It was a cool, sunny November afternoon back in 2006 as I was driving down Harrisburg Boulevard on the east side of Houston, when a series of colorful patterns flashed through my rear-view mirror. I circled around to an abandoned shell of a building that consisted of three walls and a few support beams where the roof used to exist. Along the walls was graffiti by such H-Town legends as Jade, Colors, Weah, Prime, Bekit, and Kaze. Having recently purchased a used DSLR, this would be my first encounter documenting graffiti in Houston, a project that continues to this day.

The last year Best of Houston® included the "Best Graffiti Artist" category was in 2010, with GONZO247 taking the top honors. A lot has happened in the Houston graffiti scene since then, with wheat paste artists gaining fame and traditional art galleries embracing the culture. Here is our list of the top artists still showcasing the art on the Houston streets:

10: Howie

Howie's style is clean, fast, and fun. From fill-ins, tags, trains, and rollers, he constantly hits highly visible spots and seems to shift around the city with ease. Plus, his monster face character that lives in the last "e" is whimsical with just the right amount of menacing.

9. Abels

This young menace was the virtuoso of illegal graffiti in Houston a few years back. Hitting spots other graffiti contemporaries only dream about, Abels ran the city and quickly rose to King status here and across the country.

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