I'm currently working on a site in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, painting a vacant building with my own weird brand of organic fractals and stenciled patterns. The place has a huge history in Seattle- 2nd and Blanchard is the former home of the Crocodile Cafe- a venue that helped birth Grunge and the Northwest sound.
Many in the community are understandably distraught at the passing of this venue, but I'm quick to point out to them that the Crocodile is not dead, but moving to a much better place just a couple blocks down. And while I can pretend to know the full mechanics of a real estate transaction like that, the truth is I'm best at painting walls. And I quickly realized the best way I can honor this place is by painting my best work, something completely different as to transition from the past into what it could be in the future.
This city has gone through so much change, even before the pandemic, and it's difficult to watch the inevitable hand of time make itself known. But beyond the politics and the history, this is a temporary gift to the people of Belltown.
