Inspire Each Other
My left brain engaged, I drove down Ponce De Leon Avenue processing the diverse slideshow streaming by me. From one block to the next, the scenery changed from dilapidated old businesses to historic restored homes as I got closer to the Decatur square. In search of parking, I circled the block by the MARTA train station. My intention was to gather information for the setting in my book.
At the corner of East Trinity Place and North Candler Street I hit a wall -- a visual feast of colors, images and writing that stopped me in my tracks. The graffiti before me was not your average "KILROY WAS HERE." I threw away my checklist of locations I planned to visit.
Instead of continuing straight, I swerved to the left and parked in an apartment building lot complete with signs that threatened to tow nonresidents. I didn't care, I was "stopping to smell the flowers."
The colorful mural was a collaborative effort by street artists Freddy Sam and Ever for the Living Walls Atlanta Conference in August, 2011.
My left brain engaged, I drove down Ponce De Leon Avenue processing the diverse slideshow streaming by me. From one block to the next, the scenery changed from dilapidated old businesses to historic restored homes as I got closer to the Decatur square. In search of parking, I circled the block by the MARTA train station. My intention was to gather information for the setting in my book.
At the corner of East Trinity Place and North Candler Street I hit a wall -- a visual feast of colors, images and writing that stopped me in my tracks. The graffiti before me was not your average "KILROY WAS HERE." I threw away my checklist of locations I planned to visit.
Instead of continuing straight, I swerved to the left and parked in an apartment building lot complete with signs that threatened to tow nonresidents. I didn't care, I was "stopping to smell the flowers."
The colorful mural was a collaborative effort by street artists Freddy Sam and Ever for the Living Walls Atlanta Conference in August, 2011.
Artist and curator, Ricky Lee Gordon, aka Freddy Sam, discovered graffiti art at the age of 16. Today he has revitalized his neighborhood of Woodstock in Capetown, South Africa with colorful murals. He spearheads projects such as Write on Africa and the development of the Woodstock Industrial Centre. Write on Africa creates murals and workshops in poor communities to uplift residents and create social change. The Woodstock Industrial Centre houses over 75 artists from around the world and has launched an Artist in Residency program.
Ever, née Nicolás Romero, began painting letter-based graffiti in Buenos Aires in 2001. Today he paints realistic portraits of the average person on the street with a "thought cloud" like a window into the person's soul.
I thank them both for uplifting my soul, coloring the world, and letting me know sometimes it's okay to write on the wall.
For more information:
http://www.freddysam.com/
http://collabcubed.com/2011/12/01/ever-argentine-street-artist/
http://livingwallsconference.com/
Ever, née Nicolás Romero, began painting letter-based graffiti in Buenos Aires in 2001. Today he paints realistic portraits of the average person on the street with a "thought cloud" like a window into the person's soul.
I thank them both for uplifting my soul, coloring the world, and letting me know sometimes it's okay to write on the wall.
For more information:
http://www.freddysam.com/
http://collabcubed.com/2011/12/01/ever-argentine-street-artist/
http://livingwallsconference.com/
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