The image titled “Graffiti Growth” is a mixture of symbols one might see traveling throughout a cityscape. It contains a bit more abstraction than the other images I have put together for this project. The idea of graffiti is of-ten associated with the negative: gangs, property defacement, and vandalism. What is often not considered is the benefit that graffiti provides. It is a form of growth, as most die hard “graf” artists pursue the trade with the intention of eventual improvement. It is an evolutionary process, one that takes time to develop and refine into something easier on the eyes. Tags, throwies, and pieces are symbols that are representative of the city landscape, just as fun-gus, moss, and dirt are representative of the natural world. From New York to Los Angeles, to Portland, Paris, or Tokyo, walls, signs, benches and win-dows are randomly littered with paint drips and saturated streaks.
The aim in this piece was to include the “tags” as texture, indicators of a city, but not necessarily the focus. It is the idea of growth, and the adapta-tion to a changing landscape. Every little detail in an urban landscape is at once final, but upon a second glance, completely different. A gentle breeze or a light rain will alter a person’s perception to the point of seeing an object in an entirely different manner. The choice of colors for the work heightens the idea of change and growth. It captures a multitude of seasons, light sources, reflections, and times of the day. Easily identified and curiously interpreted.