“What’s Going on at the Big H?”
Decatur Metro | August 10, 2011
Heather asks and sent in this photo yesterday.
UPDATE: It might be associated with the “Living Walls Conference“, which Catherine mentioned on the Decatur Minute blog this morning. Though she didn’t mention Big H.
If so, this pic from Mary a couple days back of the wall outside of Squash Blossom is also part of the event…
Latest from Decaturish
Perhaps the owner had a “vision”?
I admit, I LOLed!
Cheers.
I would love to know what’s going on. The one at squash blossom isn’t so bad, but the one at Big H is pretty awful, and I would love to know if it will be painted over when the conference ends. Just doesn’t fit in.
“Fit in” with what? And says who?
I’m thrilled Living Walls is back in Atlanta and in Decatur this year. Just wish they’d take advantage of that huge empty canvas above Noodle / Decatur Diner.
I’m pretty sure that the residents of Towne Square condominiums (which is what that ‘huge empty canvas’ is) would be upset if their houses were spray painted…
It’s one thing to suggest spray painting a public building…something completely different to suggest spray painting someone’s personal home….
+1
I wish I lived in one of those condos so I could not be upset about the idea of having a mural on the outside of my building. I’ve thought the same of this space for awhile, as well as many others around town. I respect that some of you may not agree with the aesthetics of any particular piece (although I’ll point out that neither of the pieces above are complete) but overall we would be well served by more public art. There’s not a lot in Atlanta compared to other cities, but Living Walls (as well as Art on the Beltline) are doing a great job in changing this (as well as providing a forum for dialogue about street art). There are several pieces along the Decatur Metro-approved fastest route to downtown, DeKalb Ave.
I haven’t seen all the Living Walls pieces from last year and I like some more than others … but overall it’s a huge win for the city to have more art in public. And some of the pieces, in my opinion, are just fantastic. I’m thrilled Decatur is being included this year.
And no fear condo wall owners, all the Living Walls pieces go up with permission of the building owners.
josh, i completely agree. this is a great thing.
Well if *that* offends your aesthetic, er, economic, sensibilities, I can’t even imagine what your reaction would have been if they went with my suggestion of painting a big old Dollar General sign in that space!
Yes, the Big H is part of the Living Walls project. I’m sorry I didn’t include that in my post yesterday! Will update it now.
i just looked at the Living Walls website. Atlanta has been blessed with some cool events related to the Conference
This is the type of thing that adds energy and character to our humble city and I fully support it.
+1
Sorry mate, art aside–where’s the humble come from?
Tacky crap. Organized graffiti.
“Can’t paint good so I paint big.”
Simply hideous.
(rolls eyes)
Uh-oh. Did someone get picked on art class?
Back to the age old question…what is art?
Anything is art–with the right approach.
You know some Italian guys painted real big, and Dali also painted real big– ‘member those awesome posters with melting clocks and stuff from college? (Dude, I used to sit and play guitar in front those, man, D A minor G D…wow…)
Sorry folks, gotta go again:
A water truck and a vinegar truck are approaching an intersection at the same time….
The intersection by U-Joint? Because if so, neither one will stop…
If one measure of art is its ability to provoke an emotional response then I say, “Mission Accomplished!”
I think it’s a lot better than having the facade mostly blank (other than the little church sign) and the place looking abandoned. But my first choice would have been keeping Jayne Mansfield’s Death Car parked at the edge of the lot and the faux late-60s store posters and lettering up on the building.
+ 1
totally agree…..bring it on!!
I’ll reserve judgment until it’s complete.
Don’t know, but I already kinda like it. Really like (so far) the one on the Squash Blozzom building…
Will these stay? I saw the one downtown on Monday and LOVE it.
So that’s what’s happening … saw a mural in progress across from the old “Rail” restaurant … would love to meet these creative people … what happens to the murals after they go?
If they can’t be left in place permanently or semi-permanently, it would be cool if they could be photographed and then projected sometimes. (Logistically complicated, probably.)
I interviewed the artists putting up the piece outside of Squash Blossom on Monday–they’re Gaia and Nanook from Baltimore. There’s another one going up across the street from the old Depot by Freddy Sam and Kofke. All these guys were friendly and sharp and eager to talk about their work. If you happen by while they’re working, strike up a conversation! That’s a big part of what Living Walls is supposed to be about.
Conversations about art! I think I went to sleep and woke up in heaven.
here is a link
http://livingwallsconference.com/
The Squash Blossom one looks like an interesting mural.
The Big H one looks like Graffiti – when I first saw the picture I thought, ” uh oh, gangs in Oakhurst.”
Yep, only Decatur could have gangs with bucket trucks! : )
Me too! Well, my actual thought was, “Wow. Pretty ballsy to tag a church…”
Hi Guys. FYI I’m the one painting at the Big H. This piece is obviously not finished so any critique of it is really premature. Feel free to come and talk with me about it! I’d love to meet you all!
Peter
We drove by today and saw it in progress. Love the colors and shapes!
Also, here’s a link to my flickr account so you can get a better idea of my work. May help you all envision the finished project.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/plfpaint/
Thanks for stopping by and for the link–cool looking stuff.
Peter, your work is rad as hell. Can’t wait to check out the finished piece. I’m also gonna try to make it out to the Goat Farm this weekend for at least part of the conference.
By “rad”, do you mean that his work would have been cool in 1985?
Sorry, couldn’t resist. The term is probably hip again but I’m too much of a dweeb to know that
The “Finished Commission 3’x7′” on your page is beautiful. If the finished product on the Big H even remotely resembles that, it will be an improvement.
Really good looking work, PLF! May the haters eat their words.
*big smile* I love haters!
Awesome work Peter. I can’t wait to see the finished mural. Love it.
PLF, I love your work. Saw it at Streetla event a few months ago. Can’t wait to check out the new mural in Oakhurst!
do we really need public grafitti? no, it is not attractive
So what if instead of these things taking up a portion of the wall or building, it took up the full thing? I haven’t heard anyone say much about the whale mural downtown. Was that graffiti?
If you look at this guy’s other stuff, he does have mural’s as well.
Anyone can paint a blob on a canvas and call it art. But there’s a major degree of talent in these pieces that not just anyone has.
I’m not sure if you’re objection is to the location of the works, or the work itself, but to be dismissive of these pieces as nothing more than “public graffiti” doesn’t fit what’s going on at all.
If it were hanging in a gallery and selling for 9k, I guess that would legitimize it, and have those in objection running for their checkbooks.
few things are as truly ugly as a small mind
whoa, witty – i’ve never head that jewel before
okay, i retract – let’s go for the East LA/South Central LA vibe around here, was hoping for that
W, sir–madam…you clearly have mistaken a mural for graffiti–and I have to call you out as being either a troll or a tagger who wasn’t chosen for this project. In either case, I have to say to you, vacuum.
I would just think that someone so concerned with aesthetics and appearances would use proper capitalization, punctuation and grammar.
Is there such a thing as private graffiti?
What toddlers do with crayons on their home’s white walls?
Even though I’ve lived in NYC and Los Angeles, I’ve never developed a taste for graffiti-style art. I can appreciate it as art, but I don’t warm up to it. Nonetheless, the grey warehouse-style aluminum siding on an empty building is so uninviting and suggestive of neighborhood decline, that I am supportive of any art adorning it, even if it isn’t a style I favor.
But will it impove our propery values and project the cool image I have for out hood?
So, what’s the official word…are these badass creations permanent?
Who cares? dude, it’s art.
I’m loving it–seeing some of it go up, some of it finished, half finished–whatever…they use stencils, graphs–let it fly!
Ok, everyone c a l m d o w n. Think of how unique our area is and how this fits in. The alternative, a crappy chain business with worse sinage and lots of bad lighting…much less food. Also, art is totally subjective. This is someone’s expression. Be open to it. Everyone is a critic. Just don’t act like you live in dunwoody and call some emergency HOA meeting to find out how you get it removed. If Bruce Cohen approved to be part of this…that’s the biggest step of all!
Occurs to me the Big H would be a great location for the new Watershed. Just sayin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/plfpaint/6044941366/in/photostream
Okay, I think it is now complete and I was reserving my thoughts until it was done. Now that it’s complete, I have to say I’m not much of a fan. It’s just not my taste. I definitely appreciate the skill it takes to create something on such a large scale, and the intricacy is also amazing from a technical standpoint. In the end, though, I find the colors a bit garish and overall it reminds me too much of my screen saver where all the colorful pipes build on my screen into an intertwined collection of tubes. Techincally cool, visually uncool.