unicorn horn stickers. A few weeks later I was back in Florida exploring the hardware store for this magical tape. I found it in the flooring section- it was carpet tape! I bought a few rolls and ran home to make prototypes.

I began by coating Bristol paper with acrylic spraypaint in different colors I made fades across the sheets to create variation and texture.

Next, I applied the double-sided tape to the back of the sheets.

Back on the front side, I drew as many unicorn horns as would fit on one sheet using paint markers. I had a bunch of scraps lying around and it was fun experimenting with different color combos. I drew the outlines and several diagonals to imply a twisting shape, then went in with different colors for highlights and lowlights. The horns began to look magical, even more so when I cut them out individually!

I made 200 in the first batch. I sent half to Leah, and took half down to Art Basel Miami, where I installed them on the streets of Wynwood. Leah made use of hers in New York. After the first batch was exhausted, Leah asked if I would be willing to make more. I jumped at the opportunity. We set a number, (well, I bumped it up a bit due to excitement), 1200. I went to New York City and began production of horns en masse. After a week or so, it became apparent that I was going to need a larger space than I had reserved in the city in order to complete the project. I returned to Florida where after a couple weeks of tedious work, 1200 unicorn horns were born.

The second batch was like the first, multicolored and beautifully thought out. I made 400 of these. I had a stamp made with the hashtag for the film, #unicornsmovie. I cut out each of the stickers, then lined them up to apply a paint brush stroke of Naples Yellow gouache across the base of each. The gouache would be an ideal surface to accept the ink from the stamp. I let the gouache dry, then came back around and stamped each horn sticker with the hashtag logo. Beautiful.

This batch will primarily be used as gifts for friends and contributors to the film.

Where the first 600 stickers were varied in color and intended for promotional gifts, I thought the latter 600 would be most effective as street art objects if they were of a uniform color palette, that way they would read as a cohesive body, distinguishable by their quantity and uniformity while still retaining the hand-made appeal. In Austin, we can install the 600 uniform colored horns, mixing in the multicolored horns as fun outliers.

Confirmed Studio

I planned to leave Tallahassee early this morning, but after a shower and breakfast, my body and mind were still not ready to get in the car for such a long trip. It was early in the afternoon before I felt sufficiently rested. I got into the car and drove to Jacksonville, check in hand, to confirm my lease on a warehouse studio space.

I met with Al in his wood shop to deliver the deposit. He is a very compassionate man from my reading. He has been welcoming to me as a soon-to-be tenant, offering that I may move into the space before the payment period begins. I walked over to the Cork Building, where I met with my friend Morrison who was hanging his show in the gallery space. We talked for some time and he talked with me about some of the valuable resources within the neighborhood. I thanked him for his time, and was off for Crystal River, back to my folks house to keep my grandmother Donna company for at least a part of St. Valentines Day.

I have a lot in front of me, but am focusing on the present.

Infrastructure

I've come a long way from my adventures in Miami. I took a trip back through Tallahassee on the basis that I utilize my painting chops on a couple of murals. I had the privilege of painting with my long time friend Matthew, who is expecting a baby, his son, Miles. We discussed the possibility of painting a large mural on behalf of the occasion, and soon thereafter sat down to make plans. We thought to make a painting with a stork character and a piece of graffiti that said 'Miles'. Matt thought of a great building to propose the mural to, a carwash and window tinting business on a busy street in Tallahassee. We proposed the wall to the owner, and he agreed. After our pitch, he didn't even want to see our sketch- he was just down.
It went likewise a few blocks over, where I pitched a great mural to a tobacco shop. I drew for the project and submitted a printed mock-up. He signed a waiver and advanced me cash for supplies.
With the two murals set up, I rented a car and spent a few rainy days gathering thoughts and supplies for pre-mural planning. I ordered paint from Miami. I bought a ladder and put it in the nice rental car that I didn't get insurance for, along with three five gallon buckets of paint and a chainsaw. (The chainsaw- A part of the creation of the Miles wall was clearing out a large amount of brush and two small trees. I rented a chainsaw and cut the two trees down. It felt horrible, though I was getting the occasional encouraging lumberjack joke.)

I worked the two murals back and forth over the course of one week. It was a blissful trip.

I returned my rental car in Jacksonville, then boarded a flight to New York City, to meet with friends and to create promotional stickers for Leah Meyerhoff's forthcoming debut film. I stayed on a few couches, and met with friends, but after over one week, I had little to show in terms of sticker production. I sought to rent a studio space for a few days to complete the project. I asked a friend Owen, if I could use his studio in Bushwick, to which he obliged at a very fare rate. I managed to get a long way on the stickers, but not finished. I began to feel like I was inconveniencing my hosts, and I felt that I needed to get out of New York.

I rented a car and drove south to my folks house in Crystal River. At my folks house, I completed 500 stickers, and made a few charming pieces and drawings. I bought a car with help from my beautiful mother. I went for walks with my father and the dogs. I stayed for two weeks, then took a drive to Jacksonville to scout a studio opportunity. I spent the night in my friend Shaun Thurston's studio after a day of assisting him on a mural and a round of drinks.

I left in the morning for Tallahassee, where I had a meeting with Maureen Raferty to discuss a mural commission for Pyramid Inc.- a corporation which serves individuals with developmental disabilities. They are opening a new center in Tallahassee. I met with Launa, Maureen, and Amy at the construction site to discuss the murals. The women were wonderful and helpful in communicating their needs. I listened to them and took measurements. They wanted to start with two walls, then move from there. One of them will be an aquatic scene- that one I am very excited about because I love aquaculture. The other will be a wall in a classroom which is 27 feet long. They want something which will be stimulating while not distracting. This one sounds like a very fun challenge.

I bought a camera in Tallahassee and will soon invest in a projector which can communicate directly from my phone or camera or computer to tighten up quality in my mural painting. The set-up is going to be tremendous. I'm dreaming of a studio space in Jacksonville, I will know for sure tomorrow wether I will be able to call a warehouse on Roselle Street mine for the next year.

Positivity is Peace

I believe that if you're going to move to anothere town, you should do it, but stay focused on your goals if your are goal oritented, and stay true to your morals if your are moral minded. I have been traveling for some time now and am beginning to feel a bit offset by the lack of rythym. I am repaeating the same pattern of stay for a week, move for a month, and so forth.

Such, I have decided to move to Jacksonville for the next three months, to set up a studio and to focus on more long term projects. 

I have felt my eyes glazing over slightly in New York, I feel that the environment is largely indulgent, and frantic. I chose to detach a bit for some days. 

In the states, I am beginning to understand how conditioned I am to consume. I want to buy a car and perhaps someday own a flat to rent out to make income. The system on which our economy operates is designed to work especially quickly, and to move on to new trends at the drop of a hat- wherever the money is. 

Anyway, I hope to make some work that is relevant to how I feel in the near future. I feel a blessing coming in Jacksonville, FL. 

New York

I wrapped up two murals in Tallahassee; one for a smoke shop called G Street Smokes, and another for my friend Matt's soon to be son, Miles. My final night in Tallahassee was spent painting at the smoke shop late into the night. I have yet to see the final painting in daylight and likewise have yet to capture a picture of it. 

I got a few hours of sleep before making the drive to Jacksonville to catch a flight to New York. 

I arrived in New York on Thursday to help my beautiful friend Leah with a street art project for her forthcoming feature length film premiere at South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. I have been commissioned to make 1200 unicorn horn stickers with logos on them, which we anticipate sticking all over the city to generate some buzz on a variety of social media platforms. 

Thus far I have made 400 stickers, despite the limited studio space and inclement weather. I am now searching for a studio or likewise working space to bang out the other 800, as it will behoove me greatly to be able to spread out with the project. 

Tallahassee for New Years

I in fact did not get on the plane to New York as I had initially intended. In the airport, I sent text messages to my friends up north to hunt for a couch to sleep on. After recieving several 'no's, it became more and moere clear to me that if I were to find a way to be accommodated, it would be as mutually beneficial as I would prefer. I did not want to go to New York if it was an incovenience to my friends. It came down to a coin flip at the entrance of the aircraft- heads for New York, tails for Tallahassee. Tails it was. I imagined I must have made the one hundred or so passengers behind me nervous as I flipped a coin, then headed out of the gate. I approached the ticket checker and notified him that something just came up, and I would in fact not be boarding the flight. He was very patient and understanding, and brought me to a ticketing counter where he requested from the gentleman at the counter that my ticket be postponed for a year. I was relieved to hear that this arrangement could be made, a feature of the airlines that I might/could utilize at a future date if appropriate. I stayed in Orlando that night. My duffel bag flew to New York, then back to Orlando the following morning, where I picked it up from the airport. I walked down N Mills Avenue, my favorite street in Orlando. I stopped in to the Tako Cheena, an Asian/Mexican fusion restaurant and made a few friends who were playing a hardcore show down the street. I went to the hardcore show and saw an old friend, Devon there. I asked him for a ride back to Tallahassee but it seemed he couldn't swing it with the party he'd traveled with. I found a cheap hotel that night. 

In the morning, I made my way to the greyhound station. A bus would not leave until the evening, so I had some time to kill. I walked across the street to a gas station where I found a gentleman cab driver, locked out of his car. He had two homeless gentlemen helping him, but could not seem to get his hands on a tool which would help him pry the door open. I went into the gas station where I asked the gentleman behind the counter for a tool we could use. We went into the maintenance closet and looked around. We agreed that an old broom handle might work well, especially of splintered into a taper. He signed off to me destroying the broom handle on the condition that I give him ten bucks to replace it. I paid him the money, went outside to my new friends and broke the broom handle. We collaboratively jammed the tapered stick into the driver's-side door. The driver fashioned a coathanger tool to retireve his keys from their place on the seat. After several attempts, we achieved success. The driver was quite relieved, as it was not his car, but the company's. I told him I needed a ride to a cafe if he could recommend one. He thought for a moment then said 'jump in'. His name was Kevin, a local of Orlando since twenty years back. Conversation was easy so he asked if I'd like company at the cafe. I obliged, and we had plenty of good conversation. Kevin and I exchanged information after the meal and parted ways. I took public transit back to the greyhound station, then a greyhound bus back to Tallahassee. 

I contacted my close friend Sarah on my way back to Tallahassee. She happily agreed to host me in her roommate's room (as he rarely stays in it) for the duration of my time in Tallahassee. It was such a blessing. That night, Sarah and I drove out to the Miccosukee Land Co-Op, where several of my frineds live, and where a New Year's party was happening. We showed up a bit early, which was good because it was less overwhelming than it would have been to walk into a room full of friends that I hadn't seen in six months. As it was, I surprised my friends one by one. It felt warm and wholesome. James, Chantelle, Ben, and Jake, the residents of the home on the Co-Op, had developed a healthy and happy creative environment, miles away from the city lights and sounds. Throghout the hours that followed, I met and saw new friends and old. A few bands played, including Aircraft, (a major factor in my decision of coming back to Tallahassee, as this was to be thier final show). The noght was beautiful and surreal. We counted down the New Year without looking at a tv, without shots in our hands, without anything but each other, dancing in a living room to some motown tunes. It was going to be a good year. 

Airport

They say write drunk, edit sober- well you as the reader have the benefit of reading my drunk, (not really- only one small glass of wine) bloggings sans editing. I'm in the Orlando airport now. Since my last post, I finished a few paintings in Miami with my friends Johnny and Optimo. Johnny contacted a friend of his to write a proposal for a mural project which we hope to turn into a proper art space with which we will host events annually during Art Basel Miami. First things first though, we have to cover the entirety of the available wall space (or at least that's my understanding) so as to fulfill our end of the deal with the owner of the building, and to save our asses from being arrested. (We commondeered the walls rather than having permission. We were granted a pardon under the conditions that we finish what we started). I would say that the graffiti artists had painted about 60 percent of the available wall space. Johnny, Optimo, and I brought that number up to about 80 percent within a one week period, inserting complimentary backgrounds. Christmas approached before we could finish the project (and progress slowed as we began to think about the potential for subsidation from the owner of the building) and I thought it was good time to get back to my parents house for Christmas. I prepared to leave. In my final days in Miami, my homeless friend, Willy, took it upon himself to teach me the trade of weaving roses from Palmetto fronds. It was a beautiful learning experience, one that I am honored to have been able to take part in. Willy was considerate and patient. He was sure to teach me not only his process, but harvesting techniques, how to interact with people on the street, and tips on showmanship. I trusted Willy wholeheartedly. He had a troubled life- overcoming years of alcoholism and finding a unique livelihood traveling throughout the southeastern United States, selling aformentioned roses. He taught me how to walk through a troubled neighborhood (ie. how to pass people on the street, and avoid unnecessary conflicts). He told me about where he came from and the things he has seen and as I've learned from many homeless people, he had an incredibly interesting life. 

That's it for now, I will soon be boarding a plane to New York City to visit with friends for the New Year celebration.