A lot of street art is just tagging. I cringe whenever I see simple scribbles, usually done with just a plain black magic marker, on a lamppost or wall or dumpster. I think, if you’re going to leave your mark why not make it good? So even though I defend street art as legitimate art as well as the most free expression, a true testament to the idea that anyone can be an artist, I am a little bit of a snob. I try to keep an open mind but I still have standards. And there are examples of creative and, in my opinion, well-done tagging: many street artists put up their signatures in vivid colors using block or balloon lettering. After the simple tags elaborate signatures may be the most common form of street art.
It’s nice, then, to see something very different. It was so surprising and funny that at first I didn’t realize the artist had signed their work, but they did, off to the side. You can find and follow Sqish on Instagram if you’re so inclined. They do some amazing stuff. But I also felt like a signature wasn’t needed. The work itself is distinctive enough that it is their signature. Some artists are like that: their work is so iconoclastic they don’t even need to sign it. I play the game Artle every day–guess the artist from four of their works. Once in a while I get it in one. Even if I don’t recognize the work itself the style gives it away. Sometimes I have to get up to the third or fourth painting because artists’ styles evolve over time and even the ones we think of as the most distinctive and recognizable experimented a lot with different styles, but that’s another story.
Although it’s also the nature of street art that, even with a name, it’s still basically anonymous, the artists themselves unknown and their work left to speak for itself.
One thing I have come to appreciate is in Rutland, Vermont, a lot of building owners have commissioned artists to paint murals on their buildings. When Amelia and I first moved to the area in 2020, they were a few still being painted, and there is a website that lists them. I love living in Vermont, and never want to leave.
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Wow. Rutland really has an incredible collection of murals. I’m absolutely in awe of those. Something else I’ve noticed is that most graffiti artists, whether they’re just casual taggers or the ones who do really elaborate works, won’t touch public murals and other public art. There’s a sense of respect for other artists, I think. One way to deal with graffiti is more public art, and Rutland’s murals show how public art can make a nice place even nicer.
Love the humour of this artist—so much better than just a big scribbled name, you’re right!
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I love the way the funny face seems to be rising up out of the ground, as though it’s peeking up to say “Hello!”
You always leave your mark, Chris, and it’s always good. Many thanks.
Thanks for bringing your often funny face to this, Ann.