"Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss." ― Banksy, Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall
Moving to a new city, new country, new continent is hard. When I was in New Zealand it was a bright prosperous idea, you could change your whole life, become someone completely new, and of course this would all come easy. Well that is not the case, at the moment I have up and down days and definitely some days are easier than others.
We moved to Vienna 3 1/2 months ago and began to settle. Living in a tiny apartment is a new concept for me, trying to make friends and to find a new job. So while all this is taking time I have decided to learn to run. Running does not come natural to me, I look like a fish trying to get out of a fish bowl, puffing up with every bit of oxygen I take.
But here while we are living with B's parents I can get out and run along the canal and running definitely takes my mind off life.
Along the canal is colourful, interesting and entertaining street art. The brick walls go on for miles and the art work changes every few meters, there is some really talented graffiti artists here in Vienna. So while I run I am amused and entertained by various portraits, landscapes and cartoons depicting different emotions, feelings and campaigns by the artists.
We were lucky enough a few weeks back to go to the CALLE LIBRE LIVE PAINTING/FESTIVAL along the canal. Artists from all over Europe came to Austria to show off their sills spray painting the walls of the canal. This was a big WOW factor for me. I have never seen how much goes into making one picture and how they start with one colour and build up from there. Have a look at some of the art works we saw in just one day.
Here are some tips if you want to learn to become a graffiti artist.
Go and buy a notebook/sketch book.
Come up with a name that suits your personality and art.
Check out the internet for inspiration or the canal.
Buy some markers and practice with them.
Meet other artists and learn from them. Then make stencils to help with your spray painting.
And finally you will become good enough to not need any of this. (I am not a graffiti artist, and this all sounds simple but actually it looks super complicated and hard.)
Or you can just go to the various courses that are on offer during the CALLE LIBRE LIVE PAINTING/FESTIVAL.
All and all Vienna is a great city, just takes a country bumpkin like me a while to get use to the differences. If you like to go out and always be entertained then this city is for you. Every day of the week and weekend their is something exciting and new on for you to do. Or if you love art, running and graffiti the canal is the place for you.