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Reflecting on my mural at the Straat Museum in Amsterdam, I feel very lucky that though it rains a lot here, the weather allowed us to finish the mural on time despite some intense winds. The Straat is a huge old factory where they built ships so the surface I painted is a set of metal doors 45 feet high formerly used to get the ship parts out of the building. The doors are a smooth surface and provided an ideal canvas for the “Raise the Level” mural. The mural is based on one of my art pieces focused on peace and harmony which is included in my exhibition at Straat. I also added some additional text and imagery to fit the composition of the doors. I have been friends with Amsterdam local and calligraffiti pioneer Niels Shoe Meulman for over 10 years and I asked him if he would collaborate on part of the mural. He generously added the “Handle with Care” in his unique style as well as a wild style piece down below. He also brought his friend, and O.G. graff writer Yalt to do the piece on the lower left. I’m very happy about the street art and graffiti hybrid of the entire piece because I believe the two genres are driven by the same spirit. Also, the Straat Museum celebrates and showcases both movements. I’m very grateful to my crew of Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, and Jon Furlong for their hard work helping with the mural. Thanks to Jon Furlong also for the great photos. A huge thanks to the Straat crew for hosting and being incredibly pro about EVERYTHING. Check out my show “Raise the Level” at Straat if you are in Amsterdam!
–Shepard
