Bronx graffi ti artist selected for public art commission
pads, and playing with spray
paint.
“My friends and I learned
the culture, the tools you
needed, places to go, and the
time you had to get in and
out,” Wane said.
Wane reminisced about a
local guy, Michelob, who took
him to paint his fi rst train.
“I felt this huge sense of accomplishment
and I defi nitely
gained some notoriety,” Wane
said.
Wane said he never truly
saw graffi ti or art as a whole
becoming a career for him,
just something he did for fun.
He said he spent the following
two years painting train
cars regularly and honing his
craft more and more.
Wane decided at a certain
juncture in his life, that he
was going to pursue a career
in the art world in a more socially
He said he was working at
clothing store called ‘Unique
Boutique’ where he was airbrushing
jackets for stars like
LL Cool J, Vanilla Ice and New
Kids on the Block.
Wane One continued painting
and traveling while collaborating
with artists from
A one-time Bronx graffi ti
artist was recently awarded
a commission to produce a
street piece for a Westchester
town.
Chances are, whether you
live in the Bronx or not, you
may have seen a vibrantly colored
Wane One tag painted
on the side of a building, box
truck, or train over the years
and now in White Plains as
part of a mural project.
Wane One is now a sought
after artist and designer with
37 years in the craft under his
belt. Wane has worked on collaborations
with companies
like Nike, New Balance, Reebok
and Sean John.
Wane was born Wayne
(who does not disclose his last
name), to West Indie immigrants
in London, England,
where he and his brother were
born and lived briefl y as well
as Granada, before immigrating
to the North Bronx.
As a young kid, Wane remembered
seeing graffi ti all
around him growing up on Allerton
Wane was like a lot of kids
his age, hanging out, sketching
in their composition note-
acceptable manner.
“There’s no place like OLA"
BY KYLE VUILLE
Avenue.
Wane One working on a mural while traveling in South Africa. Wane One has traveled to Europe and Africa overs
the years to collaborate with other artists like himself. Photo credit by Lucky Liz
across the states and Europe.
The Parent Guild invites you to our
!
"#$%&'(
Thursday March 12, 2020
7:00pm – 11:00pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
OLA Gymnasium
(Middletown Road Entrance)
$25 entry ticket
* Tickets are limited – on a first come basis
**Tickets will not be sold at door
Must be 18 or older to enter
- Bring your own food & beverages -
- Dessert & Coffee will be served –
For tickets email: twogetheratola@gmail.com or
call the school at (718) 829-1706
BRONX TIMES R 30 EPORTER, MARCH 6-12, 2020 BTR
Fast forward to 2017, Wane
One applied and won a grant
for the fi rst time to create a
large-scale mural in White
Plains, N.Y. in collaboration
with ArtsWestchester.
Wane wanted to thank
ArtsWestchester and Janet
T. Langsam for the opportunity.
The catch was the mural
had to be painted on a black
topped walkway.
“Some of the process was
new to me,” Wane said. “I had
to put sealer on the surface so
you can paint on it and once it
that was done, laying grit over
the painted area so people
don’t slip.”
Prior to the grant, Wane
had only done commission
based works and nothing in a
community-like setting such
as this.
He named the piece,
‘Brighter colors Better Life.’
Wane’s plans for the future
include guided graffi ti tours
on the famed Boone Avenue
while covering the history
of graffi ti in the borough. He
has also been collaborating
with more name brand companies.
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