THREE ACES: REDS, MIAMI IS ON FIRE

We have 3 new aces.
If this were a movie, you would see a plane crossing a map and arriving in Miami (after following a dotted line). That is where we met -we would have it no other way- the graffiti writer Reds, and asked her to unpack her 3 best pieces.
Reds is a person with a strong character, like her letters. She started painting in 2007, inspired by the tags and pieces she saw around Hialeah, and if you have been to Miami you will have paid witness to her pieces and bombings. They will surely impress you, and as the song says, “When she opens her mouth, she spits gasoline!”
Here is an extract from some interviews with her from few years ago that describes her well.

• “I go by the name Reds. It goes all the way back to my high school days, when a friend nicknamed me “Red Crayon” for wearing all red and having red hair. It later on shortened to just “Red” and it just stuck with me.”
• “Graffiti has no gender”. Being that I am a woman in a male-dominated scene, and I’ve been able to master the craft, I constantly get “compliments” like – “wow you’re pretty good for a girl”. How about let’s try, “I’m good because I’m good.” I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today to have my name and work recognized in the scene. One’s talent shouldn’t be based on gender.
• “In the beginning what kept me going was all the hating and negativity I received. It was motivation… I developed thick skin cause of it. And if it wasn’t for all of it, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed so hard and kept going.”

And now, her 3 aces:

This red gradient piece will always be a personal favorite. I really pushed my self style- wise to add extensions and arrows which I don’t normally do. Another thing about it, is I actually executed a full 3D. I tend to get lazy when it comes to doing 3D, though I know they make a piece look great!

My most recent rappel spot which was dedicated to one of the sweetest, most supportive & creative friends  – LULU 107. I’ve been painting for about 18 years now, and honestly graffiti was getting a little boring to me. Graffiti will always be my passion but I just wasn’t getting that thrill anymore. After seeing how rappelling was done I was like, “WOW, I NEED to learn this.”

It’s all about the color palette on this one. It always makes me think of a photo negative. I didn’t have a plan, and used a bunch of scraps to fill. I love the high contrast this puts off. Because of this piece I now use the minty green as a go to for an outline color.