Sweet Montreal Graf

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had a  pretty busy day. I didn’t get a chance to write about any of the artists or ideas I’ve been rolling around my chalky headbone over the weekend, but it’s all good; I have an ace up my sleeve. I really like street art. Murals, wheatpasting, stickering, stencils, bombing & burning, you name it. I even like tags if they have good placement and technique. Fortunately, I live in Montreal, Quebec – one of the best cities in North America for street art.

Zïlon – alley west of the main, north of prince arthur – now vanished

There’s a Spanish saying along the lines of “Kissing a man without a moustache is like eating an egg without salt”. I think a city without graffiti is like eating an egg without salt, too. No, I don’t have a moustache. But I do like to eat eggs.

Produkt, saint-dominique garage door – now vanished

There is charming immediacy to street art, but in a city where it is more-or-less tolerated artists will really push the boundaries in style, execution, and materials – the inventiveness of the Montreal street art scene never fails to impress me.

Omen – alley off the saint-viateur strip – now vanished

Anyhow, Zïlon, Produkt, and Omen are my three favourite Montreal graffiti artists, but there’s lots more work that I love de chez nous – Montreal is a pretty happening place for street art. Here is a selection of over 800 photos from my collection of Montreal street art  that I’ve taken over the last 10 years (almost) – 2002 to 2011. I haven’t added in 2012 because it’s not over yet, and there’s always lots of fresh, new work every year.