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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Hunting/Gathering

If you know where to look, you'll spot these 22" x 28" posters stapled to telephone and light poles in many of the lower income neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Finding and retrieving them (some are way up off the ground) is more fun then the actual painting.

Like the American Indian, I take only what I need after their date has expired, or when there are lots of the same ones posted in one area. I'm all about conserving and protecting shitty outdoor advertising for future generations.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Happy Eyebrows

On Pico boulevard, near downtown, I was taken by this sign with its smiling character (I'm hoping it's Armando), plying his trade in a Dodger cap.

I first noticed his heavy frame with its low center of balance, and then the long, curved (yet powerful) arms that begin way below his shoulders, and finally, his big, flat hands with their extra-thick, sausage fingers. Could there be anyone built more perfectly for rolling out heavy carpet? Or working a sander on discolored hardwood? I doubt it.

Maybe that's why Armando looks so content. It's right there in his eyebrows and smile. This guy is good at his job, and he's happy in his work. How many people can truthfully say that?

Also, when I re-drew him, other details emerged including his tiny crucifix which looks more like a plus sign, the "Armando's Carpet" logo on his t-shirt, and how his ear seems to be attached in the wrong direction.