About Brandon
Beginnings & Background
My name is Brandon Lazore, I am Snipe Clan from the Onondaga Nation. I was raised by my maternal grandmother in Syracuse, New York, and by my father. I grew up experiencing both the city and reservation life.
I went to public schools in the city, made friends in my neighborhood, attended traditional ceremonies at the Onondaga Nation Longhouse, and listened to my grandfather, a former Onondaga chief, speak about our ways.
My Artistic Start
Growing up I was fascinated by the graffiti I saw throughout Syracuse. I enjoyed seeing the huge graffiti names and lettering styles painted on the highways, buildings, rooftops, and anywhere these street artists could put their names up. I was curious about who these unknown artists were.
I started collecting books and VHS tapes about graffiti art and I began drawing it. Eventually, I met and befriended a graffiti writer who taught me different drawing techniques, and how to design and execute a mural. We began collaborating on murals in several East Coast cities, and locally on corner storefronts until the late 1990’s.
Taking A Different Path
In 1999, I stopped creating any art form because I was learning to be a Concrete Construction Engineer in Washington, DC. On the job, I learned drafting by working on blueprints and measuring with precision. I moved back to Syracuse in 2008 and met my wife, Sara. She was going to Syracuse University and she encouraged me to go to college and study art.
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While at school I studied classical painters who did self-portraiture as a gauge to measure their skill level, so I decided that my first painting on canvas would be a self-portrait. I instantly fell in love with painting on canvas using oil or acrylic paint and felt inspired to create in this newfound medium.
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After graduating college, I began to create paintings that blended Haudenosaunee culture and my urban experience. I call my current style of art “Traditional Graffiti” because I lay out my paintings on canvas as if they were graffiti murals. I also incorporate drafting techniques from my previous profession and use traditional Haudenosaunee patterns and themes throughout my paintings. This style has allowed me to share my love for my culture with the world in a contemporary way. I’m very thankful to have many different paintings, murals, and art installations throughout Turtle Island.