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Giving the gift of art is always from the heart.  -LUV1

Howling Wolf and Medicine Man

Howling Wolf and Medicine Man, originally uploaded by eL hue V.

Painted when it wasn't raining over the past couple of days with Aja at my spot in Flemington in the parking lot off main street.  The passerbyers were 100% on board luving it.  People flexing thier Native American History knowledge, a lady who collects wolf figurines, who originally told me "I collect wolves!"  I said "That sounds dangerous." Men working on refurbishing old buildings out there in and out of rain with us, having their lunch break watching us.  It was one of those walls where the process is as enjoyable as the outcome.  Aja's Crow Medicine Man is her first stencil and is now protecting the wall.  My howling wolf, which I orginally had a referance for and was going to try and go all photoreal on, turned out to be a bit on the free because during one of the downpoars I ran for cover, grabbing my camera only, and the referance got ruined.  The whole wall is a mixture of brushes, rollers, and spray.

check the video...njoy - LUV1

Throwback Video Arthur Ashe mural

SAGE Collective's Arthur Ashe Mural from luv1 on Vimeo.

Since we just spent a great evening at the Westin in Princeton for the NJTL of Trenton Fundraiser, and saw this mural up close in person again after a year n a half, here's the original video.  The image is used on everything NJTL does it seems.  At the gala last week alone I must have seen it reproduced a couple hundred times on different materials.  It was published in Mercer Business News magazine and in a couple tennis magazines.  Never would have thought I'd be seeing it so much after painting it, glad I like it!  Thanks again Rob!

Back in Business!

Luv-one and myself collabed on our first wall of the season. Felt good to get out and rock a wall again after a long and bitterly cold winter! We decide to go abstract full tilt with this one. Good times and more to come!

-Will Kasso

Big Blue

Press for the BIG BLUE Mural...LANK above holding the original outline for the wall
www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2010/11/art_lover_and_landlord_work_to_1.html


SAGE Collective paid a visit to Newark Ave. in Jersey City this last weekend and left behind a life size 90 ft. blue whale.  Many thanks to Dylan Evans and the Jersey City Mural Arts Program for having us out!  Big props to Lanky Lank for cutting a stencil that size!  Thanks to the community for showing us love all weekend long!  Hope to see more murals going up in the area soon, if anyone has a location they think would work please hit us up.  Below is a video and some flicks from the weekend.  Enjoy.  one love - LUV1

"Highland Sentinel"

The sound of rattling paint cans invaded the pastoral landscape of Hopewell, New Jersey this past weekend as S.A.G.E. Collective completed a commission for The Highland Design Farm. Artist/designer Sean Mannix commissioned "Highland Sentinel" after seeing KASSO and LUV 1 working on the "Buddah Barn" just down the road from his converted farm. Formerly a working chicken farm, the buildings have been converted into a collection of artist studio spaces and we were asked to work on the large exterior wall of what was once a two story chicken coup.

Inspired by an old drawing of Sean's and his beautifully machined designs we put together loose plans for an abstracted face amongst a background of gears and wires. The painting took place during the Hopewell Tour Des Arts, a two day open studio tour in and around Hopewell Township. Mother Nature cooperated by providing two amazing days for painting (not a cloud or drop of rain in sight) and once we rescued KASSO from the wilderness on Saturday morning we got to work laying out the wall.

DELVE handled the nose, mouth & chin while KASSO scaled the ladder to lay out the eyes, forehead and abstract designs to the right of the head. LUV 1 went to work on a background of stained glass, abstract shapes & wires while Lank brought large gears from the background to the foreground and filled the deep space with an amalgamation of smaller gears. The two day process was a true collaborative effort, bouncing ideas around and amassing the artwork in a freeform and organic way, resulting in an amazing production.

The visitors to the farm, most having never seen a mural put together quite this way, enjoyed the show and were full of questions that we were happy to answer. Special thanks have to go to Sean and his family for providing unparalleled hospitality and fully supporting our vision for the wall. Check out the photos and enjoy video!

-Lank

SAGE at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, NJ

sushi!, originally uploaded by el U Vee 1.

Delve, Kasso, and Luv...SAGE Collective at the Somerset Art Association, http://www.somersetart.org/ soon to be renamed the Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ. We painted 5 8ftx4ft wood panels that will be turned into a makeshift wall this week for display outside the gallery for the next three months. If you're in the area, go check it out!

Buddha Barn

Buddha Barn, originally uploaded by el U Vee 1.

check the new video. photos by Andrea Ytkin. music by Sev Static...

Pedagogue of Young Gods

About five years ago, KASSO and I collaborated on a small production to honor Saul Williams, a brilliant contemporary poet. We recently decided that it was time to do it again - bigger and better! In keeping with the intentions of the first mural to both honor Saul and get his message out to the people, we chose an excerpt from his song "Pedagogue of Young Gods" that resonated with us and, we hope, all those who see the wall, either in person in Trenton, NJ, or online: "An education is the only thing given that cannot be taken. Learn to think for yourself, analyze the forsaken." I painted these words into the colorful clouds from LUV1's sunset. (The sunset in the figure's chest is an allusion to a line from another one of Saul's pieces entitled "Seaweed".) But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As for the mural production process, I believe it was LUV1's idea for us to shake things up a little bit. Therefore, I was to do the portrait rather than LUV1 or KASSO, who usually do the figurative work. I selected a handful of photos from the Saul Williams Flickr pool and, with input from the crew, chose this picture by Riny, who graciously gave me permission to use it as a reference and supplied me with a beautiful high resolution file to work from. Since the whole mural is about Saul, I wanted his portrait in the center of the wall, high up to preserve the literal and metaphorical point of view of the audience looking up at him. KASSO did the wing on Saul's back in a continuation of his City of Angels project. LUV1 and AJA wove their intricate designs together to flow into and form the body of the poet. LANK really tied the wall together by forming the moon, sprinkling in the stars, and stenciling in the SAGE logo. As we completed the mural, Trenton-based poet Raul Cortes (POLO) contributed his reading of "Pedagogue of Young Gods" [check it out in the awesome video LUV1 put together] to our effort of honoring Saul and his words. Finally, Ricardo Barros generously photographed and assembled the composite image of the mural you see above.

On behalf of the S.A.G.E. Collective, I would like to thank Saul Williams for the poetry, music, example, and inspiration he gives us. I'd also like to thank Riny for the spectacular original photograph, POLO for the wonderful reading, and Ricardo for the beautiful picture of our wall.

Peace,

-DELVE

City of Angels vol.1

SAGE Collective - City of Angels vol. 1, originally uploaded by el U Vee 1.

This wall was personal to me...been meaning to do it for some time now. The images are of my late aunt and cousins...the one on the left is deceased as well. I had in mind for years to do a tribute wall for them. My aunt was one of my biggest supporter and my cousin was like a brother to me. She past in 04 from liver failure and breast cancer...and he died in 1992 due to drowning. My cousin LaQuinta, who is pictured on the far right, supplied the photo refs and even helped out somewhat in the production.I had originally only planned to do this one wall as a tribute, but then it hit me. Why not paint images of angels all around the city! So this wall is the start of a city wide project. The goal is to paint 12 angel themed murals around the city this spring and summer. 3 in each ward. Each mural will accompanied by a poem from Trenton's own Raul Cortes, Jr....aka...POLO. Its gonna be a interesting feet to accomplish, but im determined. One down...11 to go.

-Will Kasso

Easter Wall

easter wall, originally uploaded by el U Vee 1.

Hello friends,

Happy Easter, if applicable, otherwise happy almost officially spring! Writing you to share a new mural by SAGE Collective artists Delve and Luv1 in Flemington, NJ. We took advantage of the gorgeous day and painted a beautifully balanced colorful abstract aerosol wall. Check out the flick and time lapse. As always, feel free to share and let it shine.

Many thanks!

Peace,
Luv1

the least we could do...

with all that's goin' on in Haiti right now, it was hard to think of painting any other theme. our hearts go out to the people over there. so, taking a note from Joe Iurato, we'd like to offer a 8"x10" print of this mural with all proceeds going to UNICEF for $20 to anyone interested. just email 1luvone@gmail.com, also to second what Joe said, if not, it's ok, i understand, but, just imagine if we all dove $5 deep...oh yeah, by LUV1 and KASSO