New Paintings Thanks to Live Summer Events

Man One stays busy painting live at events across the Southland resulting in new works available for purchase.

Let’s start with “Arte Nuestra” The Cheech’s 2nd Year Anniversary back in July. Man One painted most of the day in triple digit heat just outside the Chicano friendly museum in Riverside. The festivities started with the man himself Cheech Marin welcoming the crowd and it ended with an incredible display of Mexican culture with a musical parade with Los Chinelos and their incredible costumes and contagious music.

Below are some pics of the event and of course the final artwork.

Summertimez - Aerosol, paint markers, oil pastels on cradled birch panel - 48” x 36” x 1.5”

Available..Click to inquire


More recently Man One painted live at DTLA’s Grand Performances at California Plaza. It was a night of poetry hosted by Mike the Poet and included some of LA’s best poets and spoken word artists. The theme was music as history so the live art reflected exactly that. Man One first tagged the canvas with names of LA hip hop artists like Freestyle Fellowship, Ice T, Egyptian Lover and those who’ve we’ve lost over the years like Mixmaster Spade, Ganjah K, Eazy E and Gajah from Acid Reign.

Enjoy the pics of the painting as well as the time-lapse footage.

LA Hip Hop Poetry - Aerosol, markers, oil pastels on canvas - 48” x 60” x 1.5”
Available…Click to inquire

Meeting Zephyr...a NY Graff Legend

As I’m continually going through my archives, I always seem to find some gems stashed in my flat files and metal cabinets.

In 1996 I was painting a mural in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd & this guy just walked up to me and started asking me about it. He said he liked what I was doing, I said thanks & asked him his name. He said ZEPHYR. I said like the NYC graff writer? He said yup that’s me. My mind was 🤯! Apparently we exchanged business cards because l found this today as I was going through the archives. Definitely gonna frame it!

Zephyr… next time you’re in LA drop me a line!
It’s been too long. 🤝

Make sure to visit his website: www.ZephyrGraffiti.com

LIVE PAINTING! GRAND PERFORMANCES x MIKE THE POET x MAN ONE

If you love music and Los Angeles, this will be a beautiful intimate journey in the Grand Performances Amphitheater. My good friend Mike the Poet will be our tour guide through the years, neighborhoods, and musical movements. I’ll do my best to add to the ambiance with some inspired paint strokes and splatters. Let’s see what we create together!

Friday, July 26, 2024
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Grand Performances
350 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA, 90071

Poets:
BESSKEPP, Bridgette Bianca, F. Douglas Brown, Rocio Carlos, Michael C. Ford, Nikolai Garcia, Ruben Guevara, Marjorie Light, Phillip Martin, Dante Mitchell, Luivette Resto, Vickie Vertiz

DJ: Gingee

Hosted by: Mike the PoeT

Live painting performance: Man One

About Mike the PoeT:
Mike Sonksen, aka Mike the PoeT, is an acclaimed poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour guide. He has published over 500 essays and poems, most recently two excerpts in Dear California: The Golden State in Diaries and Letters, (Stanford University Press, September 2023). He has delivered over 2,000 poetry readings, served as guest speaker at over 100 academic institutions, appeared on radio and television and hosted events in locations like Grand Performances and Getty Center. His latest book, Letters To My City was published by Writ Large Press.


While you’re in the vicinity, take a brief stroll of a few hundred feet to feast your eyes on my mural adorning 1 Cal Plaza!
For a delightful glimpse into its creation and my process, I invite you to view the video below capturing the artwork's inception from last year. Enjoy!

Man One: Artist, Curator and Honoree At This Year's LA BULLA Event!

La Bulla opened August 3, 2024 at Plaza de la Raza

It was a great event with over 3,000 people in attendance. Thanks to Antonio Pelayo for asking me to curate the exhibition and for the Pelayo Foundation honoring me that night as well and writing me a big ol’ check! Lol.
Enjoy the pics and video from the event!

Checkout the recap video I put together…


My piece for the show:

“El Hombre de Oro” (SOLD)
Spray paint, metallic gold paint, acrylic and markers
with mini-spray can on custom cutout wood panel.
19”x16”x2”
2024