street art – Page 5

Grand Central: Finding A Masterpiece in the Belly Below

July 31, 2017 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Left: Cement wall flanking Track 126, Grand Central Station, NYC. Right: Multi-million dollar drip painting with notes, by iconic American artist Cy Twombly (1926-2011).

Unexpected art in the bowels of the world’s most storied station.

It happens to me all the time. I find myself whining about the heat or the physical challenges of navigating the city, and WHAM — the universe tosses a stunning little visual treat my way.

Taking the Metro North up to Westport, Connecticut, I was in one of those moods. The sweltering heat was making me cranky, and my train was leaving from what seemed like the grossest, stinkiest, deepest underground level in the terminal.

Then I suddenly noticed the half-washed walls, layers of soot, and general urban decay finasteride surrounding me. It wasn’t gross at all — it was stunning. The lack of maintenance and cleaning left patterns of black and white, drips and stains from mold and old paint. Vertical lines from moisture and wear-and-tear. Lovely marks that referenced one of my favorite abstract painters, Cy Twombly. (Pic #1 – right).

I recorded these “museum walls” with my iPhone, and suddenly realized I had one of the best days in NYC in years. So, the biggest secret about Grand Central isn’t the secret sub-basement, (that the Nazis nearly destroyed) but the surprises left on the walls — from nothing more than neglect. Sometimes art reveals itself in the strangest ways…now if only we could be ever so slightly more aware of its playful intent.

“Uber” Inspiration

February 28, 2017 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Abstract painting in the Short North Arts District, Columbus, Ohio.

How my first ridesharing app led me to some kickass street art.

As you may know, I’m a total graffiti freak. Every city I visit I try to collect a few shots representing the community’s street art culture. Sometimes it’s just pure urban decay and colorful textures from well-worn factory facades. Other times, it’s an expression of wild imagination by largely unknown artists. In either case, once you start scoping it out, I swear, every city offers unexpected visual treats. And the off-beat art experience is free.

On a visit to “The” Ohio State University last week, I found myself in 8-degree weather with no gloves and only two hours to explore. I thought I would try Uber for the first time, and man, did I luck out.

(Pic #2) Urban farming color blocks

My driver’s name was Bill Gannaway, and the first question I asked was, “How well do you know this city?” He’d lived there most of his life, but I needed know if he knew the back alleys and funky parts of town — not the shiny tourist attractions. I told him I knew this was a weird request, but if he was game, I’d like to find some radical art — and I would be thrilled if he could give me a tour of the most ratty, run-down sections of town.

Pay dirt. Bill not only knew the coolest painted walls in town, he pitched a drive-by to an old manufacturing no prescription ambien plant that had seen better days, sporting a phenomenal green patina on its wood and metal shingles (Pic #6). Then, under the overpasses we noticed the work of an artist who just may be “a little obsessed” with the amorphic forms of jellyfish, and who’d covered decrepit cement walls with dripping spray paint forming the sea creatures’ tentacles. He’d grouped them in sets of 2, 3 and 4, in different hues (Pic #3 and Pic #10). Then, in an urban garden project in the middle of nowhere, we saw these raw color blocks in assorted sizes. (Pic #2)

Check out the photos from my 2-hour tour with Bill below. For me, the day was a total hit. And the cost? $32.50. Uber, you just might be the guy for me.

Footnote: This just might be the best PR Uber has received all week…. considering the managerial missteps reported in the news today. Despite the kerfuffle, Uber Bill remains my local hero.

(Pic #3) Part of a series of spray painted jellies on the walls of an underpass in Columbus, Ohio.

(Pic #4) Back alley, Short North Arts District, Columbus.

(Pic #5) Section of photorealistic panels near the Uber office in Columbus.

(Pic #6) Textured patina

(Pic #7) Back alley, Part 2, Columbus.

(Pic #8) Detail, photorealistic screws

(Pic #9) More industrial patina

(Pic #10) More jellies

Yeah, Museums Are Cool, But…Brooklyn Streets Totally Crush It

September 30, 2016 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Detail from an elaborate block-long mural in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn

The streets of Brooklyn offer miles and miles of eye-popping art and design — and it’s all free to see.

Last week I mentioned to the concierge at my hotel in NYC that I was a fan of really good graffiti, and he said, “Brooklyn has the best.” As an exceptional concierge should, he nailed it. There wasn’t nearly enough time, but he guided me through blocks and blocks of pure Brooklyn creativity. Wall after wall — covered with clever works of art — or, in some cases, freestyle vandalism.

Oddly, I find myself drawn to the layers of defacing as much as the beautiful renderings underneath. To me, the more “in your face,” the better. I was as fascinated by the trashed up doorways (see below) as I was with the well-planned, strategically designed, site specific ambien murals, like the one above. I totally love the way artists incorporate electrical boxes, window sills, air conditioners, and unkempt cables into their overall compositions. Sometimes, it’s even hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. (See “Trompe L’oeil”).

Bushwick has long been a working class neighborhood, and now it is suddenly cool. And colorful. Dozens of art studios and galleries pepper the neighborhood, and much of the public art you see on the street is created by the artists in “The Bushwick Collective,” an open-air gallery of street art centered at the corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and Troutman Street.

Check out the “walking tours” and self-guided apps — Brooklyn just may be the hottest place to see great art. Click here for more on the “Walking tour of Bushwick street art” Click here to view the “Self-guided (app) tour.” From poignant and political, to simply whimsical — prepare to be blown away.

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