Local Tagger Inspired By Historic Democratic Nomination

By Charlotte Rudnick, Quilt staff

DATELINE: THE ALLEY RUNNING

BETWEEN VALERIO AND WYANDOTTE

BEHIND THE MINI-MALL THAT HAS

SUBWAY AND YOSHINOYA IN IT

Move over, fellas — there’s a new tagger in town. 

Lady5150, better known to her family and friends as Valeska Stoica, is making her mark right here in Canoga Park.

“Oooh, I was like inspired an’ shit...?" says the local artist.  "When f_ckin’ Hillary win an’ shit? She prove women can do like anything, riiieeeght? So I say you know f_ck it, I’m-a make my mark, bitches!”

One of Lady5150's eponymous tags as seen on a garage wall in an alley behind Follow Your Heart.
Although come to think of it, all tags are by their very definition, eponymous. Ah well.  Staff photo.

And make her mark she did — the former Canoga Park High School junior picked up a can of spray paint and started “hitting” various landmarks and buildings around Canoga Park, emblazoning walls, carports and Dumpsters with her “street” name — the delicate, feminine-sounding Lady5150.

“I come up with ‘Lady5150’ because people say I’m like crazy an’ shit...?”  [The term 5150 refers to an involuntary psychiatric hold in the California Welfare and Institutions Code. —ed.]  “And also, duh, ‘cause I’m a f_ckin’ lady!”

The Artist and Her Art: Valeska Stoica stands by one of her
latest masterworks in a photo she posted to Craigslist soliciting
 non-art-related work. "I scratch out my face in case my Gramma
see it. Or my boyfriend."  Photo: Valeska Stoica/craigslist.org

Stoica intends to inspire other young women by continuing to spray-paint her name on various pieces of public and private property around Canoga Park.  

“If I can do this shit, you can, too. Unless you that bitch Jessie Darula. Bitch, you come around Radek’s place again, I’m-a f_ckin’ cut you. I’m-a f_ckin’ cut you up, bitch! Stay the f_ck away! He don’t want your nasty ass. He got someone to keep him happy awright?!” Stoica punctuates the threat by spitting on the ground.

As for her future, it looks as bright as the fluorescent orange field-marking paint she used to “bomb,” or spray-paint, a parking lot sign behind China Buffet recently.

“I just turned 18 an’ shit...?  So I’m-a get me a job as a dancer at that club up on Canoga. Ooh, everyone say I can shake my ass real good. Ooooh, check out this booty, bitches!

“And then my baby comin’ in November, so I’m-a take f_ckin’ maternity leave an’ shit and raise my baby an’ then be a stays-at-home mom an’ shit...? Then I’m gonna do a line of t-shirts based on my tag art to sell online through a online store.  This shit’s gonna be off the f_ckin’ hook an’ shit. Pretty soon you gonna see my shit in Ross, bitches! Cha-ching!”

Hillary Clinton, historic first woman Democratic presidential nominee.  Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr.

Unsurprisingly, Ms. Stoica — pardon, Lady5150 — is just as outspoken about politics as she is about her career plans. When asked exactly what she found so inspiring about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, she thought for a moment to find just the right words: “She’s, like, inspiring an’ shit...? You know...? Yeah, that’s it. I think it’s ‘cause she so inspiring. You know?”

Evan Schwinn, tagging authority & critic.
"I have a man-bun now, too."   File photo.

Lady5150‘s already started to garner respect in tagging circles. Renowned tagtavist Evan Schwinn has tagged along with Stoica on one of her tagging expeditions, or sprees as they are called in the tagging community, and is blunt but supportive about her abilities, likening her to a diamond in the rough. 

“Well, she’s not very consistent when it comes to her tags. Everything she’s hit looks like it was done by a different person. And last time I saw her, she was using chalkboard spray paint, for some reason. Um...but it’s really great that she’s a woman in a male-dominated field. I’m, um, really proud of her.

“...Okay, plus one night she gave me a hand job when we were sitting in my car waiting for people to leave this alleyway so she could tag a garage door, so there's that.”