Thursday, February 14, 2013

Tagged Mayberry

Abandoned Building along Beloat Road in Buckeye, Arizona, photo credit: Lara Serbin, 2013

Sanctuary Building at DeGrazia in the Sun, Tucson, Arizona, 2012

I was driving down Beloat Road heading to the Rock and Mineral Club monthly meeting in down town Buckeye and I gazed at the homestead on the left side of the 2 lane rural road.  I have driven by this mysterious building hundreds of times and always wanted to jump out and check it out. I parked near it and saw that there was someone talking to a caretaker kind of guy.   The caretaker house sits directly east of the tagged shrine.  I walked over and was lucky enough to gain access to the shrine to take photos. The man was salty with a white beard and an accent from a distant place. I shook his hand and he said "No more than 200 photos!"

Look at the first photo...you there?  OK, it was amazing!  I was over powered with artistic expression sprayed on every vertical surface inside this place.  I have seen other spaces with paint but this was different.  Look at the DeGrazia mural.  It is nice don't get me wrong but it is not the same blow your hair back kind of thrill that the photo on the top has.  I think art that is expressed from a variety of artists is more compelling than one artist laying down the law. It is DIVERSITY that is so stimulating.  It was also a funky space inside.  Any kind of building codes were thrown out the window. There were stair treads so tiny I could barely get my foot on it to step onto it.  The space was overtaken by layers of spray can expression.  It wouldn't have been the same if it was in a newer building. I am drawn to the 50's-60's time frame.  Tagged vintage glass blocks are poetry.

Abandoned Building along Beloat Road in Buckeye, Arizona, photo credit: Lara Serbin, 2013

Painted window art, Arizona Inn, Tucson, Arizona, photo credit: Lara Serbin, 2012

Let's compare these two window examples above. The first one is naughty spray paint art over vintage glass blocks. The photo below is obviously one artist who painted pretty flowers on glass.  I can't believe I am saying this but I prefer the top photo.  I could sit pool side and look at the spray painted glass block only if they were vintage glass blocks.  If it was done right.  If someone tagged new glass blocks I wouldn't dig it.  I might have to go to Arizona Inn to confirm this.  I would need some poolside time to really think this through.

Abandoned Building along Beloat Road in Buckeye, Arizona, photo credit: Lara Serbin, 2013

Happy Valentines Day!

3 comments:

  1. I love this post. So cool. It's nice that they've left up the art work. Without it, it's just an abandoned building adding to the blight. Nice job!

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  2. I love this post. So cool. It's nice that they've left up the art work. Without it, it's just an abandoned building adding to the blight. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for leaving a comment. Your feedback is so important to me!

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