AUGUST CITY

Neighborhood: East Village

This Acrylic on canvas is a manhole or similar to the style of a manhole which I found in the middle of the street. I received few verbal abuses or complaints. People did walk by and acknowledge the painting. Some even wanted to talk to me even though I had my headphones on. I couldn’t interrupt my work and had to ignore them. I felt bad because I like communicating with people on the streets.

Initially, I had intended to paint a different pattern, but when I arrived at the location, the doorman in front of the building yelled at me, “You can’t paint here. You are not allowed to be here. This is private property.” I was so frustrated, I stormed off and walked angrily back to my car. As I was getting into my car, I looked down and saw this grate in the street. Struck by its horizontal lines, which seemed to calm me, I decided to use the lines for my painting. It’s actually not a grate, but more like one of the large plates you often see on streets that go “bump, bump, bump” when you ride over them. Anxious to get started, I stretched a piece of canvas over the grate and began painting. It was a hot day in August and I wanted to document the heat and all that frustrated energy I had exerted earlier toward the doorman. On days that I know I am painting a manhole, I do not eat or talk before painting. But prior to my painting this manhole, I had talked and exerted energy. When I had completed the painting, I went back, apologized to the doorman, and thanked him because the piece that I ended up painting was far better than the one in front of his building. (sold)