We left the Brewery and headed towards Chinatown.
This cat seemed a little surprised to see a large group of people walking outside his window. I love looking at details, here it’s the dried old putty that holds the glass in the frame.
This is the front of the building, industrial Art Deco. Notice the symbol of work/live art space.
We walked into Big Yard Art Lab, also an artist space. Big Yard makes the big installations for events like Cochella or the old Lallapallooza. We never think about who or where things are made. Clearly Los Angeles is the place and these old industrial yards are perfect. This mural was painted by the duo Herakut. They have been creating murals all over the world, this has a very fantasy feel to it. Clearly these two have an art education. The mural is 5 years old and who knows how long it will stay here.
I like how one figure is dancing on the wires.
Another figure on the corner of the buildings, don’t know who painted this.
We crossed the Los Angeles River, at this point Steve Grody was our guide. He has written a book about graffiti in Los Angeles, for me it was a little overkill on all the details. But that is often the fun when walking with an expert.
Interesting city lights on the bridge. Facing different directions changes the exposure on my camera! I’m not good enough to know how to compensate, and there is only so much I can correct later. I found this very interesting that this memorial is to an officer who was killed in 1942, the LAPD must replace these memorial signs from time to time.
There was quite an explanation about this graffiti, about the lettering, the style. Either the owner of the building doesn’t care, or it is empty. We went on to the Naud Graffiti yard, which today is fenced in and at one point had vicious guard dogs, the whole area is completely tagged. Clearly the owner had enough, sold the land and the new owners have other plans for the place. 
We are at the very northern edge of Chinatown and property is gaining in value again. We saw new businesses, since many of the buildings are massive warehouses, the owners are commissioning artists to paint. Actually, I don’t know if they are paying them or just giving them the walls. I know the likes of Kiptoe have been paid to paint murals, but then he himself went to Murphy’s ranch to add his own tagging.
This has to be a very old street. While others are looking at the walls, I’m looking down at the ground, some of the original brick road is still visible.
As well as a beautiful old building on Broadway.
This is just a small section of the mural, this is a mural, not graffiti, even if it celebrates graffiti.
What happens when the muralist gets tagged? Notice on the low wall someone tagged the image, at just the right angle it would have blended in with the larger image on the wall. Art school students, who else could figure out these perspectives?
Having the people in for scale.
This building is a huge warehouse made of cinderblocks. 
Unlike this old building that is made of bricks. Probably a large warehouse in it’s day. The textures here are great, the brick, the plywood, the roofline, the weeds and yes, even the mural.
This old bus gets the mural treatment as well.
Looking towards the Broadway bridge over the river, looks like they are working on retrofitting it, something they couldn’t do with the 6th St. bridge. This is once again graffiti. I do like the surprise of the reflection in the puddle. Ah what rain does for us.
This wall was the interior wall of some kind of building that was torn down.
The old railroad ties and debris that are used to shore up the railroad. Yes, this one is very much in use today. Union Station is just down the road.
Walking back to my car, a very different kind of mural – one that advertises the San Antonio winery 2 blocks down.
The side of the building was rather plain and I’m guessing the owners don’t mind some income from renting it out as a ‘sign’.
The front is much lovelier, more industrial Art Deco.
And that’s it, all I can say is get out and explore, there is so much to see, even in the industrial parts of town.
Leah
