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The energy of NYC has been captured in a new mural by Brooklyn artist Zeph Farmby at Time Out Market New York.
When you arrive at the Empire Stores in Dumbo at 55 Water Street, take the elevator up to the rooftop. Once you turn the corner to enter the market, Farmby’s mural will be on your right.
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The piece, which is done in black and white, portrays Farmby himself and his Great Dane Pharoah taking a walk in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, specifically along Washington Street—one of the most photographed streets in the city. The city’s beautiful architecture, including the Empire State Building peeking through the bridge’s arch, is the main focus.
“One thing I want people to feel is the energy and the of the hustle and bustle of a New Yorker, that is, myself and my dog walking by,” Farmby tells us. “It’s quite fashionable because it shows a rainy day, a dog wearing a raincoat, I’m wearing my poncho and carrying my portfolio. It’s the emotion of being on a walk and being at peace.”
The inspiration was birthed when a photographer captured this very scene, albeit on another Brooklyn street, and Farmby later saw it featured in The New York Times. He later created his own version of that scene for T-shirts he sold in his storefront at Empire Stores, which he “didn’t think would sell out” but did.
Farmby, who is originally from Chicago, says Brooklyn feels a lot like home.
“Brooklyn feels a lot like where I grew up in Chicago,” he says. “My wife and I were exploring the neighborhood and the next thing you know, we were lucky enough to find a place in the neighborhood a few blocks away from here and a studio in the neighborhood where I work. When I think about different parts of Brooklyn, like Bed-Stuy and Flatbush, it reminds me of the south side of Chicago.”
Farmby, who has more than 20 years of making art under his belt, started writing graffiti as a teenager in the early 1990s in the south side of Chicago and took four years of advanced art classes and entered countless art competitions that he won. At 16, he was creating logos and murals for small local businesses and had picked up some independent studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. He studied at the American Academy of Art, where his practice expanded to acrylic painting, graphic design and illustration all while continuing his graffiti work. From large-scale projects to illustrations for local magazines, he had found his calling.
His work has been featured in major motion films and TV, too, including BET’s series, “Rap City The Basement.”
He also launched a company called I Amaze Eyez, a portfolio of creative works, which works with galleries, museums and boutiques across the world to feature his art. Farmby has also sold T-shirts and clothing with his work on it—Kanye West, Jay Z, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell Williams and Danielle Brooks are among those who have worn it.
Most recently, his art was displayed during the “Black Creativity” Art Exhibit held at the world-renowned Museum Of Science And Industry in Chicago.
You can see his new mural at Time Out Market New York at 55 Water Street. Don’t miss Dumbo’s First Thursdays Gallery Walk, where Farmby’s mural will be a stop.
