Day Dreaming

What I'm Listening to

2012-01-25T01:01:00.003-05:00

Friendly Competition

2012-01-25T00:56:00.001-05:00

A little friendly competition never hurts anyone

Morning Wood

2012-01-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

WOW...

2012-01-03T23:24:00.000-05:00

This is CRAZY, I can't believe that they have this many features already

Tattoo Life

2012-01-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

Snow Time

2012-01-03T19:15:00.002-05:00

This is MADNESS

2011-12-23T10:41:00.001-05:00

Pretty intense

Friday Mornings

2011-12-23T10:34:00.001-05:00

This is how I feel in the mornings

Seb Toots

2011-12-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

KILLING IT !!!! shred on !

Ink Lines

2011-12-21T09:49:00.002-05:00

Random thoughts

2011-12-21T09:18:00.001-05:00

Act of Valor

2011-12-19T17:29:00.001-05:00

This might be one of the best movies ever. I can't wait for it to come out!

Winter Madness

2011-12-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

This is BONKERS

Beanie

2011-12-13T01:38:00.003-05:00

Beanies are on their way ! Should be here in a week and a half ! They are long beanies, that have been embroidered. $25. If your interested e-mail me Dcdevilblue87@aol.com

Tall Tee

2011-12-07T14:43:00.001-05:00

Tall Tee that will be coming out around 12/14/2011. Going to be a good winter !

SG

2011-11-25T16:16:00.002-05:00

Speak The Truth

2011-11-14T00:37:00.001-05:00

US VERSUS THEM Presents TREVELEN for OIL & WATER Artshow from CHOP EM DOWN on Vimeo.

Good Stuff

2011-11-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

What I'm Listening to

2011-11-07T22:15:00.001-05:00

Some inspirational sounds for ya.

Finally Done

2011-11-01T18:28:00.002-04:00

Here are two pieces that I finially finished up. I have been crazy busy lately. I have been working around 80hrs a week. Painting sessions are few and far between. Im trying to pump out some new work soon. Stay tuned for new work and Sleeping Giant product !!!

Seventh Letter

2011-10-25T22:38:00.002-04:00

Aryz

2011-10-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

This guy is a beast. His work is unreal

Comcast Project

2011-10-23T19:00:00.005-04:00

Here's some of the work that I did for Comcast Sports Net.

Game On

2011-10-02T21:52:00.002-04:00

This is such an amazing project. I am in shock at how cool it is. Props to these guys

Grow some stones

2011-09-25T19:29:00.001-04:00

This doesn't even look real, its unreal

Hell on two wheels

2011-09-25T19:27:00.001-04:00

Dude is a maniac. Love this video

Hit Of The Week

2011-09-19T19:02:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when you hit a lady, and you run from the cops.

Flight

2011-09-18T11:18:00.000-04:00

Hammer Time

2011-09-16T19:58:00.001-04:00

Holly hell that is awesome

Sleeping Giant

2011-09-07T00:05:00.002-04:00

Summer time is coming to an end, time to get revving on Sleeping Giant gear again. Big things happening this fall, keep tuned.

Never Give Up

2011-09-05T21:02:00.002-04:00

Jason Williams (aka Revok) Sends Regards from Detroit With New Show "Perseverance" at Known Gallery

By Shelley Leopold

published: August 18, 2011

PHOTO BY K.C. ORTIZ
Williams created his new 3-D collages from found materials such as reclaimed wood, stickers and street signs.
PHOTO BY WILLIE T.

A superhero among the spray-can set and one of the L.A. Sheriff's Department's most wanted vandals, the artist known as Revok, aka Jason Williams, has had quite an eventful year. On the heels of his work for MOCA's "Art in the Streets" show, Revok captured headlines after his most recent arrest (for missing a court appearance) April 21 at LAX. His subsequent bail was set at a record high for vandalism, $320,000, and he was sentenced to six months in jail for unpaid property restitution of $3,700. He served 44 days, yet hasn't painted an illegal mural or committed art crime in Los Angeles for years.

Despite his legal troubles, Williams has found renewed motivation, and the result is "Perseverance," his new show opening Aug. 20 at Known Gallery with 14 new personal pieces. It promises to jettison Williams into yet another potentially life-altering situation — the gallery circuit.

"Sitting in jail I had a lot of time to think," Williams admits. "I've been a graffiti artist for over 20 years now. It's been my sole pursuit. I had to kind of figure out why, after so much bullshit and so many years, how am I still so motivated and why it's important to me. It's the creative root of everything I do."

It was impossible for Williams to transition from street to gallery walls in his home base of Los Angeles. Constant police raids of his apartment and undercover cops harassing friends at job sites and art shows didn't foster his creativity, instead provoking his paranoia and resistance.

As part of a self-imposed exile, Williams has gone into hiding among the ruins of the Midwest, which is, to him, a blank canvas. Detroit — Motor City, home to Motown, the Stooges, America's auto industry and Eminem — now plays host to one of L.A.'s most prolific and talented graffiti writers.

"I couldn't afford to make the kind of work I wanted to make in L.A., and I needed to go somewhere cheap where I could get away from being haunted by the police force," Williams explains by phone. "Detroit is wide open. There's tons of space — you can do anything you want here. I've been in L.A. a really long time, and it's really easy to get distracted and caught up. So I flew out here in February — it was freezing. I got off the plane and started driving around, sliding all over the ice in the streets and fell in love with it instantly. This place is fucking awesome."

The highlights among Williams' new work are his 3-D collages, meticulously built from found ephemera. While he concedes to having no formal art education or influences, the work recalls the deconstructivist-era Robert Rauschenberg. But Williams' work maintains a decidedly modern, rough-hewn sensibility. His materials show evidence of time spent in dark corners and under viaducts: fragments of hand-painted type, stickers, reclaimed wood, street signs, drawer pulls and caution tape. The large shadowboxes are deliberately representative of place and time, much like the inventive, bold, colorful graffiti burners he's known for.

Detroit's economic situation and the wealth of abandoned property it has generated is another reason fate placed Williams there. "It can be a sad place," he says. "It's a beautiful place in an unconventional way, a big graveyard of all these industries and people technology left behind. A lot of pieces that I use to construct this new work are from homes people lived in, or maybe windows from an abandoned business. Other people's stories left as trash or rubble. Now, filtered through my own life experience, I've hopefully made something new and positive."

The test of creating work in a studio isn't anything like the rush of bombing on the street. Williams remains steadfast in distinguishing the two, but realizes the significance of both. "There's no pot of gold doing graffiti. It's absolutely pure. It's not done for any other reason except just to do it and I love it. I make this [studio] art for some of the same reasons, but it's a totally different experience. When I paint graffiti, it's about me. I'll always be a graffiti artist, but my new work taps into the bigger picture."

Williams didn't get a chance to revel in the success of the MOCA show as the other artists and fans did — other than serving as the example for the current antimural, antigraffiti climate upheld by the Department of Building and Safety. He was jailed shortly after the show's opening — less fortunate than the rogue mosaic-maker Space Invader, who was able to skip out before the police realized who they had in custody, although they confiscated his grout and tile pieces.

Fortunately, MOCA is just a few walkable blocks from the detention center and when Williams was released, he walked right over. "It was pretty embarrassing. 'Yeah, I'm one of the artists that's in the show. I just got out of jail. I don't have my wallet or my cellphone. Can I use your phone to have somebody come and pick me up?' " he laughs. "Aside from receiving some nice emails and getting on the cover of The Wall Street Journal, I wasn't able to really participate in any of it."

Still on probation, Williams has no plans to return to L.A. anytime soon. While he still has a profound love for the City of Angels and the community that has rallied around him, he doesn't miss the authorities, who vow to "bankrupt him and put him out of business," according to what one police detective told him. They're sticking to their agenda, as Williams says the city attorney has prepared a civil lawsuit against him seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars should he ever paint publicly in L.A. again. It would retroactively peg him for every mural he's ever done (or at least the ones they know about), regardless of whether it's a commission with the property owners' consent. "I'm not a saint. I'm not saying 'Poor me,' or anything. But the obsession is outrageous," he says.

Saber, an L.A. graffiti king and colleague of Revok's who recently held a sold-out art show in New York, couldn't agree more. "There is so much misdirected energy and taxpayer dollars being wasted going after this one person," he says, a sad, palpable anger rising in his voice. "We've lost one of our strongest artists — Los Angeles is going to miss out on some of the best art in the world, as far as I'm concerned. These sheriffs shut down Melrose Avenue during a business day to raid a store Revok pictured on his blog. In this economy?"

"Perseverance" — which includes contributions from Rime, a world-renowned talent also formerly from L.A., and Roid, an up-and-coming star from London — may serve as a homecoming of sorts, even though Williams won't be there, and all the work is being shipped from Detroit. And while his new Midwestern digs offer opportunity and peace of mind, his inspiration is local. "L.A. has always been my home. As a kid I'd drive around the freeways to see who was up, trying to soak it all up and memorize the city, learn as much as I could. I grew up in Riverside and all I wanted to do was live in L.A. Now it's ironic — I can't be there. Hopefully some day that will change."

PERSEVERANCE: REVOK, RIME AND ROID | Known Gallery, 441 N. Fairfax Ave., Mid-City | Opening reception Aug 20, 8-11 p.m. | Through Sept. 12 | knowngallery.com

Probably one of my favorite artists of all time. He is a true inspiration to me. Keep rocking and don't let The Man get you down.

Go Blue

2011-08-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

WoW

2011-06-29T10:41:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm talking about !

Villans

2011-06-17T17:47:00.002-04:00

Here is a piece I'm working on for a show that will be aired on Comcast in the near future. This is Matt Cooke from the Penguins. The whole concept of the show is hated figures in the sports world, so I'm portraying them as villan. I Gota do like 6 more people and i'll put them up as I work on them

Victory

2011-06-16T18:39:00.002-04:00

Bruins !!!! They finally did it, life is grand.

Defeat

2011-06-16T18:36:00.003-04:00

Frosted Love

2011-06-13T19:42:00.002-04:00

This kid is the shit, Sebastien Toutant killing it

It's Soo Damn Hot

2011-05-31T00:37:00.000-04:00

From Saga outerwear

Day Tripping

2011-05-25T12:31:00.002-04:00

Work in progress

2011-05-11T00:22:00.001-04:00

Three new pieces that I have been working on lately. More to come !

New Piece

2011-05-11T00:19:00.003-04:00

Here are some pieces that I finished up recently. Been slacking in the posting department. I have been doing a lot of work for Sleeping Giant to try and get everything rolling. We will have a website up in a few weeks as well as a new design printed !

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-04-21T00:46:00.003-04:00

Here's the front to my Sleeping Giant business card and a sneak peak of another shirt that will be dropping soon. It will probably be in my hand in two months with a website on its way as well.

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-04-20T22:38:00.001-04:00

New shirt dropping soon, about a month and I will have them ready to sell as well as a website to order from

New Work/ Work in Progress

2011-04-20T22:28:00.002-04:00

Here are some digital pieces i'm working on for my company Sleeping Giant. They are going to be in a digital magazine that my buddy just made called Abstraks. The piece at the bottom is just me working on my letters.

Sick Ink

2011-04-06T02:40:00.000-04:00

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-04-06T02:33:00.002-04:00

This is a full spread add I did for my buddies magazine Abstraks. Check it out at Abstraks.com

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-04-06T02:30:00.004-04:00

Here is a new shirt that im going to be coming out with soon. All the designs will be dropping this summer.

work in progress

2011-03-31T01:55:00.002-04:00

Here is a piece I'm working on for Sleeping Giant, my clothing company. It's just the beginning.

New Work

2011-03-30T23:10:00.003-04:00

This is a piece I did in my independent study last semester and I finally finished it up. The whole class was about experimenting and doing new things, so I just went crazy. There are a few more that are almost done that are just like this.

Inked

2011-03-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

Fittsy ?

2011-03-30T23:04:00.004-04:00

My buddy Fittsy has a full blown stormtrooper outfit, straight out of the movies. Every time I see a stormtrooper outfit now I just think of him and laugh, so this one goes out to you Fittsy, enjoy

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-03-28T18:45:00.003-04:00

Here is a new design that will be dropping soon. Probably another month or so. Hit me up if your interested. Dcdevilblue87@aol.com

Hello Sunday

2011-03-27T15:53:00.001-04:00

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-03-24T18:20:00.003-04:00

Storm Trooper

2011-03-24T17:54:00.002-04:00

Skull

2011-03-24T12:17:00.003-04:00

New piece I did. It's ink and marker on paper with acrylic for the red X.

Heaven

2011-03-21T13:34:00.002-04:00

Eat Up

2011-03-20T15:44:00.001-04:00

SLEEPING GIANT

2011-03-19T16:07:00.004-04:00

Thats right ladies and gents, Sleeping Giant has hit the streets of Boston. T-Shirts are $20 if you are local and $25 to ship. Hoodies are $40 local, and $50 to ship. You can e-mail me at Dcdevilblue87@aol.com to place an order

Mmhmm

2011-03-19T16:05:00.000-04:00

Sick Ink

2011-03-19T16:04:00.003-04:00

Truth

2011-03-16T02:12:00.000-04:00

Sleeping Giant

2011-03-09T15:50:00.004-05:00

SLEEPING GIANT is here Boston!!!! Got the first run of shirts and hoodies. Let me know if your interested in buying one. If your in the Boston area they are $20, if you're not, its $20 plus the shipping. E-mail me at dcdevilblue87@aol.com

Phantogram

2011-03-02T20:05:00.001-05:00

Pretty sweeeeeet song by Phantogram

What Makes The World Go Round

2011-02-26T13:02:00.002-05:00

All About The Ass

2011-02-25T15:12:00.001-05:00

Pure Awesomeness

2011-02-25T02:13:00.000-05:00

This might be one of the funniest video's I've seen in a while. It kills me every time I watch it.

Craola

2011-02-20T17:55:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of Greg "Craola" Simkins killing it. This guy is out of control. He is an absolutely phenomenal artist. Check him out

Loon

2011-02-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

Kids from Loon throwing down.

Crazy Mural

2011-02-09T14:04:00.002-05:00

This mural is awesome. I wish I knew who did it, but whoever it is they are killing it!

T-Shirt time !!!

2011-02-08T23:01:00.004-05:00

Sleeping Giant is going to be arriving soon! Getting the Shirts printed in a week or two due to some problems. This is the first design, it's of the Zakim Bridge in Boston. If your interested they are $22, e-mail me at Dcdevilblue87@aol.com

Beautiful

2011-02-08T22:58:00.002-05:00

Pure Awesomeness

2011-02-08T17:55:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to do this ! Eero Ettala beat me to it. Enjoy

2011-02-04T16:14:00.000-05:00

Sleeping Giant

2011-02-01T20:55:00.008-05:00

Sleeping Giant is putting out its first T-shirt in a few weeks. Here is the maiden design that is going to be hitting the press. If you want one hit me up on facebook or e-mail me at Dcdevilblue87@aol.com. Let me know what size you would like and how many !

Nic Suave

2011-01-30T11:40:00.001-05:00

This kid is hands down amazing. I have never herd of him but he's got some awesome steez. Check him out, kid is going places

Jeremy Jones

2011-01-30T11:37:00.001-05:00

The legend Jeremy Jones killing it!! The man is 36 years old and he is still showing up half of the industry. Inspiration for all.

The Man

2011-01-29T01:37:00.003-05:00

Revok is the man. I love this dude. His attitude is great, his work is great, everything he does is great. I wish I could do half the shit he has done.

Torstein Horgmo

2011-01-29T01:30:00.004-05:00

This is what the fuck I'm talking about!!! Broken ribs and not only does he qualify for slopestyle finals in 2nd but he does the 1st every triple cork in a comp ever ! Kid is unreal 1

Shred it!!!

2011-01-28T09:12:00.002-05:00

Man it would be nice to ride Mammoth every day ! What a dream come true that would be. I blew my knee again so my season is over already. All I got left is watching these video's to get my fix. So expect many more of these the rest of the season !

STEEZE

2011-01-23T21:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a compilation of Halldor's parts. This kid is out of control!!!

T-Shirt time !!!

2011-01-20T14:57:00.003-05:00

Abstract work

2011-01-20T14:50:00.002-05:00

Here are some abstract pieces that I did this past semester. I love doing abstract work when I can't concentrate or think of anything else to do. It's just pure fun, no planning and you get some cool results.

Work In Progress

2011-01-19T18:47:00.002-05:00

Here is a piece that I'm trying to finish up for next week. Got a show down in Providence at Club Hell. It's been a process but I think it's turing out awesome

New Work

2011-01-17T17:31:00.002-05:00

Here's some work I did over the last semester of school. Totally forgot to take pics of them so here they are. I think the mushroom one came out awesome. I'm going to have to try doing more pieces like this.

Heavy Metal

2011-01-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

Funny man Matt Braunger

2011-01-11T00:48:00.002-05:00

Jokes.com

Matt Braunger - Owls

comedians.comedycentral.com

Jokes

Joke of the Day

Funny Jokes

This guy is hilarious ! This owl skit is one of my favorites.

Halldor Helgason

2011-01-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

Here's Halldor Helgason just having fun. Got to love this kid. He's so young and he has the best attitude in the game. On top of that he does some amazing things on a board, check him out

Zz Germans are coming !!!

2011-01-04T18:36:00.001-05:00

A bunch of crazy Germans acting....CRAZY

Finished Up

2011-01-02T23:57:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pieces that I finished up at the end of the semester.

Finally Finished

2010-12-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

Here are two pieces I was doing for an independent study. I just finished them up this past week

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-11T19:18:00.001-05:00

Snow Clones Featuring Casey Wrightsman from Mike Benson on Vimeo.

This video is sick. It gives me the itch to get my shred on. I'm heading up to Okemo next week, pretty pumped about it, not going to lie. Hopefully we'll have some pics and video's of it up after.

Sleepy Head Remix

2010-12-01T21:47:00.001-05:00

Borgore did a remix of Passion Pit's Sleepyhead. Its preeeeetty sick

Shredding the Gnar !!!

2010-11-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

Mark Sollars is killing it as usual. I love this video, check it out its totally worth it.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-11-12T17:21:00.003-05:00

Here is a bunch of pieces that I have been working on lately. I'll have some more pics up soon.

ARYZ

2010-11-08T22:22:00.001-05:00

This guy does some serious work. It is probably one of the coolest murals that I have seen, and its done entirely in spray paint. Pure awesomeness.

abstract piece

2010-11-04T14:47:00.001-04:00

Work on progress

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

new work in progress

2010-11-02T14:27:00.001-04:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Supakitch & Koralie

2010-11-02T11:23:00.001-04:00

SUPAKITCH & KORALIE - VÄRLDSKULTUR MUSEET GÖTEBORG from elr°y on Vimeo.

Stumbled upon this video late last night. It's pretty awesome. Check it out

David Choong Lee

2010-10-23T16:21:00.003-04:00

I have been following this guy for quite some time. He has some amazing work. His style is really cool to look at since I do some similar things that he does. He has a great outlook on his work and how he goes about it. Check him out and check his website out- davidchoonglee.com

Day Dreaming

What I'm Listening to

Friendly Competition

Morning Wood

Tattoo Life

Snow Time

This is MADNESS

Friday Mornings

Seb Toots

Ink Lines

Random thoughts

Act of Valor

Winter Madness

Beanie

Tall Tee

SG

Speak The Truth

Good Stuff

What I'm Listening to

Finally Done

Seventh Letter

Aryz

Comcast Project

Game On

Grow some stones

Hell on two wheels

Hit Of The Week

Flight

Hammer Time

Sleeping Giant

Never Give Up

Jason Williams (aka Revok) Sends Regards from Detroit With New Show "Perseverance" at Known Gallery

By Shelley Leopold

published: August 18, 2011

PHOTO BY K.C. ORTIZ

Williams created his new 3-D collages from found materials such as reclaimed wood, stickers and street signs.

PHOTO BY WILLIE T.

Go Blue

WoW

Villans

Victory

Defeat

Frosted Love

It's Soo Damn Hot

Day Tripping

Work in progress

New Piece

SLEEPING GIANT

SLEEPING GIANT

New Work/ Work in Progress

Sick Ink

SLEEPING GIANT

SLEEPING GIANT

work in progress

New Work

Inked

Fittsy ?

SLEEPING GIANT

Hello Sunday

SLEEPING GIANT

Storm Trooper

Skull

Heaven

Eat Up

SLEEPING GIANT

Mmhmm

Sick Ink

Truth

Sleeping Giant

Phantogram

What Makes The World Go Round

All About The Ass

Pure Awesomeness

Craola

Loon

Crazy Mural

T-Shirt time !!!

Beautiful

Pure Awesomeness

Sleeping Giant