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In this issue: Gent 48 New so Hoak ser Lisk bot Void One Zin er Lost Souls Mustard Tiger Golden Boy Phil th & a ton more! Don’t believe me. Take a look see....

No.1 Jan.2015

Olly MacNamee - words & pictures

GRAFFITI It all started with Lucy McLauchlan.

is to spotlight not only the individual unsung talents of Brum, but the talents of Birmingham itself, long overdue recognition as one of the UK’s (nay, the world’s if Rough Guide can be believed) greatest cities.

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For most of my life I’ve loved two things: comics and graffiti, with many of the early New York writers taking inspiration from the very same four-coloured comics I read voraciously as a kid. I still do. Here was an artform I could relate to more than any Van Gogh or Picasso.

Graffiti spoke to me in a way that the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood never could. But, growing up in the relative backwaters of North Wales, there was very little opportunity to get involved. My talents never got off the page, I’m afraid to say.

I’ve now lived here for over a decade and am proud to call it my home.

So, world, welcome to Birmingham’s very vibrant and lively graffiti scene. Enjoy the view.

But, I digress.

While collecting my weekly fix of comics from the ever-friendly guys at Nostalgia and Comics here in Birmingham, I got used to staring across the road at an original Lucy McLauchlan (pictured) homed on an otherwise plain, blank wall. I took a photo of it once and then forgot all about that photo. After all, I could see it in all it’s maginificent glory each and every week.

Or so I thought.

One week, while picking up my stash I noticed that the intricate monochrome skills of McLauchlan had been viciously and callously been painted over in the most horrendous of all colours: grey! Who’s idea it was is beyond me, but it did get me thinking. The very nature of graffiti is it’s inevitable transience. Here today, gone tomorrow.

So, without further ado, I made it a personal mission over the course of 2014 to document as much graffiti I could in and around Birmingham. Admittedly, I have remained focussed on Digbeth, but then this does seem to be the central hotspot for graffiti in Britain’s scond city.

And with the extremeley successful City of Colours Festival back in September, I ceratinly chose the best year to start snapping artwork from Birmingham’s many, many talented artists, some of whom I have even got to know personally. This then, is dedicated to them. This

Lucy McLauchlan

Oh, and if you’re not familiar with content published via issuu, I’ve made it easier for you. Whenever you see a name or title in bold, it’s a hyperlink. Use them to learn more about some of the artists featured and get to know them virtually if not literally. After all, we’re not all lucky enough to live here.

Olly MacNamee Words and pictures

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