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LaBrona is one of a minority of unique and talented artists among the taggers'n'toys that decorate our walls and malls.

He's taken the Art of Grafitti "elsewhere" - far beyond what the run-of-the-mall are doing. For this, he must be appreciated.

With a character and style uniquely his own, he paints images that are simple, explicit and extraordinary all at the same time. Borrowing from styles of famous Latino muralists and emulating facial expressions as interesting and varied as Picasso's, LaBrona takes us back into the human-human form of interface: studies of relationship, emotion and the light-to-dark spectrum of what transpires face-to-face in the tapestry of a day.

A note of thanks to LaBrona for being a Street Artist who elevates scribbles and tags to the state of real "art" - art that speaks to eyes that listen. And thanks also for the permission to post your work on SEZ1.COM.

The Family Of Sisters.

Roman Catholic we are, and conception was immaculate and fun, but it brought us seven sisters, all under the same roof.

Now they look at each other in Fear, Disgust, Love, Envy and Compassion. It's the "Rules Of The Family", as Jimi Hendrix once said, "soon you will forget the rules of the Family..." As Carlos Castaneda once said, "Erasing personal history is a Sorcerer's Key to entering the Dreaming State..."

And on and on.

The Beauty of the Family is the Secure Nest for the raising of Delicate Fluffy Things. The Tragedy of the Nest is the Bindings and Ropes that deny the free spirit of Man. The tricky thing is, is this: no binding and ropes can truly hold the spirit if the spirit wishes to be free.

So it is written. (here, anyway)

"Couples" is what I call this piece to the left. A Tall Man and a Large Woman reach for each other. Are their arms crossed in Love or in Angst?

And their shorter counterparts - are those their mates holding them back from completing their union? Or their siblings? Or their parents? Or their children?

So interesting, the juxtaposition of wants, desires, conflicts, tendencies, fears.

So human.

As many question as answers bombard the viewer of LaBrona's work.

But... perhaps a quality of true artwork: arouses the "why" more than the "wow".

To The Right: a woman gazes thoughtfully. Where?

At the portrait of her long-dead lover?

Out the window of the Sanitarium?

At a field of dreams, as another day slips by?

Two men in Love? Two men inebriated? Two men retreating from the Battlefield? Two men in co-dependance? Two men recalling lives lived, loves lost, time spent.

God, sprite, nymph, creature, feature, teacher, leecher.

Stretch the imagination and it catches the wind.

From an Anglo-Saxon point of viewpoint, we gaze lovingly at the family portait at left.

Faces, thoughts, fears, passions, contemplation, evacuation.

Family and Relationship seem to be huge themes here. The Parents on on center stage. Kids look up to them. Inlaws look askance at them. The mother seeks protection in the husband. The husband looks to God for guidance.

And the Wheel of Karma, Dharma and Inevitable Life keeps on turning, despite our Homely Prayers.

This next piece - untitled as all are - is ripe with signs, symbol, and metaphor.

I will minimize my abstraction layer on this, "Hal", so we can simply be blessed with a visual feast and leave our PhD's at the door.

This piece would make a fascinating assignment for a psychology class. And I would volunteer to mark the papers. Who needs substances to abuse, when the world is assailing us with brilliant color and vibrant lectures from the aching sides of boxcars?

More LaBrona tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll be collecting essays on the significance of each of these pieces.