Fresh off their epic LA Weekly mural, How and Nosm spent a little more than a day on a new mural on the side of Daniel Lahoda's new LaLa Gallery. The atmospheric piece features three of their signature split-face designs set against a gray, cloudy backdrop. As the tears fall from the three faces, water drops rise up from the heavy sea. Done with aerosol, brush, and freehand-cut stencils, How and Nosm's latest gift to LA is a stunning addition to the Downtown LA arts district on Santa Fe between the 4th and 6th street bridges.

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Known Gallery presented the work of ZES & Retna with Saturday's opening of 'Excavated Revelations'. The opening drew a massive crowd with a line forming after around 9 pm to see the show which features Zes' new abstract pieces in the front room and Retna's etchings in the 2nd room. The etchings include both abstractions of his signature lettering as well as a few sketched characters. Done with spray paint and rollers, Zes's pieces blend strong gestural marks with patterned elements.

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Josh Agle (aka Shag) opened 'Animal Kingdom' @ Corey Helford on Saturday evening with a full collection of new paintings exploring the animalistic side of human behavior. From the minute the doors opened, the gallery was completely packed with fans and collectors enjoying the art and their free Shag posters compliments of the gallery. The new work invites viewers into his 1960's era hedonistic world rendered in his signature flat and inimitable style. In an innovative use of technology, Shag placed QR codes next to each piece linking to individual stories relaying the ideas behind it.

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On Tuesday evening muralists, policy makers, and community stakeholders came together @ LaLa gallery in the DTLA arts district for a final public discussion of the proposed changes to LA's mural ordinance, which if enacted would effectively end the city's mural moratorium. The program started with introductory comments by councilwoman Jan Perry and councilman Jose Huizar, followed by a presentation of the current mural situation and the proposed solution by its primary architect, city planner Tanner Blackman. The floor was then opened to comment and discussion to which Blackman and the other members of the panel including Saber, Shepard Fairey, and LA Freewalls Project Curator Daniel Lahoda commented and replied. As can be expected, the audience took issue with several aspects of the proposed ordinance including the stipulated 5 year minimum duration for approved murals and the $199 application fee. Several people also voiced concerns that the discussion and process had perhaps prioritized street art murals without proper recognition of those that carry on the tradition of latino muralists focused on relating community stories.

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Just prior to tonight's preview of Affordable Art Fair Los Angeles, here's a look at Dabs Myla's 'Just Breathe' mural created for the fair and presented by Thinkspace. Painted in just two days, the 56 foot x 12 foot high piece offers a relaxing and cheerful outlook -- an antidote from the busy life we're often immersed in.

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On Tuesday afternoon Dailydujour had the opportunity to preview the ongoing setup for Mr. Brainwash's highly anticipated 'Art Show 2011' @ his large building near the corner of La Brea and Santa Monica in Hollywood. As is his tradition, Brainwash has gone big with large installation pieces throughout the two show levels including new sculptural works, multiple vehicles, as well as numerous giant spray cans. While seen stacked against the walls, very few of his paintings have been installed. The overall feel of the exhibit is one of a street art playground with eye-catching pieces nearly everywhere one looks. In addition to his new work, one large room on the first floor features art from a large number of local artists solicited via an open call.

The date to lock-in is Thursday December 22nd for the official preview night which begins @ 7PM and will offer free, hand-embellished prints to the first 300 through the door. Be sure to RSVP over at artshow2011.com.

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Sylvia Ji gave visual form to her love for the elaborate fashion of Europe past with the opening of 'Gilded Roses' at Corey Helford Gallery on Saturday evening. Her new collection of 12 paintings is in our opinion her strongest work to-date blending fetching females with intricate details such as clothing and lace textures. The gallery was packed for most of the night with fans and collectors eager to view the new work, meet Sylvia and have her sign the free 'Regina' print which the gallery offered to the first 300 show goers.

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Previously featured in MoCA's milestone 'Art in The Streets' show, the iconoclastic DRUGS graffiti crew opened their first solo exhibition at New Image Art on Saturday evening. Dedicating the show to their late artist friend and former New Image employee Charlie Marks, DRUGS filled the gallery with a floor to ceiling installation complimented by photos from SF street photog Teen Witch. This is a fire hose of raw, vibrant graffiti flirting on the edges of sensory overload. While the crew's work has been criticized by what one might call the graffiti style police, the 14 or so crew members embrace their style as a form of rebellion which emphasizes emotion over what they see as rigid and limiting standards of technical prowess. The crew's aesthetic will likely polarize opinions. As New Image owner Marsea Goldberg puts it, 'This may be our best show ever or our worst. I still haven't made up my mind'.

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Here's a look at Anthony Lister's stylish 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' mural in Hollywood on the famous Barracuda wall. Timed to provide an untraditional boost to the dvd/BluRay release of the blockbuster movie, the piece recreates the climactic bridge battle and offers Lister's aesthetic up close and personal with a portrait of a fearsome ape.

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On Thursday evening, Phil Stern Gallery presented a collaborative exhibit showcasing Dave Flores' interpretation of select historic photographs, many of celebrity shot by Phil Stern. Starting with open access to Stern's immense catalog, Flores selected images to interpret with a creative variety of conceptual approaches. Utilizing a variety of mediums including spray paint, Flores painted directly on the photographic prints. In some cases he took his signature approach, applying his stained glass style directly over the subject's face. In others, he chose to have his characters interact with the original subjects. In creating this collaborative collection which highlights both artists' talents and body of work, Flores has evolved his technique nicely.

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On Thursday evening, Secret Wars -- the graffiti battle series pitted Team USA featuring Tristan Eaton, Buff Monster and kaNO versus Team Europe which brought forth Chaz (The London Police), Waynehorse and Mr. K. With the Underbelly Show as an inspiring backdrop, each team put paint markers to the white panels for the full 90 minutes in search of bragging rights. Having agreed to form one continuous scene pitting drawn warriors against each other, both teams took different angles. Europe focused on a dense scene populated with all manners of characters including a monster truck as a focal point. Team USA concentrated on larger, more detailed characters while trading off the scope of their rivals' salvo. Call it wide-angle vs. zoom. After a round of cheering measured by a sound meter, Judge Lamour Supreme declared Team USA the winner, to the disappointment of the European contingent. In the end, the crowd of onlookers were the clear winners, having witnessed six supremely talented artists showing off their skills.

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Tomokazu Matsuyama is one of the feature artists on exhibit by Josuha Liner Gallery at Pulse Miami. The new, vibrantly colored pieces offer sophisticated whimsy and a sense of innocence. Very nice.

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Joshua Liner gallery is showing new sculptural pieces from Kris Kuksi @ Pulse Miami. The new work further solidifies Kuksi as a master of his craft, repurposing and incorporating existing individual small scale pieces into a completely transformed intricate scene, bristling with detail.

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Los Angeles-based Maximillian Gallery is showing several LA street artists in their Scope Miami booth. Some highlights include the Cyrcle Collctive's ruminations on death as transformation rather than destruction as well as Gregory Siff's upbeat and quirky work centering around his emotive face sketches.

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Los Angeles-based Maximillian Gallery is showing several LA street artists in their Scope Miami booth. Some highlights include the Cyrcle Collctive's ruminations on death as transformation rather than destruction as well as Gregory Siff's upbeat and quirky work centering around his emotive face sketches.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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An hour or so before sundown Shark Toof and Anthony Lister started work on this collab wall in the Wynwood district @ NW 23rd St. and NW 2nd Av. By street light and headlights, the two worked into the evening on the piece featuring a menacing shark going pointy end to the ear of Lister's Joker like character.

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White Walls is featuring a special installation/exhibit of Roa's work at their Scope Miami booth. The installation evokes a sad exotic pet store in a state of disarray. Caged animals await a cruel fate symbolized by the deceased turtle piece and the caged skeletal remains. These pieces offer a new and meaningful presentation of Roa's work with the 'frame' acting as a comment on captivity.

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White Walls is presenting a solo of street artist Above's new collection of dance inspired work at their Scope Miami booth. After suffering a serious fall working on a commission, he started having dreams of dancers exercising the freedom of motion that he found himself lacking. Presented as left/right duals, each piece features a stenciled female dancer and is finished with acrylic and spray paint. Due to his unexpected physical condition, Above found himself in the perfect spot to explore a looser, more organic style in contrast to his normal technique of extremely tight work involving multiple layers of stencils.

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Roughly a year since news of the jaw dropping, ambitious, and inspiring 'Underbelly Project' surfaced, the clandestine organizers showcased new work by many of the 103 participating street artists with a private viewing of 'The Underbelly Project Show' on Tuesday. To capture the suspense and peril experienced by each artist, the show also focuses on the involved process in accessing the abandoned, never used NYC subway terminal. Key tools such as headlamps, ventilators and ladders are on display in shadowboxes. Perhaps more importantly is the wall of 9 widescreen tv's looping timelapse video of each and every underground session.

The show features strong to stunning work by a who's who of street art including Swoon (above), Ron English, Anthony Lister, The London Police, Trustocorp, Faile, Dan Witz, Dabs Myla, Haze XL, Saber, Skullphone and many more.

On the documentation front, the show marks the release of the sumptuous new hardcover volume, 'We Own the Night'. The general opening reception on Friday @ 6 PM will feature a book signing with many of the project artists. Finally, don't miss Secret Wars : Europe Vs. USA on Thursday @ 6 PM at the venue located at 78 NW 25th Street.

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Absolut has teamed up with Mr. brainwash on 'Cocktails Perfected' -- a music/art event slated for the weekend evenings in a previously empty lot on the corner of NW 2nd Av. And 27th Street. Here's a quick look at some of the installation pieces waiting to be assembled including a giant 'Absolut Spray'. While opinions of MBW vary widely, one thing is certain, he's doing some high-profile crossover events as of late.

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