Sadly, it seems I’ve been spending more time behind the wheel than in front of my easel this summer.
Happily, there’s something to see while driving about. I’ve particularly enjoyed the local street art the intersection of Stockton and Taylor where there is a sad concrete underpass. Someone had noticed it was in desperate in need of some humanizing! For me, this spot combines color field painting with elements of urban landscape. The fences, signs, power lines and structures speak of human activity while the paste-ups or “wheaties” sing of the human spirit. I like how all this contrasts with the very sparse representation of nature (the fluttering pigeon, the shadow of a tree, the clump of dying grass in a crack).
My thanks to the anonymous artists who see an opportunity for the sublime in ugliness!