When David
Franklin was a teenager, he belonged to one of the top graffiti
crews in Denver: the Syndicate. Franklin – who went by the handle
Evad – interacted with and learned techniques from other Syndicate members such as
Eye Six, Voodoo, and the crew's leader, Rasta 68. But his greatest tutor was an older participant, HL86, which was the nom de
spraycan of the artist known as Harry Lyrico.
Syndicate crew. HL86 (Harry Lyrico) on the bottom right.
“I loved Harry,” Franklin writes.
“He was really good to me when I was a kid hanging out with the
Syndicate. He seemed to believe in my work like no one else at
that time. He was my first art mentor. I wish he knew
that his belief in me [had resulted in a] good art career.”
Today, Franklin is an accomplished artist based in Washington State, who sometimes incorporates indigenous Pacific Northwest motifs into his sculptures and public art. On his resume, Franklin lists one of his influences as Harry Lyrico. Franklin still has some of the stencils that he and Harry conceived together, as well as some additional work by Harry. Here, he shares a few items from his “small collection of Harry's work.”
Today, Franklin is an accomplished artist based in Washington State, who sometimes incorporates indigenous Pacific Northwest motifs into his sculptures and public art. On his resume, Franklin lists one of his influences as Harry Lyrico. Franklin still has some of the stencils that he and Harry conceived together, as well as some additional work by Harry. Here, he shares a few items from his “small collection of Harry's work.”
*
“The Malcom X pen-and-ink sketch is a
commission Harry did for my brother, Bryan Franklin.”
“The Betty Boop and clown, and the
clutch TV camera, were for a collaborative piece we worked on called
'The Gene Mingo Show.'”
"The clock was for the set of 'The Gene Mingo Show.'"
"A stencil Harry drew and I cut out. It is all money imagery: dollars,pyramids, buffalo, eye.”
"A stencil Harry drew and I cut out. It is all money imagery: dollars,pyramids, buffalo, eye.”
*
Franklin writes,
“Harry was the classy gentleman – with witty and cutting insights
– that he looks like in photos of him. He had his own old-school
fashion style – wool overcoats and sport coats. He was, also,
at times, a soul unleashed: wild, crazed, focused, manic, and
stubborn, as well as very easy to like. To live the life he
lived, he wielded an urban wizardry to survive and to create.”
And the ultimate lesson that he
learned from Harry Lyrico?
“Keep it simple
and strong,” says Franklin.
*
David Franklin: “A stencil
portrait I did of Harry in 1990.”
