During the past year I have enjoyed seeing De La Vega’s chalk drawings on the sidewalks near my apartment. I tend to come across these drawings in Spanish Harlem and the Upper East Side. They are experiments with line that are refreshing and fun and are usually accompanied by his name.

Yesterday for the first time I had the opportunity to meet with De La Vega in his shop. At first I wasn’t quite sure where it was. I went down to Spanish Harlem where I know he is popular and talked to a few people. The first person I spoke with said he was De La Vega’s cousin. The second person I spoke with had talked to him that same morning and gave me his phone number as well as some simple directions as to how to get to his shop. I quickly found myself taking a subway ride to St. Mark’s Place in the East Village.

One of the things I like about his artwork is that it is often accompanied by a message of some sort — the most common message is: “Be Your Dream.”

As I looked at the art in his shop we chatted and I showed him some of my drawings as well. It was a very positive experience and I hope to visit with him again sometime — hopefully soon.

Here’s the Wikipedia entry about James De La Vega.