What’s With the Graffiti?

This years holiday card, I had a little too much fun making. This was not our first foray into shooting photos in front of graffiti. We did a shoot back in 2016 in San Francisco around several graffiti murals in Hayes Valley. For 2021 we kept it local and in our backyard. Yes, we tagged the house in preparation of our future remodel. I though of this ideas during COVID when we were moving along faster and faster with the plans of adding onto the house to make it more livable for family of 5 and potentially 3 teenagers. 

I had it all planned out and well, my goal was for use to wearing white clothes that we actually graffitied as well. Then life went back to normal and my schedule was exhausting and finding the time to do both ideas just kept floating further away, far from my reach. In the end, one day, I pulled out all spray paint I found around the south bay (weird colors are hard to find.) I started the tagging off and the kids soon followed. Yes, we, and I mean the kids wore ventilators. Goggles not so much. It’s wasn’t that windy. 

I really had no expectations of what we as a family created, I just wanted to create an experience most kids really never get to do. Tag private property!!!!! Am I promoting the destruction of private property. All I can say options are like assholes, everyone has one. All in all we are proud of our HKfamily5 Mural. Will it last through the construction, heck no! That was will actually be the common wall between the current bedroom and Clem’s future office. 

There are many hidden treats in the mural. We brought some Christmas spirit to the mural with my wonky tree and presents and Margot’s bees, Lochlan’s present slide with spiders and even Paley’s heart covered with her name. Do I recommend your family take up a can and explore this project in your home. Only if you are planning on covering up soon line ours or it’s someplace you never look at. For now it’s our slice of history that will fade like millions of pieces of art that have vanished for centuries.


Stay tuned for family letter for the end of the year.







BRIAN H-KArtwork, familyComment