Ross: Maybe graffiti would be nicer if it was more cheerful
Jul 5, 2023, 7:50 AM | Updated: 7:51 am
A man cleans graffiti from the exterior of a boarded up storefront. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
I had yesterday off, so I didn鈥檛 feel obligated to think any deep thoughts, but on my way to West Seattle, I did see something that I feel I need to mention.
Driving south on Interstate 5 toward the West Seattle Bridge, I glanced to the left at one of the more crowded graffiti galleries along the highway and actually saw something that didn鈥檛 enrage me.
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A very skilled artist 鈥� had painted the word 鈥淕OOEY鈥�
I鈥檝e been a long-time complainer about graffiti, but I have to admit, 鈥淕OOEY鈥� was very well done. It was like a parade of rainbow gummy worms, but it wasn鈥檛 menacing, it had no agenda other than to represent gooeyness, and the best part is that unlike 鈥淪TIGMA,鈥� it was cheerful.
And on a perfect sunny day, I couldn鈥檛 bring myself to hate it.
I did a little search just to make sure it wasn鈥檛 code for something nasty and up popped a comment published in The Stranger a year ago that mentioned 鈥淕OOEY.鈥�
I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 the same 鈥淕OOEY,鈥� but the commenter, whose name was Dale, came to the defense of street artists.
He wrote, 鈥淚 think the street artists would probably make higher quality work if they didn’t have to do it quickly 鈥� with the knowledge it would soon be painted over. All criminalization does is create rushed art and lost potential, which 鈥� feeds the self-fulfilling prophecy of “graffiti should be illegal because it’s ugly, [even though the reason it鈥檚 ugly is that it鈥檚 illegal.]鈥�
Or so wrote Dale a year ago.
I actually think most of it is intended to be ugly, whether it鈥檚 rushed or not.
But I still like 鈥淕OOEY.鈥� I say if you鈥檙e going to deface concrete, at least show your versatility by putting up something cheerful once in a while.
In fact, if the city adopts my idea of covering up graffiti with plastic ivy, I would even cut a little window for 鈥淕OOEY鈥� to show respect. Talent is talent, even when it鈥檚 illegal.
Listen to Seattle鈥檚 Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O鈥橞rien weekday mornings from 5 鈥� 9 a.m. on 成人X站 Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.
