Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is Breck.

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This December, our family traveled to New York City to see Christmas lights, visit some of the museums, amazing, eat our favorite pizza, and ice skate.

It's fun for our family to visit big cities

and colder places in the winter since we live in Arizona. The weather is beautiful here,

but we miss out on the changing of the seasons and snow. So one of the days we were walking

through the city near Central Park, and we saw a painting on one of the walls. It was a black spray painting of a child

swinging a hammer down onto a fire hydrant. I looked at it for a moment and then realized it was a very

famous painting. It was a Banksy. You might ask, what is a Banksy? Who is Banksy?

Banksy is one of the most famous artists in the world, yet no one knows for certain who he is.

Banksy is known for creating paintings on walls, buildings, bridges, and other public places.

His art often appears suddenly, sometimes overnight, surprising people the next morning. Instead of being displayed in museums at first, many of his works appear right in everyday spaces where people pass by.

Banksie is believed to have grown up in Bristol, England, in the 1970s, or 1980s. Bristol had a strong street art culture, where young artists experimented with painting in public spaces.

As a teenager, Banksy became interested in graffiti, which is art created on walls or surfaces, often using spray paint.

Graffiti artists often worked quickly so they would not be interrupted,

and they developed creative ways to paint efficiently. One story often shared about Banksy

explains how he began using stencils. A stencil is a flat sheet with shapes cut into it.

Paint sprayed over the stencil creates a clear image quickly.

Banksy realized stencils allowed him to create detailed pictures in less time.

This method became an important part of his style.

Banksy's art often includes images that are simple but full of meaning.

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