Herrera, who earned his moniker because of his graveyard shift as a quality control technician at a steel mill, is careful to distinguish the work at the gallery from graffiti, a term that owns a negative connotation. “Graffiti is writing on bathroom walls; there’s no artistic merit,” he explains. “This is aerosol art. It takes four to five hours to do; it’s planned out.”
On the tour of the silo, work from past art shows is strewn about the place, along with work by out-of-towners. Remnants of work from an event five years ago still lie around the silos. Herrera points to a piece of work, recalls the location or profession of the artist, such as “These guys are from Albuquerque,” or “This guy does work for Neiman Marcus,” and lets their typography, individual style and use of color speak for itself, with natural light seeping in from the towering, near-century old structure illuminating the work.
Some pieces were created by artists who visit from locations including Los Angeles and Spain, each of the colorful calligraphy as diverse as the locations of the artists that created them. Among the local contributors is Jeremiah Navarro, who works in aerosol, acrylic on canvas and other mixed media, and finds major influence in a comic book-pop art aesthetic. He calls the gallery “a playground for graffiti artists,” but has reservations about having graffiti art in the context of a gallery. “Graffiti by its nature is big, broad, in your face; it’s meant to be something that can’t be captured. The gallery scene, it’s like taking a picture of it, but graffiti is so much more than a canvas,” says Navarro.
Navarro, who would take photos of Herrera’s work when he started to paint, as well as others in the aerosol art community acknowledge Herrera as a key influencer in local and nationwide graffiti art communities. Nathan Nordstrom, curator for Gallery Lombardi's “Austin Graffiti Art: From Birth to Present” and the first Pieced Together show in Austin last year and this year’s tour, credits Herrera’s reputation for El Paso’s appearance on the national tour with stops including Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Dallas. “You’ve got to give credit where it’s due,” he says of Herrera.
This credit is in large part to the work of Herrera, who has been a heavyweight in the local aerosol art scene for the past couple of decades, but others believe that El Paso is on the brink of a well-established art scene. “El Paso has the potential to be a great melting pot for artists,” claims Navarro.
The space includes work by established aerosol artists in the area, with each person chosen by a panel including Herrera. He espouses their merits in both underground and mainstream art communities. Although Herrera said that he wants to make the space “a really presentable, artsy-fartsy kind of place” which he hopes will attract high-end collectors, his intentions lie beyond the material aspect of the medium, which he acknowledges as a sometimes “selfish art.”
“There is something about painting a large scale painting or mural that is very therapeutic,” says Grave. The aerosol art’s hypnotic nature informed the warning given to Grave by a friend also involved with the media. “He said to me, ‘Graffiti is a monster that will pick you,’” says Herrera. The monster has not consumed him, but he has taken his past run-ins with the law as a formative experience. “I don’t want to see them end up in jail. There’s a right way and a right process to do things,” he explains.
This process, according to Herrera, can shape the perspective of future generations about our era, referencing ancient cave paintings and calligraphy. “[Graffiti art] started in the U.S., but ever since man walked on earth, everybody does this.”
The Silos Aerosol Art Space, 1949 W. Paisano. For personal tours or to commission artists, contact Dave "Grave" Herrera at gravester8@gmail.com or 915.731.2791.
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