Crown 👑 #Disney #DisneyWorld #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #sticker #stickerart #urbanart #urbancanvas #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #drawing #art #artlife #crown #nycart #nycstreetart

Another shot from @samvleugels of his new PaperMonster tattoo alongside the beautiful Banksy balloon girl!! WOW!! 🐯 #PaperMonster #Banksy #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #art #tatted #tattoo #nycart #nycstreetart #canvas #art #artlife #legtattoo #flowers #hearts

Just got a message with this photo from @samvleugels Truly honored!!! Congrats on the new ink @samvleugels !!!! So cool!!! 🐯#PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #art #artlife #artcollection #tattoo #tatted #ink #drawing #firsts #nycart #nycstreetart #banksy #flowers #beauty

Progress shot from a recent private commission!! Rawwwrrr!!🐯🐯 #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #art #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #canvas #drawing #eyes #gallery #nycart #nycstreetart #collage

TBT. @shipdip rocking his @paper_monster swag @ Show and Tell Gallery 2009!!! Thanks so much for all of the support Jesse!! #tbt #PaperMonster #stencil #shirts #stencil #spraycan #stencils #streetart #spraypaint #stencilart #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #streetartcollage #stencilrevolution #art #artlife #artshow #artcollection #gallery #galleryshow #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #formatmag #swag #drawing

10 Years. More to come. More to look forward to. New secret projects and tons of new art. Here’s to another 10 amazing years and more stories!! Stay Tuned!! #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #urbanart #urbancanvas #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #art #artlife #artshow #gallery #galleryshow #paint #paper #paste #design #drawing #spraycan #spraypaint

10 years. I have two lives. One as PaperMonster and the other as a PhD Student doing research on hypertension. They are very similar. They require that I use my hands and my imagination. That I know the past to push and create towards the future. The works I create whether it is in the lab or on a canvas are wide open for interpretation. I love what I do and I encourage everyone to push for what you love. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can only be or do one thing in life. Above is a photo from my lab with a brand new 48 inch wide by 60 inch tall canvas for a private collector. March 2015. #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilartists #stencilgraffiti #streetartcollage #stencilrevolution #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #art #artlife #artshow #gallery #galleryshow #canvas #design #drawing #science #lablife #artanscience #urbanart #urbancanvas #spraycan #spraypaint #nycart #nycstreetart

10 Years. This photo is from 2009. Through art I have made some incredible and extremely talented friends. Most of them use small knives to create intricate and beautiful stencils. Layers upon layers that develop into breathtaking images. In 2009 I created the “Friends With Knives”. A growing collection of artists with one goal; to show the world the value and beauty behind stencil art and stencil graffiti. The power that a simple stencil can have to change the world. Many thanks to @dirtypilotcom for giving us the first opportunity to share our work and to my friends @royschreuder @regantamanui @davelowell @benslow @billymode @a1oneakatanha @eyez @elkstencils and @lecko76 Looking forward to the future!!! #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #stencilartists #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #canvas #knives #friendswithknives #dirtypilot #art #artlife #artshow #gallery #galleryshow #spraycan #spraypaint

10 Years. Nothing is promised. Throughout my life I have had incredible amounts of support. People who have taken a risk and believed in me. There are times where I look back and can’t thank people enough for how they have helped me develop as an artist. Galleries like Art Whino @artwhino Dirty Pilot @dirtypilotcom Parlor Gallery @parlorgallery and Metropolis Gallery @angelomadrigale opened so many wonderful doors and helped me mature as an artist. Every show I have I personally hand out stickers with my art work on them. I’ve had people throw out the stickers into the trash right in front of my face. You focus on the good. Hope that you will inspire. Some of the most meaningful emails I have received have been from teachers who use my paintings to teach their students about art. To all of you that have and continue to support me THANK YOU with all my heart!! #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #stencilart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #streetartcollage #stencilrevolution #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #art #artlife #artshow #artwhino #dirtypilot #parlorgallery #gallery #galleryshow #drawing #urbanart #urbancanvas #drawing #spraycan #spraypaint #canvas

Day 7. From that show, one painting stood out the most. At the time I was frantically making so many different pieces, using so many different colors for background and stencils that I really don’t know how I ended up with this combination. Everyone gravitated to the colors. One of the most important things about art is to know and understand your audience. At the time they knew something I didn’t. This was the painting that changed it all. It is the reason I still use the same bold colors today. A beautiful mistake. April 2007. #PaperMonster #paint #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #streetartcollage #stencilrevolution #collage #art #artlife #artshow #gallery #galleryshow #urbanart #urbancanvas #paint #paper #paste #eyes #drawing #nycart #nycstreetart #artshow

Day 7. The art department in college and I were not friends. I once went to ask if I could do an independent study in stencils and street art and the professor said I could design flyers for their events instead. I wanted to show them that I could do something bigger and better than they had ever done. My friend Tory had the opportunity to put a show together on campus and she invited me to help. I immediately put together a whole shows worth of paintings using anything and everything I had. We went to the dumpsters behind campus and found green fences. I strapped the fences to the top of the golf cart I used for work at the MRC and took them over to the gallery. Tory, Jen and I spent the entire nite before the show opened putting everything together while A-Track songs played till 5am. That afternoon the show opened. All of the art professors came including the one that said I could make flyers for him. I loved the look on his face!! April 2007. #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #stencilrevolution #urbanart #urbancanvas #art #artlife #artshow #galleryshow #paint #painting #drawing #gallery #spraycan #spraypaint #artsupplies #nycart #nycstreetart #atrack #dirtysouthdance #ratatat

Day 7. So where did the name PaperMonster come from? While in college I lived in a theme house called “La Casa Latina.” I had no studio and no real place to make art so I would spraypaint and make my paintings in the hallways of the dorm in front of other people’s rooms. One day while painting I heard a song with the lyrics “monstruo de papel” aka “paper monster” and BAMN!! I looked around at the mess I was making and there it was, my new name. Later, Faile @faileart would form the company @papermonsterart with the same name. I still get emails about when the next Swoon @swoonhq or Bast @bastny print is going to drop. #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #graffitiworld #urbancanvas #art #artshow #nycart #nycstreetart #canvas #drawing #paper #mess #hallwaystudio #artlife #paint #paintlife

Day 7. In October 2006 the company running our school cafeteria wanted to make some changes in hope of renewing their multi-million dollar deal with the school. Immediately I had the idea of painting the 4 existing ugly grey panels that separated sections of the cafeteria. The catch…. I wanted to get paid one thousand dollars!! I put together the designs and met with the head honcho. I had some leverage since I was part of the committee that was evaluating their contract. He said yes and I immediately went to work alongside my friend Paul. I would eat and paint during lunch and dinner while students watched. I even designed a panel celebrating the work of Blek le Rat @blekleratoriginal using one of my favorite Blek stencils “Last Tango.” In a couple weeks I finished all of the panels. The food service company was never able to renew their contract with the school. October 2006. #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #spraycan #spraypaint #art #artcollection #artshow #mural #muralist #nycart #nycstreetart #bleklerat #tango #eyes #pattern #hearts

Day 6. Sharing my love for stencils with other people has always been important. I’ve never taken an art class. Everything I know has come from experience and making mistakes. While in college I set up an annual art event with the help of other clubs on campus. Students could come and make their own free shirts, spraypaint on panels and listen to live music. It felt great to walk around campus the next day seeing people wearing shirts from my event but to be completely honest, getting all of the free left over art supplies was even better!! 2006 #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #stencilrevolution #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #mural #muralist #urbanart #urbancanvas #nycart #nycstreetart #shirts #design #art #artcollection #spraycan #spraypaint #drew #drawing

Day 6. After several months I got the chance I wanted!! The school wanted to renovate our late night snack place called “The Space”. Without hesitation I said I would paint it for free!! The next few weeks in between classes and work I would draw out ideas during class, use the money from my work-study to buy materials and persuade my friends to come help me paint each night. I created new stencils from my travels and was now inspired by a new book: Graffiti World put together by Nicholas Ganz and Tristan Manco @tristan_manco In fact you can see the logo for Graffiti World in the center. All of my heart went into making sure the piece would be loved and preserved. Inside the mural I left hidden messages and thank you(s) to my friends. Years later the entire building was torn down to build a new student center. The mural was also destroyed and I was given a brick from the building during my 5th year class reunion. #PaperMonster #paint #art #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #graffitiworld #urbanart #urbancanvas #nycart #nycstreetart #spraypaint #spraycan #acrylic #drawing #wings #rat #birds #paintlife

Day 6. In school I worked in the Media Resource Center (MRC) doing AV work setting up projectors and microphones on campus. I would take any chance I could to share my art with people. I would paint offices and create small displays in hopes of getting a chance at painting something bigger and permanent. Above is a photo from one of my first displays using old audio and video equipment from our MRC archive. #PaperMonster #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #graffitiart #graffiti #urbanart #urbancanvas #avnerd #drawing #camera #microphone

Day 5. Nobody cared about “street art.” Most people didn’t even know what the hell I was talking about. I would talk to friends and family and they understood I was excited about something but had no clue what it was. Now the words “street art” have become a blanket term for anything that’s current whether it is a stencil, poster, collage or something made with spraypaint. After 2005 things changed. Banksy @banksy and Lazarides @lazarides_art were critical in bringing the scene to the masses. What was one called “street art” that no one cared about is now referred to as “fine art from contemporary artists.” Above is a photo I took of the classic balloon girl piece from @banksy from a time where it was normal for a homeless person to sleep in front of a “priceless” work of art. London, 2005. #banksy #streetart #streetartists #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #urbanart #urbancanvas #graffitiart #graffitiart #art #contemporaryart #fineart #bleklerat #london #londonart #londongraffiti #spraypaint

Day 5. Before there was a @stolenspacegallery there was The Outside Institute. This gallery was one of the first galleries that showcased a huge collective of street artists from the UK. I remember going into the gallery and asking if I could talk to @dface_official . The guy at the counter said that he wasn’t available. Minutes later someone came out from the back studio to talk to me about my research project. I asked him if he was D*Face @dface_official He smiled and said “Maybe”. London, 2005. #dface #outsideinstitute #stolenspace #stolenspacegallery #streetart #streetartists #urbanart #graffiti #graffitiart #art #artcollection #artshow #stencil #stencils #stencilart #streetartists #stencilgraffiti #urbanart #urbancanvas #london #londart #londongraffiti

Day 5. Pure Evil’s @pureevilgallery secret haven for artists was unlike anything I had ever seen. The abandoned factory complex had trees and plants growing inside with a completely open roof and art everywhere!! Swoon @swoonhq had recently made a stop at the complex and above you can see a small glimpse of one of her beautiful wheatpaste posters along the ledge. London, 2005. #pureevil #streetart #streetartists #swoon #urbanart #graffiti #graffitiart #art #artcollection #urbanart #urbancanvas #london #londongraffiti #londart #eastend

Day 5. After meeting @blekleratoriginal in Paris he put me in touch with his friend @pureevilgallery in London. Immediately you could tell that there there was one area in London that had it all!! The East End. During lunch Pure Evil mentioned a particular area to visit that I could not pass up. It was called his secret spot where he would take artists who came to visit to paint. It was a safe zone where you didn’t have to worry about someone painting over or destroying your work. Above is the entrance to Pure Evil’s Dead Zone. London, 2005. #pureevil #stencil #stencils #stencilart #streetart #streetartists #urbanart #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #art #artcollection #spraypaint #paint #london #londongraffiti #eastend

Day 4. Another familiar face @wk360 inside the mall Paris, 2005. #wkinteract #streetart #streetartists #streetartcollage #art #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #paint #paste #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti

Day 4. Another familiar face from the streets was also in this mall. @baronandre was everywhere!! Every couple of blocks I walked around Paris I would run into one of his characters on rooftops or eye level Andre is everywhere!! Here is a collaboration between @baronandre and @levis Paris, 2005 #andre #levis #graffiti #graffitiart #streetart #streetartists #urbanart #urbancanvas #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti #jeans #spraypaint

Day 4. Stencils, graffiti, street art or whatever you want to call it is transcendent. Whether it is public or commercial, art has a purpose. While walking the streets of Paris documenting the art and artists I would take breaks from the heat and go into shopping centers. I entered one particular mall and was shocked by some familiar faces. “Street Art” was inside and now it was being used to sell clothing. No matter how you feel about it, one thing is true. The artist hopes and dreams that any collaboration small or big will lead to more people getting exposed to their work and their message. Above is a shot of a collaboration between @faileart and @onitsukatigerhq inside a shopping mall in Paris, 2005. #faile #onitsukatiger #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #spraypaint #nycart #nycstreetart #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti #art #canvas #drawing #monkey

Day 4. Art is powerful. It can influence, create change and raise awareness. Around 2005 Blek le Rat @blekleratoriginal created this stencil of Florence Aubenas. Florence is a journalist who was abducted in Iraq alongside her interpreter. Blek saw this in the news and was compelled to raise awareness of this issue. He took a photo of her face and used Sybille, his wife, as the model for the rest of the stencil body. These stencils were then pasted all over Paris in the most high traffic and significant areas across the city. Shortly there after Florence was released. Paris, 2005. #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #stencilgraffiti #urbanart #urbancanvas #bleklerat #obeygiant #graffiti #graffitiart #obey #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti #bleklerat

Day 4. I remember seeing Nemo’s stencils in Stencil Graffiti by @tristan_manco .It was always a dream to explore and see what I had only read about in books and seen online in person. Paris, 2005. #nemo #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #spraypaint #urbanart #urbancanvas #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti

Day 4. I mentioned in a previous post that the street art world is full of love stories. This is one. Blek met Sybille while in Berlin as she was his tour guide. He feel in love and placed this beautiful stencil on the street so that she would come across it on her way to work. He wrote next to the life-sized stencil “For Sybille”. It worked!! Later on they would marry and have a son!! Sybille is also an extremely talented writer and photographer. She has written several books on street art and stencil art covering a huge period of history. On the left is her book title “Pochoir” meaning stencil with the stencil Blek placed for her in Berlin. It was so wonderful to hear stories of Blek @blekleratoriginal pasting stencils across Paris and then Sybille would try to capture the pieces with her camera days later. Love is everywhere!! #lovestory #bleklerat #stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #spraypaint #pochoir #paint @realkoralie @realsupakitch @dabsmyla #streetart #streetartcollage #art #artcollection #artbook #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti

Day 4. Paris!! In the summer of 2005 I was headed off to Paris and London to research street art. A week before my flight I contacted @blekleratoriginal to see if I could interview him for my project. A day before my flight I got an email saying to call him when I landed. I was beyond excited!! As soon as I arrive I gave him a call and several days later I met him and I was blown away. We spoke about everything from life to politics to of course art and other artists! He had this beautiful @swoonhq in his home from their trip to Argentina. I brought along my little disposable camera I had at the time and tried to take some photos as Blek showed me how he cut and sprayed different stencils. There were stencils everywhere!! This was the first time where I felt such a huge rush of motivation. Blek not only motivated me to continue to stencil but to also continue to pursue my career in science. If you are driven and love what you do you can be successful at anything you put your time and focus on. This was the biggest lesson learned from my time with Blek. Many thanks to @blekleratoriginal and his family!!!#stencil #stencils #streetart #stencilart #stencilgraffiti #graffiti #graffitiart #urbanart #urbancanvas #paris #parisart #parisgraffiti #bleklerat #art #artcollection

Day 3. There is one thing that I value most about being part of the street art world and that is knowing the history. Who painted what, where and how? There a so many stories in the “street art” world that are just passed on through experience. There are love stories and feuds all over one thing: art. This is a photo I took during the Wooster Collective street art tour in front of the famous candle building on Wooster Street. This building is now completed surrounded by apartment complexes and condos. The city continues to be transformed. With old spots being lost, new ones will sprout and new artists will make it their homes. Above is a classic @skullphone and @dface_official paste up. Spring 2005. Know your history!! #woostercollective #woosterstreet #streetart #streetartcollage #stencil #stencilgraffiti #stencilart #urbanart #graffiti #graffitiart #urbancanvas #spraypaint #soho #nycart #nycstreetart #art #drawing

Day 3. On the tour there were so many stand out street art pieces from giant NeckFace @nastyneckface1 to a massive Mike Giant @giantrebel8 mural. Here is @marcschil in front of a beautiful wall with @osgemeos @xabu @wk360 and a small @banksy rat right below the @osgemeos piece. That night someone has added the kite to the character. You could feel the conversation and level of interaction between the artists. Each one wanted to add and become part of something bigger. Many thanks to Marc and Sara for taking the time to share their love for street art. #woostercollective #stencil #stencils #streetart #spraypaint #streetartcollage #streetartcollection #graffiti #graffitiart #osgemeos #wkinteract #banksy #nycart #nycstreetart #art #urbancanvas #soho