The Urban Dweller series was inspired by my numerous trips to Boston during a four-year period while my daughter attended Emerson College.
It was my first real experience in the city. I learned how to maneuver and understand the vibe of different parts of the city. It was alive with the energy of color, sound and unique people. The city and Boston had it’s own language. It was exciting, electrifying and it gave me another slice of city life I had never known.
My first taste of Boston was Beacon Hill, the Commons, the Back Bay, the North End and Kenmore Square. My most memorable place was Chinatown. My daughter lived with 3 other girls above a Chinese bakery in Chinatown. Needless to say it was quite interesting. She lived on the fifth floor and had a view of the street below, which on some nights were very entertaining.
Across the street in a parking lot below, the infamous graffiti artist, Bansky left his mark on the wall in the middle of the night.
I took my first cab to the MFA and had a great conversation with the cabby. I rode the T for the first time, which was very educational and amusing seeing I wasn’t a city girl.
To create the energy, color and vibe of Urban Dwellers, I chose to use spray paint with an assortment of cap sizes to create different size lines and shapes and splattering. I went in with acrylic markers and embellished with dots.
While working on Urban Dwellers, I put on my headset and listened to hip-hop and rap while doing my own version and interpretation of graffiti art. I found using the cans of spray paint to be quite liberating and expansive. Coming back in with the acrylic markers to create the bold shapes and lines further emphasized the flavor, the language and vibe of urban life. The Dots enhance and embellish the shapes. They are like my exclamation points to finish my piece to end my sentence.