New York City Mural - Psychedelic Bird of Prey

I just got back from a very short trip to New York, and I'm just in time to post in this week's CCC's Street Art Contest #165, which has become my most regular type of blog entry - thanks to this wonderful initiative presenting amazing street art from around the world every week.

Since this is my only mural from NYC, it's not going to go in either my huge Mexican Murals collection, nor in my currently growing Walls of Berlin series. Oh, that's right: I also have a shorter, but none the less impressive collection Murals of the Angles from L.A. I might as well mention them, so go ahead and check them out if you like!

Serious Art at the Ziegfeld Ballroom

Admittedly, I did not go to New York to seek out murals. However, sometimes an image just jumps out at you, and you can't help but admire it, take a pic, and make a post about it. The image can be found on the outside wall of the Ziegfeld Ballroom on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue, which happened to be my main destination in New York, but I will tell that story in my next post. Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see this awesome mural, and took a minute to take a close look at it.

A Plethora of Styles

Even the background looks impressive, with a spiral swirl of pink smoke on pink background. On top of it we see a bird - I'm not an ornithologist by any means, so I will not put a foot in my mouth by speculating whether it's an osprey or a buzzard - though the feet look very much like a bird of prey.

What's more interesting, are the various styles employed in this single image: the colorful geometric pieces around the head and the chest, the stellar constellations on the tail and the lower body, and most interestingly the round organic looking shapes on its wing, reminding me of minerals or fungi. In fact, the more you look the more you will find in this area.

As for the artist, the identifying mark reads something like Vexta, and indeed, a quick search brought me to her site, where you can find many other incredible images she created in this cool style.