I grew up in Los Angeles, which has a long history of “street art” dating back at least to the early 1970’s muralists of East LA, and possibly as far back as 1932 with the legendary Olvera Street mural, “America Tropical” by exiled Mexican Master, David Alfaro Siquieros - a work so politically volatile that it was painted over within six months of completion and later totally obliterated.

After spending a decade away from my hometown, I was pleased to find the street art scene alive and well in Los Angeles. While the political edge may be more ironic, less earnest and poetic than the great East LA murals of the 1970’s, the sensibility is distinctly “L.A.” and the use of vivid colors and light strikes me as so SoCal. But all is not well in the Happiest Place on Earth, and a sense of danger and unease pervades many of these graffiti art works.

Graffiti art, wheatpaste art, stencil and other forms of street art can be found throughout the city. The majority of these works are located in the Downtown Arts District, near the intersection of Traction and Hewitt.

Happy hunting!