This Looks More Like An Elephant - Banksy

Another M&F exclusive. This shot looks more like an elephant than anything else. Click the jump for more

The angle of this shot really looks a bit more like an elephant~

We are not sure what Banksy's commentary on this is supposed to be, or if it is simply an example of his utilizing and calling attention to the strange and unusual structures in our society. It is a wild structure, and we have never seen anything like it. Especially puzzling how it is mounted yet still has wheels.

These pics were sent to us by the Banksy Hunter, Keith Toll. Keith's passion for chasing down Banksy and other street art has been nothing short of incredible, and we have thoroughly enjoyed following his hunts. And we've received another half a dozen emails from viewers telling us they met Keith while out on a hunt. His passion is remarkable, and if you see Keith, be sure and say 'hi'!

Keith even climbed up on the elephant and had this to say, "Someone finally came finally and snapped a shot of me. I climbed inside looking for Amy evidence he was there. Smelled like shit and looked like a homeless guy has been living there."

And the update on Keith's searches is that he is currently scouring Culver City or Burbank, or wherever the elusive 'Caution' Banksy might be. Happy hunting, Keith!

BEST of BANKSY on MELROSEandFAIRFAX

MELROSEandFAIRFAX has been at the forefront of all the Banksy action in LA. In fact, we think we were the first internet source to post all four pieces and have had the exclusive jump on the action that has happened since.

It all started with a tip we received on the blog we hunted down Banksy's Crayon Soldier. We didn't know anything about Lauren Conrad's tweet at the time, like most internet sources, and even though she technically had the inside scoop, we were the first to launch the initial pics of Banksy's Crayon Soldier.

Before the thrill of the first Banksy had even worn off, we were tipped off on another Banksy- the Charlie Brown on Sunset, and we rushed over to take the first pics, and put QtipTheCat in the pics for good measure.

On the way home from Charlie, we snapped pics of what we thought at the time was just another impressive graffiti billboard takeover and posted them that same night. We were the first ones in the world to post these images, but had no idea that 'Livin the Dream' was Banksy at the time. The next day Banksy posted the images on his website and word got out that the billboard was a Banksy.

We had hardly got done posting that the billboard was indeed a Banksy when a viewer submitted pics of the pissing Bulldog. We blasted the pics out there not sure at the time whether it was a Banksy or not. It was, and we locked down the position of being the first internet source to cover each of Banksy's four new pieces in Los Angeles.

It has been a wild ride that did not stop with the discovery but led on to Charlie being boarded up, and then uncovered and drilled, and finally removed and put on ebay.

As if that weren't drama enough, Livin the Dream got taken down and respectable folks almost came to fists fighting over it.

And aside from all the pieces themselves, there have been all kinds of great community stories including rumors about other pieces by Banksy, Banksy getting spot-jacked, stories of dedication from the legions of Banksy fans, street art dedicated to Banksy's street art, not to mention good dialogue on the topic of street art.

But perhaps the coolest thing has been the way the community has flocked to MELROSEandFAIRFAX for the latest breaking news on Banksy, and not only find out about what's happening, but contribute to the making the story itself and submitting, what we believe to be exclusive shots of Banksy's Crayon Soldier before it was buffed.

It has been a wild ride, and we have only managed 10 hours of sleep the last 3 nights combined. It has been well worth it, and we have loved every moment of this chase. Huge thanks to all the viewers, followers, and contributors who have made all this magic happen!

And our personal guess is that there might be a new crop of Banksy street art in Los Angeles after the Oscars are awarded. Win or lose, we expect to see something. (But c'mon, no doubt Banksy is going to win! When is the last time people were talking about the award so much?)

Keep checking back to MELROSEandFAIRFAX for the latest, greatest breaking news on Banksy in LA.

JR in Los Angeles - 20 Pieces in 20 Days

We knew that international street artist JR was in town, but we had no idea of the scope of his plans.

The goal is 20 pieces in 20 days. LAWeekly has been granted exclusive access to follow JR to these secret spots, and they reached out to MELROSEandFAIRFAX to help share with the street art community.

It is so exciting, and like the Banksy scavenger hunt all over again! Click the jump for more


JR has been getting some serious recognition from outside the art world, and was recently named the winner of the TED award. The TED award is given to leaders in technology, entertainment and design, and past recipients have included big names like Bill Clinton. It is a tremendous honor, and the selection of a street artist is unprecedented.

LA is honored in return to have JR putting up art on the streets. Each day at 2pm LAWeekly will reveal a new location, and we will share the art soon after.

This is the second piece to go up in LA, and it is absolutely beautiful.


*** Big thanks to Shannon Cottrell for the story and Shelley Leopold for the pics!***

Banksy Crayon Soldier Buffed!

Well, not entirely, but parts of the wall were buffed off by the cleaning squad before any pics were released, even our first jump exclusives or Lauren Conrad's early morning tweeted pic.

MELROSEandFAIRFAX has just received an exclusive set of pictures that show the full Banksy piece before it was buffed.

As far as we know, these are the only full pics of the original piece anywhere in the world. Click the jump below for the full story and pics.


^This is the pic that Lauren Conrad tweeted. As you can see, the blue line of the butterfly has been buffed off the bottom right corner of the 'No Parking' sign.

But these new pics capture that corner untouched, as well as a pink butterfly that was originally on the door to the left but then got buffed off.

These minor touches really bring the piece together and show how the street art goes outside of the lines and borders.

An employee at the Urban Outfitters where this was done provided the pics. He and his fellow employees are the only ones to see it before the parts got buffed. There are a lot of conspiracy theories swirling about whether Banksy placed this piece on the Urban Outfitters as a reward for selling the most copies of his book 'Wall and Piece', but nothing underhanded is happening here. He told us, "As an artist myself, I only want the utmost preservation for any artwork, especially of this magnitude."

Thanks again for the pics. Hope the piece doesn't get fully buffed.

Banksy Gets Drilled

MELROSEandFAIRFAX went and snapped our own exclusive shots of the holes drilled around Banksy's Charlie Brown piece on Sunset.

There are holes and cuts made as if to remove a chunk from the building. Click the jump below for more

These marks were made by some serious industrial tools. You can see the deep indentions which might be preparation to have a bigger section of the wall removed.

After we had snapped shots, a friend called and asked if we had noticed the saw marks on the right side. We did see a pile of dust and mortar on the ground, but we didn't notice the saw marks at the time. It seems that maybe some has already tried cutting it out, but it didn't work.

As of an 11:45 this was still up and visible. Who knows how long it will last. Hurry over to Sunset and La Cienega if you want to see this Banksy piece in person!

He's Baaaack! Banksy's Charlie Brown is Uncovered

Apparently, the masses have spoken.

A day after being covered up with plywood, the covering has been ripped down, and Banksy's Charlie Brown is once again viewable to the public.

Stay tuned to MELROSEandFAIRFAX for the latest Banksy news and exclusives, and click the jump below for more, and new pics with cool new angles.

We don't know how long the re-exposed Charlie will last, so hurry on over if you want to see this piece in person!

***Thanks to Aaron Fortin for the pictures. Great shots with not yet seen angles of the piece. If you like what you see you can follow Aaron on Twitter NOTE: These pics were taken yesterday just before the piece was boarded up. We don't yet have pics of the re-revealed piece, and if someone would like to send some in we will use them.***

Banksy is Top Dog

Here are some spectacular shots of Banksy's pissing bulldog. These have been submitted by Adolfo, and are some of the best pics of this piece we've seen.

Click the jump for yet another MELROSEandFAIRFAX Banksy exclusive.

We love how these shots really capture the flavor of the piece, and place it so that folks can see the background.

This is not an urban spot, but the Beverly Hills Community Rec Center.

Wonder if this one will last or if it will get covered up, too?



***Thanks again to Adolfo, and click the link to see more beautiful photographs of street art and celebrities***

4th Piece by Banksy? -Banksy is Top Dog

Finding the Banksy's in LA has become like a treasure hunt!

We have been impressed and astounded by the strong community being exhibited during the chase, and thanks to alert MELROSEandFAIRFAX reader Jessica Alidio, it seems the 4th Banksy might have been found!

Click the jump below for more details and location!

Like all of Banksy's work, this is not signed, so we are not certain that it is from him. But we are familiar with most of the street art that goes up in LA, and do not recognize the style as a piece from anyone local. In our expert opinion, this is Banksy.

Based on the size of the piss alone we think this is Banksy. Banksy is the biggest dog with the biggest bark on the block, and apparently when the biggest dog takes a piss, he really marks a big territory. And Banksy has really left his mark on LA!



***It is located on Little Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills. Building next to the Beverly Hills Sports Community Center.Thanks again to Jessica Alidio for the heads up!***

Banksy is Livin' the Dream!

According to the Wooster Collective, the impressive billboard takeover we posted last night was orchestrated by Banksy.

Maybe this impressive graffiti billboard takeover will help quiet Team Robbo and the haters, and give Banksy his long due and well earned street cred.

Our sources tell us that there are 4 new pieces of work from Banksy in LA, and MELROSEandFAIRFAX has had the exclusive first drop on 3/4. So there is at least one more out there to find!

Stay tuned to M&F for the latest and greatest from Banksy in LA, and click the jump for more pics and info.

I guess these are the graffiti version of Banksy's rats, as they do it up in Hollywood~

We realize that Banksy has a street team who does his install work, but the Banksy team still gets credit for hitting such a hot spot, and doing it so well.

The post from last night had already got some really flattering comments, and one that even took a little jab saying "if only all street art could be this good." We wish it could, and in this case it is

Like we said before, Really dig how the characters are taking over the billboard, and at the same time interacting with certain elements.

Very well done all the way around, with extra bonus points added on for hitting a spot that is so ballsy~

Banksy.

New Banksy Street Art in LA (pt. 2/2)

Superb location for Banksy. The placement in this alley is perfect. Its quiet enough to be discreet during the installation, but extremely public in that it is jutting out towards oncoming traffic in a busy little corner of Westwood. (we had the parking patrol come and try to give us a ticket while we were snapping pics)

And, having spent a semester living in London during college, this spot really reminds us of the feel of London. With the curvy, unusual streets, and topsy turvy alleyways, it carries the flavor of London perhaps more so than any other place in LA. Maybe Banksy felt at home, right here.

The piece is both fierce and playful, and we wish we had some kinds like the ones who flocked around for the photoshoot of Dog Byte's 'Welcome To The Jungle' stencil recently. We really love the splashes of color on the crayons~

Its Affirmed - New Banksy Stencil In Los Angeles (pt. 1/2)

Its official~

The biggest name in the game, Banksy, put up some new art in Los Angeles.

MELROSEandFAIRFAX has an exclusive jump on this piece. Click the below for more

Banksy has his fans and he has his detractors.

We are huge fans, and support Banksy not because he is a big name, but because his art is brilliant.

Most people think that any stencil is 'Banksy-esque'. But we believe that what makes Banksy's art so successful is not just the stencil, but the commentary.

Each piece of art is not just the image itelf, it incorporates an idea. And on this new piece in LA, we see Banksy demonstrating how a street artist fights his battles, replacing crayons in place of bullets. Truly, the pen is mightier than the sword, and this piece is yet another example why Banksy is tops in the street art game.

Enjoy the pics.








FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE IT IN PERSON --This piece is located in Westwood on Kinross Street, in between Westwood and Glendon. Hurry, before the guards show up! (In response to the comments-We think that art is to be shared. We hope no one spot jacks this!)

***Big thanks to Frank 151 and MELROSEandFAIRFAX viewer 'Jon' who helped us track down this piece. And, as it turns out, Jon runs a dope website called FAIRFAX BY NIGHT which has some really cool, fashion oriented stuff. Its well worth checking out, and will have some more high quality Banksy photos later today. Click the link to see. Thanks Frank and Jon!***

New Banksy Street Art in LA

Preamble for the Oscars?

Reportedly, a new Banksy stencil has appeared in LA featuring a child holding a machine gun shooting crayons for bullets.

We got this pic from Frank 151 although we have not yet verified that it is new or its location.

MELROSEandFAIRFAX takes pride in having original pics and content, and we would love to go shoot some exclusive pics. Anyone know where this is located?