Right along side the mustaches and blacked out teeth, you will commonly find religious markings in the subway. Below is a collection of photos documenting this godly graffiti. Photos by Gina Erdmann, Halston Bruce, Jack Katsman and myself.

Cassandra Giacci is an emerging Brooklyn artist, originally from Long Island. She is showing her work at Verlaine, a bar at 110 Rivington Street for the next few weeks, with an opening from 6-10pm tonight, March 9th. Cassy says she will actually be giving away some of her works at the opening, so you better stop on by after work!

The W train appeared on the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” segment last night. One big name that didn’t appear was the M train. Fans of the M line are up in arms about this blatant omission. A candlelight vigil is planned for next Thursday.

Via @FakeMTA

Poster Boy, "Unfare"

In his first new advertising mashup flickr post since April 2009, Poster Boy targets the subway fare. The work is probably not current considering there are no Harry Potter ads in circulation right now, but is an older work posted for the first time to draw attention to a petition to save student MetroCards which he linked to in the image’s caption. We encourage you to sign it and help this cause!

In other Poster Boy-related news, it seems his upcoming book, The War of Art, will be released later than originally expected. The publisher’s website sets the release as May 2010, although Amazon.com still has the date as March 23rd. The book is expected to include many of his works which were completed after he stopped posting on flickr.

"Starry Eyed Sea"

Gina Martynova is a New York-based illustrator. Her work has a whimsical, fantastical style which has been achieved through the use of watercolor paints. One of Gina’s projects is a blog called In Transit, where she posts her studies of New Yorkers in flux. We asked her a few questions about this work which can be found below.

Why do you draw people on the subway?

I draw people on the subway because I am intrigued by the lines and shapes the human body and clothing forms while in public transit. It started out as an assignment for a drawing class and later grew into an ongoing hobby. There is just something very captivating about this situational moment in time that creates interesting lines and layout — it’s almost as if that person is my muse for the 5 minutes that they can spare. I also like to convey their emotions — it’s interesting to capture feelings because I have noticed that people can be very transparent in evoking their feelings in public places.

What is your process? How long does it usually take you to draw someone?

My process varies from person to person depending on how much time I have. It usually takes around 5-8 minutes to draw someone from head to toe. I tend to draw people that create an interesting composition and negative space. I start with the head and upper torso. If I have time and they haven’t moved or gotten up, I draw the rest of their body. I use a Faber-Castell artist pen, which is India ink in a sepia tone.

Have you ever run into a situation where the person realized you were drawing them? If so, what happened?

This happens a lot if the person is awake! When it does I get different responses. One man seemed very happy to be drawn and after I was done came to take a look. Another young man reading a religious book seemed very annoyed at my actions and got up to move as far away from me as possible! Women I draw are either complimented or become very insecure and sometimes stand up so as to prevent me from continuing. It’s very interesting. I have yet to encounter someone that is really offended or gets angry. Overall I think people in New York are curious.

You can find more of Gina’s work on her portfolio site at ginamartynova.com.

© Copyright Kevin Carroll.  Used with permission.

Shitter Island – Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCrapio team up as a pair of U.S. Marshals who travel to a secluded island off the coast of Massachusetts to search for the perfect place to drop a deuce, uncovering a web of deception along the way as they battle the calls of nature and a prison riot in this Martin Scorsese-helmed poo picture.

From the Church Avenue-bound platform at Metropolitan Avenue. Photo by Miss Heather of NewYorkShitty.

Check out NewYorkShitty.com for lots more funny New York photos!

The Netherlands Board of Tourism has temporarily transformed the Grand Central – Times Square shuttle into the moving advertisement you see above. The cars were made over as part of the “Just be. In Holland” ad campaign by the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions.

PointClickHome described the makeover in detail:

One car is dressed to evoke the interior of a grand salon. The seats are wrapped to resemble tufted red benches, the ceiling sports faux plaster medallions, and there’s mahogany wainscot, a rich damask wall covering, and a selection of iconic Dutch masterpieces, including Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.

The ad campaign ends March 4th, so time is running out if you want to check these out.

The day after I spotted our last wet paint mashup at Essex Street, this one popped up. Many props to the imaginative wordsmith that came up with these (I’m convinced it was the same person). Keep them coming!

Nikki Yeager, Ratty McRat Face, Mixed Media on Canvas

Nikki Yaeger is a young local artist originally from Wickliffe, Ohio. She works primarily in mixed media with a focus on the New York scene. The piece above, Ratty McRat Face is a perfect example of the energy and lightheartedness that defines her art. Nikki is showing three of her other works from February 25th – March 11th at the Gallery 2/20 located at 220 West 16th Street in Manhattan, with an opening reception 6pm on February 27th.