RUN, BLAGO, RUN by CRO aka RAY NOLAND

OK, OK, so I lifted the attached story from the Chicago Tribune online. The original author writes like both he and his readers hail from Mars or some other planet or suburb, far, far away. He suggests that the Blago stencil-graffiti has gotten to an almost viral stage...just because it's up in at least 6 reported spots in Chicago...EWWWW, scarey! The image I've included is from the corner of Hubbard and May Streets, Chicago.
The 'alleged' artist that has sprayed and pasted the 'Run, Blago, Run' is Chicago's very own CRO aka Ray Noland. He currently has a group show that ends later this month titled Officially Unofficial at the Chicago Tourism Center on Randolph Street. This show is a collection of Obama related artworks and prints that supported Obama, pre-election. Works by The Date Farmers, Ron English, Obey, Bask, Cody Hudson and many, many more artists can be seen. I highly recommend checking this gig out, while it lasts.
You can source more info direct from Ray's sites: GoTellMama.org and CRO.BigCartel.com.

A mysterious mural has turned up on a half-dozen concrete walls around the city in recent weeks. The black graffiti stencil shows former Gov. Rod Blagojevich wearing his familiar tracksuit, running through the street and glancing over his shoulder, as if he is being pursued. The image leaves it to the viewer to speculate about who is trailing Blago -- U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, perhaps?

Reminiscent of the work of Banksy, the London street artist, and Shepard Fairey aka Obey, the creator of the Barack Obama Hope poster, the Blago stencil began appearing in early April. It has been spotted in a downtown alley behind the Macy's on State Street and on a viaduct at the corner of West 16th Street and South Union Avenue.

Like most street art, the creator leaves no signature. (The practice is illegal, after all.) But Pilsen artist Ray Noland aka CRO, 36, is currently selling a first-edition poster of the image titled "Run, Blago, Run!" for $75 on his Web site, cro.bigcartel.com. Noland -- who ran an unofficial Obama street art campaign last year -- declined to comment on how his Blago design ended up on the street and suggested that anyone could have appropriated his image. "I just make the graphics," he said.

However, Noland did hint that urbanities should keep their eyes open for more images, which he predicted "will probably continue to pop up around the city."

*original story lifted off the internet written by: cmastony@tribune.com