The truth...

Feb 27th 2007 5:33pm...

I had a dream years ago. The dream was to not be known for graffiti anymore and to reinvent myself as a photographer.I didn't know what to write today, since it's my birthday and i usually update it at 12.03am, but this year i didn't care. I stayed up all night working on 5 websites. I just got this email which made my day:

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Number one good time photographer
Between You and Luis Raposo

Luis Raposo
Today at 4:49pm
haha whats up arturo

Bro ur pics are incredible...and i love your site man hahahaha its awesome...bro i wanna get into the industry this summer, i gotta buy myself a DSLR first and i got a few flash boxes and shit ready to go...and i dont wanna be like most of these other loser photographers who shoot on like auto-mode and thier pictures look like they were taken by a 10 yr old....

your pics hype shit up man and i wanna start geting pics like that, but i dont wanna copy ur style cuz its urs... but i still need hype...u got any tips bro? haha im trying to think of shit...like u made the whole "tongue" thing in pictures huge... that was all u...i wanna do sumthing sick like that...S

so man u got tips bro? and when i get a camera is there anyway u can like help hook me up lol? or shud i just work for like one80... they had asked me to work saturdays at blvd room and another club for them, but i didnt have my own camera so i didnt say yea... moses from eyeonto wants me to do his saturdays at distrikt for him, but his pics usually suck...but he atleast gives me a camera so i think i might start there...anyways man when i get my own camera i hope i can like hytpe shit up as much as u man haha
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I think i have succeded in reinventing myself. Aside form setting another record for myself.
9 nightclubs on Saturday. Which absolutly obliteractes my last record. interatacting with apromimatly 7000 people in one night.

Welcome to the new me. www.kingofclubland.com

Nov 28th 2007 3:47pm...

Yesturday i did a lecture on the history of Graffiti and how my style evolved at OCAD and it was pretty fun.
Just now i got the flattering facebook message which made my day ;0)

i think everyone should join facebook ADD ME "ARTURO PARADA"

Pearce Cacalda
Today at 3:36pm

if all teachers spoke with the passion and knowledge (past and present) the way you did at the forum yesterday, then the school would see more talent blossoming outta here. your shit was real. cheers.

Feb 27th 2007 12:03am...

Well this sucks... i'm now legally 31 ;0(
But 30 was an amazing year, i bought more useless crap (just for strickly entertainment) then i have ever have bought before ;0) Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Yamaha electronic Drums, Electronic Guitar, Blackbox , Axiom 49 keyboard, my place is the ultimate playhouse FUN FUN FUN. Everyday people are here jamming or playing games. I also did a MYSPACE and now a FACEBOOK (look for Arturo Parada).

So yah i don't really have much to say... i'm here with m,y friend playing SONIC on my Wii, its ok.. but not as good as BURNOUT REVENGE on xbox 360.. but tomorrow i get DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!!! (my neighbors downstairs will hate me hahaha.

Also a strange reserection is happening, NUMB which is where i lived when i first moved out is going to become strictly graffiti store, which goes back to 2000 when i moved out and showed Amber about the underground world of graffiti. So now 7 years later graffiti has overtaking the entire store. I will be selling canvasses their because this year i vow to make more $ off off art and not sitting in front of my computer.

What else did i do when i was 30?
I helped open 2 new nightclubs EMBASSY, LIGHT and severely dominated the entire nightlife industry with my photography. In the job that i do their are few people in the city that do what i do. And of those few nightclub photographers a good photographer will do 300 pictures in 3 clubs. I do 1000 pictures in 5-6 nightclubs that just goes to show you how absolutly on steroids or crack or rage i am on when i go to work. Here is an example my Saturday night. 1.2.3.4.5 that is between 11pm- 2:30am approximately...
When i go out at night i am determined to make thousands of people happy the next day when they wake up the next morning to go see their pictures on the internet. Thank you to everyone that loves my personality and my tongue! The appreciation i get every weekend makes me extreemly happy to make people smile. I'm going to start giving presents to people who want pictures with me, it amazes me that people get joy out of my personally, it makes me feel appreciated, even if i don't drink alcohol or party, if i bring them joy by giving them memories, that that is good. It is to the point now where people ONLY know me at "THE CLUB GUY, THE TOUNGE GUY, THE REDBULL JACKET GUY, THE CRAZY WHO WHO IS EVERYWHERE. Im wring a book and doing documentry about my ironic life that i have been living lately.

I'm putting all my old videos form 1995 on Youtube and Metacafe. also these videos will feature my music which i have been working on for around a year as well...

Jan 15th 2007 3:20pm...

My 2 homeboys SHANE and JAMES both just relaunched after years of working on their insane portfolios.
These 2 guys are hands down the hardest working web designers on the planet and i am proud to be friends with both of them.
Whenever some tells me i do good websites, i tell them i such shit compared to these guys.
To say they inspire me is an understatment beyond belief.
Check out the WEBAGENT007 tag i did, word...

Also a small spotlight was done on me at FORMATMAG

On 14-Nov-06, at 5:48 AM, e rek wrote:

Sup D3,

Your stuff is dope yo!, I been diggin your steez for years.

As an active graff head I'm crazy frustrated with all these corporate biters steelin' our graff from the streets and using it to their advantage. Not sure if this is part of one of your projects but I just wanted to share it with you.

Recently my sis bought my son a magic kit online and to my surprise, the package had a DUROE 3 piece on it. The whole magic kit was developed with a graff look, the back pack, the flyers and the box of the product is what has your flik in it with some magician kid in front.

Being that you have taken this graff shit to another level and are comfortable expressing to the public that you are DURO 3. I thought I would share this with you in case the company didn't have your consent. I've warned other heads about their pieces used on shit but they don't usually care and see it as props. Your move.

If your not familiar with this I can try to get you more info.
I'll have to get the order info from my sis but can scan the image and send it your way.

If it is part of one of your projects then I just wasted my time and I sound like I'm fukn swingin n shit. ha ha
Just lookin out yo!
I hope someone tells me if my shit is ever used without my consent.

Safe,

CRETE 85
www.myspace.com/crete85
www.cloutdistribution.com
www.tablasforever.com

RESPONSE

Holy fuck are you fucking serious?

First of all I am extremely thankful for your kind words :o) and yes I absolutly can't stand the raping of graff BY corporations its the main reason why I"ve hated graffiti for years. Graffiti used to be against the grain now its with the grain its pathatic. I remember when I saw PARIS HILTON with a trucker hat on with throwups on it, then I saw a $600 DOLCE & GABBANA handbag with throwups on it and I was so confused that I just basically built up a massive hatred for what was going on right there.

Man I really want to see the magic kit your talking about!!!! I'm puting your email on my website because it is so indicative of how things have changed and how few people out there understand what it's like to be used for corporate gain. Add me to msn durothethird@hotmail.com you just made my day, knowing that people actually care about my art :o)I already contacted my lawyer and he said its Copyright iinfringement..
can you PLEASE tell me where it is available?

or maybe even a pic of it?If i get paid, then you'll get paid because i help anyone who has ever helped me, its good karma ;0)
i'm searching like crazy all over the internet for this stupid thing,Yo also i added you to myspace you shit is mad hype, ill characters for sure.When i go to California you know we have to paint together ;0)

IS IT THIS ONE?

Sup D3,

No
It's a white box with a red image on it. The thing is that I think the box is part of an addiotional box inside of the package/kit. I bumped into it not to long ago in my garage. I moved into my new spot recently and I'm still sortin through my crap. I'll try to get you copy asap, cleaning my garage and settling in is a big ass on-going task.

My son said its a street magic kit so thats probably why they used your graff piece in it, wit some fuk head bustin magic in fornt of it. If I can help you ID the the kit, I'm convinced that you may have a case. problem is theres thousands of them out there. No doubt its your steez, the D3 style is original.

I'll stay tuned with you yo!

Fuk, i hear you on hattin the graff scenes evolution but I hope you wake up that triger finga once in a while.

Big Ups,

Feb 27th 12:03am...

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO ME, DURO3.
30 YEARS AGO TODAY i was born at 9:50 am. My mother took the subway to the hospital, and i came out 2 hours later. It is a strange thing turning 30 years old, i'm not sure if i'm too happy about it. I know that i am proud of everything that i have accomplished in my 20's and that my mother is very proud of me, so that makes me happy. Some career highlights are:

• 500+ murals
• 250+ flyers
• 100 tattoo designs
• 93 websites
• 89 freight train productions and a Subway in Australia
• Publishing 3rd Degree magazine
• Being friends with people i idolize (SHANE, JAMES, GMUNK, SEEN, TATS, LOOMIT)
• Subject of 42 Documentaries (most interviewed Canadian Graffiti artist, NYTimes, etc...)
• Moving out and starting Vengeance Studios with 1 computer a bed, and tv, and now 6 years later evolving into a massive home office with too many clients to name.
• Being the most hired photographer in the Entertainment district (WEAKGAME for life)
• Having people tell me that they don't know what they would do with out me. (That make me the proudest)

I wake up every single day and do artwork for hundreds of people, it makes me happy and proves that If you built it, they will come... something like that? I am spending my Birthday exactly like i did last year, staying at home working and relaxing. Just pondering what i have learned throughout the year. I see so many people overblowing their birthday's ... every week i take pictures of people celebrating their birthday on days that are not even accurate to the date of birth, and spending obscene amounts of money on limos, and booths, and alcohol and drugs and anything else you can imagine. I would rather be different and just shy away form all that. I get so much attention every day of my life anyways that i don't feel there needs to be a set date to celebrate how old i am. If anything it is a day for my mother to celebrate and not me. I really didn't do anything, i came out and started playing with LEGO right away... now instead of LEGO i play with cameras, computers and spray cans and i get paid for it... so i guess i'm doing alright ;0)

I would have had tons of updates but i have been suffering from eye strain because of monitors lately so i will be adding stuff tomorrow, because i have tons of murals to add... and i know all the artists don't want to read crap about my life and juts look at some art.. so i won;t let then down.

Nov 24th 9:39pm...

I stayed up all night and redid my entire PHOTOGRAPHY site.
The Distrikt pictures make me quite happy...

Nov 10th 10:03pm...

Well i did another seminar on Graffiti at the UPPER CANADA COLLEGE. It was fun, and aparently now all the student want to go around and tag everything so i am doing the world good hahaha. Also thanks fo www.tostudent.com for my first interview on my transition into photography. I've already had pictures in TORONTO SUN, KNOWLEDGE, and MACLEANS... so i think i'm doing ok. And aparently i might be traveling all over Canada to photograph the media events for the www.thefightnetwork.com word up.

By the way i've been shooting i with the OLYMPUS E-VOLT - 7/14 wide angle lens and grip in case anyone wonders because i get allot of questions on how my colours are so incredible. Well that is Olympus i can't take credit for that...

Oct 19th 5:08pm...

Well look who it is... It's been almost 8 months and i've finnaly returned. Well in the last 8 months i've painted murals for Playstation, GM, and a car for GM as well. I've become the main photographer for www.weakgame.com and we have alreayd taken over as the place to be for people to check out Clubbing pics. This crazy world that i document. Also i had an artshow, did a live tv interview, built another 8 websites i think? Who knows i lost count... tons of new stuff coming extremely soon. I just felt like saying hi ;0)

Also a while ago i did a live msn vido chat with a class of school girls about me and my life in graffiti... This picture makes me smile everytime i look at it.It gives me hope that not every girl wants to grow up to be Paris Hilton nowadays...

FEb 27th 12:01am...

Well its that time of the year again. Its my birthday. I'm now 29.. i getting very old hahhaha. This time around i am launching an entirely new website instead of just redoing my main one. I am launching DUROTHETHIRD PHOTOGRAPHY to show my adventures from the past year and so on. So far the reaction i am getting is amazing and i'm quite happy. So i thought that would be more interesting then just redoing my website, to split once again into another creative realm. Aside from that this year of being 28 has been incredibly good business wise, solidifying me and my company as a powerhouse in the downtown district. But emotionally was the biggest roller-coaster ride of my life. I got used really bad this year 3 consecutive times. This time last year exactly, i was living with girl who i tried to help out and get away from stripping, that failed and turned into the most stressful 2 months of my life. Then i went out with Toronto biggest party girl, which didn't go to well. And finally i became immersed in a Beautiful Toronto that took me to the sky, then ripped me to shreds with no remorse, turning all my dreams into nightmars. The moral of the story is that i am way too nice (As my friends keep telling me ) and that if allowed, people will take advantage of you. And if you are in a relationship where you keep making excuses for the other persons problems, then you are half to blame for getting hurt because you have to let go of them before all their demons ravage your soul aswell. And i fought way to many demons this year. Mixed in the year was the fact that my job of documenting the club seen has scolded my view of woman in this city forever. I have seen more woman do more cheating, more drugs, tell more lies, and do more scandalous things then i have ever seen in all my years combined. So in the end the only woman i trust is my my own mother. Who was born in another country and is from another time. It is so sad to me that most of the people around me only look towards drunken vacations in Cancun as the best part of their lives... and i hate it. Anyways, i'll be updating all day tomorrow on my birthday. goodbye for now...
I'm tired and very drowsy.

Durothethird - interne t- nerd

Nov 26th 10:46am...

A little while ago i painted a massive mural for a new restaraunt called BONZAI SUSHI. It turns out i ended up being an intergral part of the restarant and i also ended up designing tribal for the tabletops and the chop stick covers as well... Word. my new friends at PSinc are amazing, more establishments to come...

Oct 21th 6:54am...

Usually im not proud of anything i do... but these desktops i just designed actually made me proud. I think because i used all my own photography. word...

Oct 20th 4:54am...

I can't sleep...
(I hate sleeping alone,I hate sleeping alone,I hate sleeping alone...)
work... i must keep working... its all i have...

Rumor has it that Scarduro shall be gone soon...

2

3

Sept 19th 1:43pm...

What the hell am i doing in UMM Magazine and the Toronoto Star?

Sept 14th 6:26am...

I painted a theatre set for the University of Toronto then died right after, because of the fumes...

Sept 13th 11:33am...

Anyone who has been emailing me at: duro3@rogers.com , and been getting no response... Sorry that email has been down for almost 3 weeks and it doesn't exist anymore... Resend all emails to duro3@sympatico.ca

And if your on MSN durothethird@hotmail.com
Word.

Sept 7th 4:09am...

Beautiful
adj 1: delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration; "a beautiful child"; "beautiful country"; "a beautiful painting"; "a beautiful theory"; "a beautiful party" [ant: ugly] 2: aesthetically pleasing 3: (of weather) highly enjoyable; "what a beautiful day"

Tornado
n 1: a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground [syn: twister]

...what does it matter anymore... you choose your path

August 10th 4:34am...
Even though i can't stand going to clubs, its time to show what i have been documenting for the past 5 months.

sat-april-10	sat-may-22	wed-july-1
sat-april-17	sat-may-29	sat-july-10
sat-april-24	sat-june-11	sat-july-24
sat-may-8	sat-june-19	sat-july-31
sat-may-15	sat-june-26	sat-aug-7

Unknown time...
Something is wrong... something is very very wrong..
Something was written...?

July 20th 10:31am...
If something is too good to be true, it ussualy is. And right now things are bad... especially when it's 3:00am in the morning.

May 12th 11:53pm...
Again i am extremely flattered to have another soul tattoo my artwork on their skin.

"I got a new email address. Im starting a Company- Rare Form.
Rare4m.com. Its under Construction as we speak. Be up in a minute, you can see a lil bit a what i do. My wife has also gotten one of your tribals on her back. 1 of the flowers. - All red.
Anyway im bout half way. Sorry i didn't send it to you first, i couldn't wait. Its pretty close though. Sorry bout the flick!! i took it myself. Ill send better flicks when its done and my wifes also. Hers just needs to be gone over one more time. I'm also gonna send u a lil something pretty soon, i just been mad busy.

Hit me wit yo address too.
Good lookin out.
John"

April 21st 3:09pm...
Photoshoot for the upcoming website of my brother MARCUS VISIONARY

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March 19th 3:29am...
Word up!!!......... i treated myself to a jiggy new toy today. I'm broke now but fuck it, at least im happy and im sure i'll make rent, so thats all that matters. And i hope to one day become as jiggy as this guy. (My freind BionicJay says im an idiot for not buying this, but im not rich!!!

It seems that when im oustide, i have to take a picture. And when i sit down i have to draw some tribal. And when i see a wall, i have to paint a mural. And of course when i sit in fron t of a comuter i have to design a website... i need to calm down...but i can't.
(Piecses..you know... )
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March 18th 6:14am...
To reward the people that have emailed me with such kind words about my tribal designs, i now unleash 16 new designs. Including a new SPECIES section

My strengtrh shall be tested soon... Beware.

March 1st 11:01pm...
Well im getting dissed on all the trendy design portals, (none of them are linking me because i guess im not trendy enough or i don't do enough HIP HOP GRAFITTI in order to get linked... but fuck it, i ain't conforming to society) but on the other side of the spectrum, poeple are sending me the kindest emails ever. So that makes me extremely happy and makes feel like im doing something right. Anyways my contact info is:

Home / Office: duro3@sympatico.ca
MSN: durothethird@hotmail.com

I love talking to anyone who has anythig to say... so hit me up...
Word the third... Internert nerd.

February 27 th 12.03am...
WELL HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. Im now 28, and again it was time to redo my website. This last year i progressed more then i have ever progressed in any other year, so i am extremely proud for once in my life.

I love my new Apartment, i love my company work, i love my co-workers and i love all my friends who support me and everything i do. I know that karma is rewarding me every day for all my hard work over the years ( i started doing graphics full time i 1998). I actually took the day off work to redo my site, so i guess im learning some time managing techniques. Anways the TRIBAL section has been massively improved and catagorized. Due to the fact that i get emails every week asking me about them or saying how much people enjoy them, so i added tons of new designs. The more emails i get encouraging my efforts, the more passionate i get to draw new tribal designs and to unleash them for tattoos, or clothes, or cars or whatever... Anyways im tired and i have to go back to work. Massive updating coming this week. i am DURO3... I AM PISCES... LOVE = HATE. i feel all...

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January 12 th 4:37am...
The time is coming again my friends... PISCES will rise on the 27th... (one year later...)
Pain Fuel...

January 26 th 5:53am...
i updated my Biography, and i added 9 murals a while ago. i was just to lazy to mention it. Everything is a blurrrr... Why is everythiung a blurrr? Am i ok?... Was everything supposed to be this way?

November 4th 7:08 am...
I sincerely apologize for the lack up updates lately, but I am not a slacker. I have moved, secured the rest of my life with the don of all jobs, and bought a ton of furniture for my new home/office. Anyways for some reason I stayed up all night going on GRAFFITI message boards and I actually saw that no one was dissing me or saying anything negative. So I guess that made me happy and reminded me that I am a traditional artist and all that crap ( I used to get really dissed on message boards, mostly by 15 year old kids living at home with mommy and daddy..blah blah blah....) Anyways I have about 6 murals to update soon. But redoing the new VENGEANCE9 site is taking up all my time recently. On another note i have no idea why I don’t show anything from the Vengeance9 portfolio on here? If I was to show the stuff on here that I have done, than that would include over 100 items of print and about 30 websites.. I guess I am too lazy to show that stuff here or maybe I just see that as work, and this is the place of personal more traditional stuff? I have no idea... what the hell do I know? Hahah… Anyways I get emails all the time of people wanting me to designs tattoos for them, but I am always way too busy designing websites so I never have time, (maybe I should charge more for design as well but then I would feel like an asshole because I feel honored to have my artwork on peoples bodies, but on the other hand my rent alone is enough to pay a mortgage so maybe I should have more common sense.. I don’t know)

Anyways I got an email form this guy from Australia asking me if I could send him a higher resolution version of one of my designs on my site. I promised I would, but of course I got too busy and forgot like I always do. Anyways he emailed me a little while ago and this is what he sent. (This is the reason why I am alive and people like you are the reason why I walk this earth... to do art, and to feel somehow relevant in the sea of over 6 billion people. Thank you for your gesture.)

“G'day,
I’m the dude from Sydney Australia who sent an email a few months ago saying I was feeling the tribal designs you had done and wether you could send me a larger image of some.

I have since left that job so the email may have never been received and either way I was fortunate enough to have a pretty dope tattooist in new york take time to enlarged the minature design I had printed off. just outta respect for the design here’s what it looks like inked.

thanks.
Gps”

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July 4th 4:15 am...
So much has changed, and things are still changing... Emotions must now be unleashed for now is the time to let go and start over...

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April 7th 4:58 am...
Thanks for the interview over at www.ventilate.ca...
(Check out my quit hillarious honest interview about the current state of graffiti, and the future of VENGEANCE9) Also i interview one of my new freinds... MR GMUNK

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April 5th 6:52 am...
A massive update coming this weekend. But for now 3 new emotions have been unleashed...

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March 4th 10:50 am...
The updates keep on coming with 15 new TRIBAL designs added. You may noitice that the designs are starting to look like living creatures and more organ types of things, this is for the upcoming DURO3 TATTOO flash being released early this year to all the local tattoo shops and online. Go have a look....

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March 3rd 9:51am...

Well as promised here is the first update. I have added sounds to the navigation, added explanations to Tribal, Sketches, and Trains... and i also added 6 more murals. All month updates will be staedy in preporation for digifest

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February 27th 2003 12:03 AM...

Well, I am now 27 years old. Trimester has ended and I now begin the second phase of my life, The phase where I utilize all the knowledge which I have learned in the first 3rd of my life and put it to use. To this point I have now assembled all the tools to unleash wrath, (as I say) as an adult. I know where I have been, therefore I know where i am going. I have changed alot even since the last time I redid my website. I now have an office, co-workers, and have made all my dreams come true. Now it is time for new dreams, and the new destiny, the ultimate vengeance.

Never would i have thought life could be so simple and so complicated at the same time. I have learned so many lessons. I have been sold out and sold in, believed in other souls and have had other souls believe in me, I have had my heart stepped on and stepped on a couple hearts myself. I have paid for all my sins and now I am back to zero just like when I was born. I have no regrets only experiences that have made me stronger. From now on my website is where I want it to be in the form of functionality and design. There will be updates constantly and updated here on the front page in text form. Also the VENGEANCE9 section will contain all my emotions in written form. From this point on their is no lies...only the truth.

To anyone who has ever helped me and been kind to me in the first 3rd of my life, i love you all and you will all relish in my and our achievements together. And to all of those who have attempted to destroy me and my efforts, you are the vengeance that feeds my soul every day of my life to overcome all that is evil.

In the end Vengeance will be mine...Vengeance will be 9.

Thank you for visiting my website...
Lets dream together.

Version 2 still online here...