But then Dixie Rodriguez found a new canvas for his "street art" that police couldn't force him to wipe clean — his shoes.

Rodriguez was a high-school senior when he first tagged his name on a pair of white Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops. He said he was tired of cleaning the shoes. Although the graffiti on his Chucks weren't revolutionary, his hand-painted designs helped kick start his business, 1Eleven Designs. "I was shocked. It turned into something else," says Rodriguez, 32, who has been designing shoes for more than a decade and now works out of his Winter Haven, Fla., home.

He has yet to open a shop in Polk County, but he has launched a Web site, 1elevendesigns.com. He has sold hundreds of shoes, shirts, purses and hats throughout the U.S., Argentina, Ecuador and Panama.

Japanese culture and tattoo art have served as an inspiration for his thick, black-outlined drawings. His samurai and dragon images are similar to designer Ed Hardy's flip-flops and tank tops. Rodriguez says his aren't mass-produced.

"I don't replicate. It's your own piece — it's your own artwork," he said.

A customer wanted an Asian theme on her long pair of white Italian leather boots. Rodriguez wrapped a geisha and green dragon around the boots using permanent fabric paint.

He also makes purses sparkle. After painting the Hindu deity Ganesha on a handbag, he covered the elephant god's forehead with rhinestones.

Rodriguez says his inspiration comes from his customers, many of whom like Japanese characters. He briefly interviews his customers to get a glimpse of their personality, so he can make each design different. It's like going to a tattoo shop, Rodriguez says.

Mario Scifo, owner of Haircut Natural, bought a pair of custom-made shoes for his teenage daughter's birthday. The 14-year-old is a Bob Marley fanatic. The late reggae artist became the focal point of her shoes.

Rodriguez also created a pair of shoes especially for Scifo, a former barber in the U.S. Navy. He covered a white pair of size 9 Vans with anchor, barber pole, Scifo's dog tag, a rope that wraps around both shoes and skull with a Navy hat.

As with Rodriguez's first design, Scifo and his daughter's one-of-a-kind shoes have been a knockout.

Throughout the county, Scifo says, "We get asked, 'Where . . . did you get those shoes?'"

Associated Press