James De La Vega is an artist who lives and works in New York City’s Spanish Harlem (AKA East Harlem/El Barrio); he has a store on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village. He is known primarily for his murals and the chalk drawings he creates on public surfaces such as sidewalks. His murals can be found all over East Harlem, and his chalk drawings may show up anywhere in the city. His street drawings, almost always chalk, are usually accompanied by aphoristic messages such as “Become Your Dream.” Legally, much of his work qualifies as graffiti, although many put them in a separate genre. In 2004, Salon.com called him "probably the most revered street artist in New York."