In many larger cities around the world, the metropolitan train system plays a pivotal role in the origins and direction of its graffiti history. Not only do the train carriages offer ideal moving surfaces for a writer’s art to travel on, but the walls along the train corridors offer a constantly changing museum of artworks for commuters to adore. But what if your city is not one of these metro rail system hotspots? In Los Angeles, California, this is exactly the case. In L.A, as well as the usual street spots and walls, the city’s bus system, and many billboard spots located high above the city are the focus for some of the best graffiti style writing to be created within the region.

King of the billboards

One of these innovators with a penchant for all things high up is the L.A local graffiti writer, SAUTE. For more than two decades, SAUTE has been innovating and reinventing his style to become one of the most recognizable in the region.

“While sitting on the 168 Rtd bus line, we were coming to a stop when a guy stood up in front of everyone and caught a big ass tag then sat down as if nothing had happened. Everyone watching was shocked but no one was going to say anything about it”. SAUTE describes how his first interactions with graffiti fueled the flames of his newfound creative pastime. A pastime that quickly became not only a lifestyle but a way of life.

With over one hundred billboards painted in and out of the city, his style is recognizable to anyone who will make the effort to look up. And in L.A, that’s just about everyone. A dedicated and motivated writer, pushing boundaries is SAUTE’s second nature, which is why he has become well known for his oversized complex styles, which can be found in hot spots all over the world.