Here is the final post chronicling the mural. Brooke Kupcho captured some shots of the finished mural at the opening party for the shop. I hope you enjoy the photos and I encourage you to stop by the store to check it out in person. The hand-lettering is original and designed by myself with the help of Sam Gunderson.
Photos by Shane Reetz.
Surrounded by adorable clothing, sipping a caramel latte from Stumbeanos, and playing with watercolors. I had the opportunity to meet and greet many of the people coming through – one of them was new to the area and looking to get into the art scene, another went through the Graphic Design & Communications programs at BSC and had heard about my work through one of my professors, friends and family stopped by to share smiles and hugs, and others were mostly there for the hard cider. Fowlers was a fun location to draw, the ambiance was great and the company was even better.
Take a moment and let me share with you, my inspiration in the creation of this piece.
This american life did a tribute episode for their friend and contributor,
David Rakoff. Since he’d appeared on the show no less than 25 times,
I was familiar with and fond of his audio presence.
But what moved me to tears, was a powerful quote from his book
“Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish” that he finished
recorded less than two weeks before he died of cancer. And I’d
encourage you to listen to that episode because the quality of his voice as
it rasps through a weary body makes this quote even more poignant
(if that’s possible)…
“It was sadness that gripped him, far more than the fear
That, if facing the truth he had maybe a year.
When poetic phrases like “eyes, look your last”
Become true, all you want is to stay, to hold fast.
A new, fierce attachment to all of his world
Now pierced him, it stabbed like a diety-hurled
Lightning bolt lancing him, sent from above,
Left him giddy and tearful. It felt like young love.
He’d thought of himself as uniquely proficient
At seeing, but now that sense felt insufficient.
He wanted to grab, to posses, to devour
To eat with his eyes, how he needed that power.”
And this quote, heard on the last breaths of a dying
man really speak to me about life.
And the powerful beauty of participating in
life and the world around us.
And I felt like creating this poster for
the film festival was a great chance
to celebrate this idea,
“He wanted to grab, to posses, to devour
To eat with his eyes, how he needed that power.”
This idea is important not only to artists who area creating work
that reflects their experience and perception, but to the viewers who get
to devour a look at the world through another person’s eyes as well.
Remember those summers as a kid filled with popsicles and side walk chalk?
Well this morning, artist McCal Joy and myself were each handed a box of chalk and told that we could go wild.
And of course, we had a blast! McCal rendered a colorful Bison while I illustrated a whimsical Jackelope.
Valley News Live – KVLY/KXJB – Fargo/Grand Forks
It’d been a while since either of us had had a chance to pick up chalk and color to our hearts content.
But let me tell you, it comes back to you like riding a bike. And you too, can come and add the colors of
your imagination to the streets of downtown Fargo at Chalk Fest happening tonight at the Great Norther Bike Co.!
Bree Reetz 