SparVar Farb-Spray mit Rostschutz, Hellgrond Glanzend [Glossy Light Green], early 1980s: formerly owned by Lady Pink

As the quality of their favorite brands of American spray paint declined and became thinner, graffiti writers tried other brands and developed some European favorites.  Sparvar, the European branch of Krylon, manufactured this can of Hellgrond Glanzend (Glossy Light Green).  In the 1980s Sparvar manufactured a good quality of paint and like its American counterpart, Krylon, had the best selection of colors.  Although lead in American paint had been outlawed since the late 1960s, the European-manufactured Sparvar paint contained some lead.  Writers later discovered that lead was great for the longevity of pieces.  Writers weren’t concerned about the toxicity of the paint or the fumes. Street art and graffiti hold cultural significance in the way they help artists express their individuality and critique political, cultural, social, and economic issues, as a subculture with a message.

Lady Pink (Sandra Fabara, b. 1964), is an Ecuadorian-American graffiti and mural artist. Her career focused on using graffiti and murals as acts of rebellion, empowering women and self-expression. Lady Pink’s name was chosen for her aesthetics because the name “Pink” is feminine and she wanted other artists to know that she was a girl. She started calling herself Lady Pink because of her love of historical romances, England, the Victorian period, and the aristocracy. Lady Pink was nicknamed the "first lady of graffiti," because she was one of the first active women in the early 1980s New York City subway graffiti subculture.