MARCH 26, SATURDAY

GRAFFITI ART

On my last full day in Asheville Susie, Tom and I went to White Duck Taco by the French Broad River and then for a walk on the pedestrian paths along the river. It was a cold windy day but there were still a lot of people walking. I took some photographs of the graffitti on old abandoned buildings and since then have wondered about the people who use spray paint to put designs on buildings, graffiti artists. I have never met a graffiti artist and can only guess what impels them to paint large designs on hard to reach places. I imagine graffiti artists are secretive people. Maybe some of my best friends are graffiti artists and I don’t know it.

I have seen paid artists enlivening a building with paintings. These paid for paintings are all over Asheville and are a way to attract customers. But the art on abandoned buildings must be done for some other reason.

First of all, if it is on a viaduct or walls along the street in a public space it is probably illegal, or I assume that it is. Years ago it was certainly illegal and police were on the prowl to catch and charge perpetrators. But I have the feeling that the rules are relaxing now.

But if someone is placing large designs without permission on large buildings them must have to work at night and must also have quite a bit of equipment such as ladders in order to reach out of way upper floors of buildings. If high up it can be dangerous. And they must need to work very quickly. Maybe just doing something illegal and showy is the reason that people like to create graffiti. But a second reason must be that there is great satisfaction in creating and executing a design. Graffiti art is art work form and color being very important. A third reason must be a universal desire to say I was here and this is my mark. And the fourth reason that I can think of is a human need to share what is important to you. Bumper stickers do this, T-shirts often do this. We are social animals and we like to share with each other.

What I am doing here is no different. It is not illegal but no one asks for it, it is slightly risky going public and I have had one furious MAGA response condemning all governments everywhere, it is art in the sense that my words and photographs are given a form which lets me share what touches me most intensely, and for some reason sharing feels good because I am a social animal who likes to share, it is in my DNA. Maybe I am a graffiti artists, maybe we are all graffiti artists.