Trying to catch up: this time, we’ve got stuff from November, 2013 Seattle and January of 2019. That’s fairly new, right?
The 2013 stuff was from before I knew what I was really doing. I was just grabbing shots of stuff that I liked, without concern for anyone else—who’d see it but me, right?
Hundreds of people, but that happened much later. So, without further ado, we’ve—
Seattle Nov. 2013
On a trip for my birthday that year. I’m the 23rd, if anyone cares, first day of Sagittarius. Cusp. That used to really matter to me. These shots all represent a time before I really know what I was collecting—I just like these things and wanted to save memories. I had not yet hatched any plan to share them outside of my FB Friends. When I had time.
Sculptures
Seems this pipe and sheet metal squid, held behind a fence cage was temporary or has been removed. In either case, didn’t make much of an impact on the net as there was nothing about it I could find. Consider this an an extinct species, a bit of history. Something fun that was but is no more.
This is a well known piece from the Olympic Sculpture Park: the Typewriter Eraser. I include it here as it appears alongside a road, as if it were not part of a planned park, but rather as if it were a public piece, out in the wilds of Seattle. Stretching the definition? Yep. But when I came on this years later, I was sure it was a peice of public art. Erected outside of a formal art space. Shoot me if you must, but I’ll stick by this fudging. Won’t happen often, and usually by mistake. Here is the history of it: Typewriter Eraser, Scale X
This is a rather famous piece of Sculpture from Seattle, the Fremont Troll. So famous that the artists claim copyright and will only release its likeness with written permission. I’m hoping that this being more of a documentary use, news, with my son (touching its nose) and another boy put this outside of their care. I include them for a sense of scale. Max is about 8 years old here. Created in 1990, now owned by the city of Seattle.
A close up of one the the best details of the Fremont Troll, an actual VW Beetle being crushing in its hand.
Murals
the Good People of Seattle is a long mural of faces, which wraps around the corner of a building in Pioneer Square off 2nd ave. Jeff “Weirdo” Jacobson and Joey Nix are the artists. Dates back to 2012. The faces are of Michael Trapp, Michael Doucett, both by “Weirdo,” and Ana Dyson and Taylor, both by Nix. Ana (Bender) Dyson was a musician and graffiti artist who passed away in 2014. Her portrait in this mural includes her tag “Aybee”.
Brooklyn and NYC Jan 2019
In celebration of the Year of the Pig, we have a flying one, the symbol of never—”When Pigs Fly”. Sharp example of 3D/photorealism—especially without brushes or stencils. By Artist BKFOXX, using Freehand spray paint. Check out the webpage for more on her, check out her site here BKFOXX.
Hiring Sheep, or “The Grass is Always Greener here” While not technically art, it does attract attention. Now, this seems to be related to the Chinese zodiac—see the simplified Chinese with English translation below. This is a restaurant and it seems those born under the sheep sign are best for service, so, it make sense once one scrapes off the Western patia of sheep as mindless followers. Just couldn’t pass it up . Of course, a closer reading at the translations reveals that this is an advert for “Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot,” in Manhattan. Still. It’s fun.
Right in the middle of a huge intersection in downtown Brooklyn (Flatbush and Atlantic Ave. near the Barkley center) this asphalt fresco of a pink rose appears. I wasn’t able to find out much about it it, but this is literally street art. This part is more pedestrian.
This large mural of Frank Sinatra’s eyes, hence Ol’Blueyes, takes up a large chunk of the first floor a a building only a few block away in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. The artist, Argentine Andres Iglesias, aka Cobre, specializes in large format faces. Probably the most striking pieces in this neighborhood. Very hard to get a good view of. On the left is a tree, and to the right is a lamp post. This tree seems to divide the fleshtones well, as if it were intended. (His website is in Spanish, here.)
This example of unexpected art, shows off some of the fun in finding works in NYC. It’s a small piece, a sticker, suck to the far side of a tunnel in a downtown station. Canal street stop, heading back to Brooklyn. I sat down, looked up and had a few seconds to grab it before the train pulled out of the station. Whomever put it there had to jump down into the track and cross them to slap this on the wall—a moment visibly only in this one window of this one car, and then only for a minute or two. Then, it moves to another window, throughout the day. The crown rests upon the words “NY state of Mind”. That sums it up well.
Art as a Public Service Announcement, or Art as PSA. This work overlooking a parking lot is one and a half stories tall and roughly a half a block wide. On one side is the offending diver, texting behind the wheel, across from him are people holding signs in an attempt to make him aware—of course, he won’t see them. And Justice, not blind here, glares at him, holding up scales tipping dramatically towards a wrecked car, while a collection of people, older, with walkers and wheelchairs and kids lift up. Almost as if the texting driver is being weighed against them. Conceptually interesting PSA, and good use of an otherwise drab, empty wall.