Travelling from Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona, last week on I-10 I had the opportunity to see something I was so amazed by that I failed to take as many photographs as I should have taken. My mouth was wide open as I stared in awe. Train after train passing by with the most spectacular artwork sprayed and sprawled from one car to another. The colors, the composition, and the perfection simply blew me away. I am still kicking myself for not snapping a shot of a multi-green moniker with gold and tan worms twisting and turning on either side. It floored me.
I said to Barry, "This is beautiful! It's a travelling art show! It's no wonder the railroads just leave it on the cars. Why it would be criminal to remove it. Makes watching the trains so much more fun." Barry just grinned and said, "They don't remove it or paint over it because it wouldn't be cost effective. It would cost the railroads too much money." I said, "Good. They should leave it there."
Now, one might argue with me, call the Graffiti defacement of property. I understand, as it bothers me to see graffiti in public parks, gang tagging on downtown city buildings, and the ugly it does to apartment complex's . But, I still can't express how spectacular it looked on those rusty, dirty train cars as they sped by in the dessert. I thought, "This art is going to be seen all around the country." Bright, abstract, ingenious creations that I could not read, and didn't want to be able to read.
Graffiti has existed since ancient times. Going back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Graffiti expresses social and political messages, and a whole genre of artistic expression (Andy Warhol would be proud). I don't think we will ever stop graffiti, but we can hope that it will continue to have a purpose.
Something that I aim for in my own art is to make people stop and stare. I want to create art that grabs and holds the attention of the viewer. That shouts from across a crowded room and refuses to be ignored. I want it to amaze, to awe, to cause the viewer to stop and contemplate, to wonder, to THINK. If my art doesn't do that I feel as if I've failed. I found myself riveted and held in wonder by the (what I now call) Railroad Art. I couldn't get enough and next time (which will be in a few weeks) I get back on the road, heading East this time, I will have my camera ready and hold my breath that I will see more Railroad Art on the way to South Carolina.
Gang-bangers, territorial taggers, skaters, and punks stop messing around with your chicken scratch bullshit wannabe disambiguation! The real deal is heading down the tracks from east to west and back again for all to see who take the time to see more than graffiti, but mastery of an art form that has been around for centuries. I bow my head humbly and , oh, how I would love to mural a train car.
Talk to you later,
Wendy
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