2008 was a great year for street art, but why look at the past when there is such great list of raw talent looking to blossom in the future. With the help of the forum members, we have comprised a list of 20 artists which you should all be watching in 2009! We’ve included information and pictures of each of the artists work below:

Funky Red Dog - I personally have been watching this artist for just a number of weeks. But in this short space of time Red Dog has hit the streets hard! His name is a clear indication of what to expect when you see his work on the street - dogs, and lots of them. Woof Woof! [Straws]

China Mike - Not strictly a street artist but his work is still fantastic and inspirational. “His painting style and use of colour is something you can’t ignore, and with his progression into live painting showcases and big murals, 2009 should be a great one for China Mike”. [Stephen Ball]

Pahnl - Pahnl seems to be always working on something new and inspirational. Small ’stick men’ are in their element when Pahnl is working with them and will often be seen hunting something. Last week Pahnl developed an impressive sticker stick man which morphs into a monster when the sun goes away!

elph - His writing style is complex and his can control can only be viewed with awe. There are few artists which can compete with elph’s complexity.

Disaster Strikes - DS’s work looks like someone has simply drawn a beautiful potrait on the wall. 2009 should be an awesome year for DS.

That concludes 20 Artists to watch in 2009! Part one. Come back tomorrow for Part two!

Elph is a fantastic Scottish writer. His work is bright, varied and detailed: a combination of features which produces his unique work. I’m a big fan of his outrageous style and intense detail showing what talent free hand artists can achieve. Elph’s locations he’s painted in is quickly increasing and he featured at the recent Cans 2 event (see picture 2 below). Take a look at the work below from the Edinburgh artist:

I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

Links:
Elph’s Flickr
Elph’s Personal Website