Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Writing on the Walls

I went for a great walk this chilly morning.  It was 8C (46F) when I headed out the door.  But, no complaints — although my ears did get kind of cold (so, one complaint).  It's now up to 17 (63F) and sunny, and I can hear an accordion player on the plaza doing a decent job with La Cumparsita, that most famous of tangos.  Not a bad winter's day.

By the time I started off for my walk at 10:00, I had already done a load of laundry.  It's unusual for the new me to get such an active and early start on the day.  It felt good.  Tomorrow is coffee with Lola and Albert at 9:30.  OK, that's not very active and perhaps not even very early but at least I'll be out of bed while it's still  morning. And to think, pre-move, I used to get up at 6.  I'm slowly edging my way back from 10:30 and have now succeeded at regularly waking up, unaided, before 9.

While walking this morning (with Paul Simon's "Graceland" playing on my iPod), I took some shots of one particular stretch of riverfront graffiti art.  Of the ones I've shared here, I have a few (well, several) favorites but I'd love to know yours.  I can definitely live without any more vampire/zombie art (and television shows ... and movies ... and books), but I included some because it's clearly so popular as subject matter.















16 comments:

  1. Up at 9! How are you gonna cope with not getting enough sleep Mitch LOL!

    That Grafitti/wall art is simply amazing. Some awesome talent out there...

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  2. Chris:
    I'm tough. I'll manage.

    You're right about the art. Some truly awesome talent.

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  3. Those hairy legs... and just a hand with a ziggy, as if the rest of the body is hidden by the tree.

    Also the 'stabbed' pig is great, just a flesh wound while the knife is stuck in the wall higher up.

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  4. Peter:
    I, too, love the stories they tell.

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  5. Gosh, some amazing artwork. I'll be looking at those for quite a while! Interesting to see that the graffiti has been graffitied. The little girl intent on her drawing is sweet.

    Up at 9 is good. Up at 6 is definitely overdoing it! (Especially when you don't have to.)

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  6. I liked the Keith Haringesque one third from the last.

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  7. Hard to pick a favorite. I, too, am strangely drawn to the pig... but I haven't eaten yet, so maybe I'm just hungry.

    I like to get up at 6 or earlier in the summer. With the sun. These days I'm up between 7 and 7:30 and it's still dark out. But I have to get up to be ready to walk the dog at first light.

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  8. I've looked at these a few times now. The one that hangs around in my head is the 'trompe l'oeil' pig with his slightly disturbing wound.

    I like several of the others and can appreciate the skill which has gone into painting them - and the imagination. It must be amazing to be able to paint on that scale. I often wonder whether they also paint in (compared to the size of a wall) miniature.

    The Pink Pig gets my vote.

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  9. Judith:
    I find the greenish-yellow (incandescent light) cast to the little girl a bit creepy, but do love that one.

    My only problem with sleeping in is that I feel like I'm missing an important part of the day. But I do not miss 6!

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  10. Will:
    The one you especially like is actually about twice that length. I love the energy.

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  11. Walt the Fourth:
    Our cats used to wake me/us early (sometimes at 5). Dobie liked his fresh food first thing in the morning and Thelma just wanted attention. I prefer when the sun is up before I am.

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  12. Elaine:
    As you could probably tell, since I led off with it, the pink pig was definitely a favorite for me. I love the dark humor.

    The artist who was painting the large black & white face and hand the other day, had his sketch book cradled in his arm as he worked. He was reproducing the drawing he had completed there.

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  13. Can appreciate the artistry - but not necessarily the fact that they may deface buildings, privacy walls or compete with the architecture. What kind of neighborhoods are likely to have graffiti ?

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  14. FDeF:
    Abandoned, empty buildings are the major victims. But, the graffiti is unfortunately everywhere. It seems that "blank canvases," such as the metal security gates that come down over doors and windows at night, are the most inviting. Interestingly, if those canvases are covered in art by their owners, they don't seem to get touched. Some streets are more prone than others but you'll quite often see someone keeping things under control by painting over any new markings. It's like the areas I've seen covered in graffiti in the US; once someone makes a mark, it becomes open season. It helps to stay one step ahead of the vandals. The walls along the riverside are becoming more art and less vandalism.

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  15. The Pig just totally cracked me up! Love.

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