The Everchanging Art in My Hood
An update on art within a few blocks of my home in downtown Houston
A couple of months ago, I noticed that the local graffiti community had started hitting up the abandoned Days Inn downtown again, which is directly across from my balcony. I made a note of it then and eagerly looked forward to whatever these artist(s) might do next. Since March, they’ve added a few new details to their somewhat terrifying art project.
The orange letters that spelled out “NAOMY” are somewhat faded, but new details have been added both below and above. I never see the graffiti artists while they are painting there. Seeing them would be both thrilling and terrifying to witness. They apparently do it while I’m asleep. I expect one morning to wake up to the sight of emergency crews scraping the remains of a dead graffiti artist off the sidewalk.
I have seen “GARX” painted on various surfaces around town. GARX might be an artist’s pen-name or she could be communicating a message. I’m curious, but I’m OK without ever knowing for sure what GARX means.
Earlier this month, while walking to my local grocery, I came across a mural being painted at the corner of Gray and Milam. As of today, it seems to be finished.
An astronaut is wearing a Texas flag patch on her right sleeve and and American flag patch on her left sleeve, posed in front of the moon (which seems to be burning and emitting smoke) with North America reflected in her helmet’s faceplate. This image made me nostalgic for mid-70s album artwork. I could see this on the cover of a record by Kansas or the Electric Light Orchestra, or airbrushed on the side of a van. This genre of working class dude art has migrated over the decades from album covers and custom vans to vast urban murals.
This image was created by Robin Munro, part of the Up Art Studio team. I notice that neither of these two artworks are listed on Up Art Studio’s Houston Mural Map. Robin Munro’s mural is too new to be listed yet, and I suspect that Up Art Studio doesn’t want to encourage artists to risk their lives painting the old Days Inn ruin.
Furthermore, I am of the opinion that Trump must go.
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