Street Art Legend: The Velvet Bandit | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

What I say will have the churchmen of the ossified old guard clutching their pearls, but today the most prominent North Bay artist on the national scene is the notorious Velvet Bandit. That she also has the greatest impact on the street and the public sphere cannot be questioned, for her medium is wheat-paste graffiti. The bandit is super prolific. But perhaps her most famous piece, dated just after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, is of a candy-colored taco reading, “I’ve seen tacos more supreme.” As you read, reader, scroll and stroll her street art gallery on Instagram @thevelvetbandit. CH: Velveeta, it is a matter of public record that you are a single mother of two in early middle age. The received stereotype of a tagger is that of an angsty teen with malt liquor. Is that image a myth? VB: That stereotype is definitely a myth. I have met a lot of street artists, and many of them are around my age, parents working day jobs, just like me! CH: Graffiti is illegal. How do you justify or defend the act? VB: Since we all pay taxes, we all own part of public property. Therefore, I have the...