WillieB Series: Williamsburg Bridge Graffiti

I once asked a graffiti artist how do they know when it is OK to paint over someone else's work on the street. The answer involves many factors -- age of the former work, its awesomeness, how badly it's been dinged by others -- But one of chief factors is how much of a reputation you have, compared to the rep of the person whose work your covering over. A newbie doesn't trample on the work of a legend, though not necessarily vice versa.

One of the hottest pieces of NYC graf property the nameplate of the Williamsburg Bridge in New York, which is along the pedestrian walkway, towards the Manhattan side. This popular connecting roadway between Brooklyn's Williamsburg and Manhattan's Lower east side gets its fair share of tags and throws , and the nameplate, which every both pedestrians and bicyclists must pass, is obviously a marquee location.

Each time I walk by this sign, I see it rocking a new signature, someone grabbing the focal point from the previous mark, with its own colors and lines. Fame, if only fleeting. As of June 2018, I've started cataloging them here, and you can see how it changes every few weeks.

Williamsburg Bridge, New York City; #williamsburgBridge #streetart #graffiti #Williamsburg #NYC #TagsAndThrows

"Empty," December 2020