Force 129 — Art, Design, Life in SJ

I can still remember the first time I saw one of Force 129 original art pieces painted on a wall. It was the summer of 96' and I came across some nice tall walls underneath Alamden expressway near Curtner ave. The Go Skate walls as some knew them by. Those eight to ten walls hold up the expressway and serve as canvases for artist.

It was a great piece, about nine feet by six feet tall, that read FORCE. It was spray painted with fluorescent paint, shades of browns and greens yellows and blues. An eagle head made up the O. I was familiar with graffiti even at 12, I had spent my summers in creeks and under bridges and on train-tracks getting into mischief, all places notorious for for the art form. But I could tell that this was not just a graffiti writer, but an artist as well.

But it was this piece that had me coming back day after day and although I couldn't actually touch or even stand in front of it it because of the creek that stood between us, that piece touched my life. Ever since that piece, art has come alive.

I was lucky enough to have come across Force and we became friends, co-workers and I continue to draw many influences from him.

This past Friday I ran in to Force at First Fridays where he was at it again bringing that same flavor that was on that wall to the people of SJ, in the form of t-shirts, skateboard, posters and accessories. Each piece a one-two-nine-one-of-a-kind original. But in true artistic fashion, Force greeted admirers passing by while painting on a salvaged wood board.

In his artist description, Force writes he is, "motivated by Time, Graffiti, Art, Design, D.I.Y. style, Collaborating, Networking, Positivity, Influenced by the world & his surroundings in San Jose, Califas." And many artists, local or otherwise, are motivated by him.

Check out more of Force's work, upcoming shows, and products at:

• facebook: Facebook 129
• blog: FORCE129