Pittsburgh based muralists, artists, and curators • Do What We Love
Shane Pilster is an artist, muralist, curator, graphic designer and web developer. Bridging his expertise in graffiti and urban arts with community involvement, he prides himself in also being an educator, advocate, mentor and well-rounded creative individual.
This is the other side of the building downtown; cityscapes and storefronts. Had a lot of fun playing with the details on the storefronts with @goodboygems but we had so many distractions from talking to people. The consensus was that people loved all the vibrant colors added to the drab temporary facades. Thank you again to @downtownpitt and the whole squad at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership for all the love and assistance.
Some interesting highlights that I can recall: a woman yelling what sounded like bird calls at full volume at a bus stop that had been rerouted, some of the friendliest people in the city from all walks of life commenting and chatting as the passed through, a guy singing along to his boombox the same song for 30min (good jam tho), this promoter from Houston that said he could connect us with some rap gods (where you at Mike?!), and a guy that I didn’t realize was homeless that asked me to spray his kicks so they didn’t look so dirty (gave him $20 to get something to eat). Amongst many others but fun to reflect.
I’ve been on a hiatus from posting but still painting. Here are some flowers to brighten your day. Downtown Pittsburgh on a building that has sat dormant for a while, added some color with @goodboygems to the delight of many people passing by. Thank you @downtownpitt - The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
The other side of the building coming soon. This is the Forbes Ave and Smithfield side.
We’ve been super busy into the chilly season, here is one that that seems to ring true for all times from several weeks ago. At @centraloutreach in #clevelandheights with the exceptional @goodboygems - it’s all about being inclusive and loving, always. The fence was a bit wild to paint but I think it turned out pretty good.
👉👉👉 Here are some broad detail shots from the Waterfront mural (Steel Valley: Past to Present) - again, thank you to everyone at @waterfrontpgh (Emily, Mike, Mark, and crew!) for everything and a great experience. Also included are some action shots of @goodboygems in action
One of my favorite projects so far; amazing clients and their team, great engagement with the community, and everything just went super smoothly. Thank you all involved! @goodboygems mostly did the left and I mostly did the right, but we added bits and things to each side. Thank you @waterfrontpgh for everythinggggg!
Come out this Friday at 11a for a ribbon cutting of this mural; painted on Barnes & Noble in the Waterfront. Here’s a blurb about the whole thing:
This lively and colorful 156’x20’ mural is much more than its scale and excitement. Painted by Shane Pilster and Max Gonzales, this mural holds many references to Homesteads present and past. From the energetic colors and stars coming from Betty Davis, to the explosive pouring of steel; this scene depicts our communities history as an industry town and a music and technology hub. As Homestead continues to grow and change, it will always hold praise and value to its origins. Artists Max and Shane also hold this historical knowledge close to heart as part of Rivers of Steel’s Graffiti Arts Program at the Carrie Furnaces. Both have also taught in schools, run workshops and painted many murals with our community prior to this project. Max and Shane wanted to let us know how valuable of an experience this was for them, as over the 3 weeks of painting, they got the chance to meet and talk to many community members and friends and family of those people’s portraits they were painting. As two artists who love to adapt their imagery on the fly, they even took on some community suggestions and imagery during their process. We hope to see even more color and celebration in our community and our artists are more than willing to make that happen.
Painted this with @marymartin_art ‘s class and the graduating seniors of @winchesterthurston 👩🎓 They came up with the concept and design, painted it along with me and added details in paint marker 🐻 🍯 🥞 . . . .
Here’s some work me and @outafterdark did for @centraloutreach at the Cleveland Heights location 🏳️🌈 I’m honestly so glad to have COWC as my doctor, my first real mural commission and a continuous part of my mural career ❤️ . . . .
HI 👋 Here’s a mural I did for @condadotacos in Mccandless. I totally forgot to post it, but here it is, in all its glory. I think there’s like over 80, local publications. There’s all kinds of hidden references in here. I hope you’re proud of me 🤓 🌮 . . . .
So here’s a massive one me and @outafterdark did for the @waterfrontpgh I think this might be the biggest single wall we’ve painted so far 🌈 Everything here is a reference to Homesteads past, present and future. It’s on the side of the barns and noble if you feel like checking it out 👀 . . . .
Hi! So I painted this mural at @necromancerbrewing and I also made a digital version of it. The digital version is going to be used as can art for a new beer that will be released this Friday as part of a Hispanic and Latino culture celebration. Unfortunately, I cannot make the event, but tons of other amazing latinx artists will be vending their art 👨🎨 Go check out the mural, try the beer and lemme know what you think 🗿 . . . .
HI! this piece is too big to fit in the show today at @imageboxpgh 🧙♀️ However, it will still be part of the art sales (with all proceeds going to a housing protection fund for a friend) Comment here or send me a DM if you want it. Really whatever price you’re comfortable with . . . .