East Liberty, Public Art and a great little French Restaurant

Today I made a trip into East Liberty and had a very nice time. I haven't been there since winter and was very happy to see the continued development. I used to make regular trips to that neighborhood just to shop at WholeFoods. Now there are so many reasons to visit, that I had a difficult time choosing - there just wasn't enough time. For example, I went to a very cool little restaurant called Paris 66 for a late lunch. It's fantastic- an authentic French restaurant with a nice atmosphere and excellent food. As soon as you walk through the door you will notice that the staff all speaks French, and they are so warm and inviting. It was all very charming and reminded me so much of Paris. I will certainly be back, but next time for dinner.

After that I went to Trader Joe's and bought a bunch of things I really didn't need, but felt that I couldn't live without. If fine cheeses weren't among my purchases, I would have stopped at the bookstore and Starbucks as well..... next time.

While traveling today, I noticed a number of pieces by graffiti artists. I, like many artists went through a graffiti stage where I learned the style, emulated the type designs and incorporated it into canvases. I have seen some fantastic graffiti artists over the years, especially in New York City and the surrounding boroughs. Unfortunately, most of the graffiti I see here in Pittsburgh is nothing more than vandalism. Any clown with spray paint can make a mess.

That's not to say that there isn't any decent graffiti/mural work here. One that comes to mind is the underpass in Oakland at 5th Avenue. I don't know who did it, but it's a very nice composition, great use of color, nice imagery and it improves the environment. That's art.

The fools scribbling on walls, buildings and bridges need to just stop it- you're making an ugly mess. Look to the New York and L.A. scenes and learn from them. Practice on a canvas, on cardboard, on wood. Develop your skills and plan your designs. Consider stencils- look up Banksy online for inspiration. If you are going to take your art out into the community, at least present them with art, not vandalism. If you improve the environment, people will embrace it.

Here's another suggestion: make it legitimate. Make compositional sketches, make a final draft of your design. Present it to your community leaders or to the owner of the building you have your eye on. GET PERMISSION to create a public work of art. Then you will probably have your materials donated, you can work in the daylight and create the work of art you intended. Take it one step further- look up the good folks at the Sprout Fund and become a part of what they do- putting artists out in the community, creating public works of art. It's good for the community, good for the artist and good for art.

Good luck! Now get crackin!