ARTISTS FIRST

 

Some noble thoughts in this Kieth Haring-ish mural. But maybe it’s better to start at the base of the pyramid, focusing on food, shelter and health care.                

HEY, MISTER! WANNA BUY SOME ART?

Like the paintings on the flood wall and wish you could have some on the wall of your living room? Not for me. Most of it would haunt my dreams. Someone must be interested but I didn’t see a lot of product moving.                

WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN?

 

Is anyone out there old enough to at least know of the once-popular radio drama, The Shadow? https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/The_Shadow.php The intro was always "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” I pride myself on loose associations, and that was what immediately came to mind when I photographed this section of the Paint Louis wall.                     

MENTAL HYGIENE

 

Some of the wall art at Paint Louis is pleasant fantasy, some political, some social commentary, but to me a lot of it is deeply disturbing. Sure, I’m in my 70s (okay, boomer) and would not understand lots of what’s happening to younger people. Nevertheless, much of the work communicates - to me - a dark, distorted, even apocalyptic world. It is so skillfully executed, but what motivates it? Some of it reminds me of the well-known English artist, Francis Bacon, https://www.francis-bacon.com/paintings, whose images curl my toes and make me look away. 

Other than that, have a nice day. 😃                

LAST CHANCE SALOON

There were many vendors' tents at Paint Louis. A variety of merch, food and drink, but none so bluntly displayed as this. I recognized the address on the back of the tent as the former location of a notorious biker bar. I didn’t think biker bars ever went out of business, except maybe by arson.              

QUALITY CONTROL

 

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, the taste of that eye is shaped by culture and experience. I get some of the esthetic of the wall painters on a visceral level but there is plenty that puzzles me. My parents didn’t get the Rolling Stones, either.                       

EVERYBODY PAINTS

 

I’ve never gone to the earliest phase of Paint Louis. The artists must start with a plan, perhaps on a grid, to transfer their designs onto a large section of wall. There is also a puzzle (to me) about the enormous scripts that all follow a similar style (to my eye) and look much alike. What do I know. I’m old.  

We wanted to go to the big Japanese festival at our botanical garden yesterday and got tickets in advance. When we arrived around 11 all of the remote parking lots were full. Literally nowhere to put your car, so we left. Big disappointment, photo ops missed.