For almost a decade Peter Quezada, a prolific self-taught artist, has painted murals and lettering on buildings and retaining walls in neighborhoods northeast of downtown Los Angeles. He refers to his work as a "graffiti deterrent" or a "substitute for graffiti," and he targets sites that are favorites of taggers and gang graffiti writers. Often he enlists their assistance and designs his murals to appeal to these youths as well as to discourage them from participating in antisocial behavior.

Drawing upon an eclectic visual repertoire of images and graphics, his murals reflect his affinity for the neighborhoods in which he has lived. Much of his work is taken from images he encounters in his daily life. Highlighting the interplay of contemporary life, mass-media images that confront the public, and the use of physical space in the city landscape, this fascinating book shows how such art as Quezada's has become the signature of modern urban culture.