A Favorite Pittsburgh Mural: Kate Bechak's Worm's Eye View

Crap, I live not far from this but somehow never got around to photographing it. Sorry, I need to get a wider angle shot to give one the full three panel image.

The theme here is explained by the title, a trippy landscape as it might be seen by an urban worm. Catch all the subtle but hilarious details, like the gangsta pigeon, the gum pulling from the bottom of the sneaker and some kind of weird bacteria action.

Kate is a highly creative artist who's work I see too rarely.

Rust Belt Blogger December Event: Public Art Walk

OK, this isn't really an artwalk but I think people could cheat or stretch it. The idea is for people across the rustbelt to simulaneously post on their favorite local public art work. The last neighborhood walk post had many participants from Pittsburgh with posts about Downtown, Shadyside The South Side, Beleview, Squirel Hill, Point Breeze, Friendship, Allentown and Milvale.

"Pick a piece of public art and tell us why you picked it. Do you love it? Did you make it? Do you hate it and hope it gets torn down? This "assignment" should be easier than the neighborhoodwalk. You can even "cheat" and take a picture from flickr (respecting the creative commons license of course.)"



Post it on December 11th.

Scott Alan Fertig

Scott Alan Fertig
April 24, 1967 – May 2, 2008

Many of the residents of Pittsburgh are familiar with Scott Fertig's Chevy mural, located on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. Scott Alan Fertig, 41, an artist best known for his commissioned work as a caricaturist, muralist and illustrator, died peacefully at home on Friday, May 2, 2008 in Arlington, VA surrounded by his wife and family.
Scott was born in Pittsburgh, PA on April 24, 1967

The Washington Post has a lovely article about Scott Fertig that you can read here.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints' Church at 3577 McClure Avenue in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, May 10 at 2PM. A wake will follow. Scott wished to thank everyone who gave him their love and support during his battle with cancer.
Donations can be sent in his name to the American Cancer Society or your local community
children’s arts program.

To Scott Fertig's family and friends, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies for your loss. Scott's mural on Penn Avenue and 16th Street is a long-time favorite of mine. I appreciate what his life, love and art brought to my world on an almost daily basis.

A Mural Presentation in Edgewood.

Tonight I went to the Edgewood community to present my mural proposal. I can't say exactly what I expected to find there. I guess I figured it would be a politician, a gallery owner and a handful of neighborhood notables. Nope. If I were to have tried to conjure an audience least likely to be sympatico with my vision, I would have surely fallen short of what awaited me. It would have been the very first failure of imagination on my part during this entire process. Because I didn't realize that when I got to the Edgewood Borough building I wouldn't know a single soul. I also didn't know that I'd be making my presentation to the Borough Council- eleven (or so) very conservatively dressed people appearing to be anxiously awaiting the serious business of their bimonthly meeting.

When everyone was present they called the gathering to order, and then everyone rose to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. This is a ritual I am oddly familiar with, so instead of unsettling me further, it gave me a sense of inevitability. Mercilessly I didn't have to sit through the whole proceedings, because the developer of the project kicked off the meeting by introducing the concept, and the proposals of the artists who wouldn't be showing up to explain their work. I knew there was going to be trouble as soon as he opened up the floor for questions from the panel. This was a very pragmatically-oriented council. They wanted to know about coatings for the work, which would ostensibly be used to keep them graffitti-free. What type of polyurethane covering was going to be employed? They were also concerned that the kids who would be working on the project would be safe from the reckless driving of PAT drivers. All practical considerations aside, they yielded the floor to teh "kooks". Luckily the other artist (who was actually present) went first. Unluckily for me, he knew ahead of time that he was going to be submitting his piece to the Edgewood neighborhood, and had painted an actual scene from the community.

Then it was showtime. I stepped up to the lecturn, introduced myself, and unveiled my 18 x 24" illustration board. I felt it was important to mention that I had not been told about any specific area for which my piece would be considered. I was resigned to my fate and launched into the spiel I have intermittently delivered to friends and onlookers over the past month or so. I figured there was nothing else I could do, but forge on ahead without reservation. I spoke about Meadowcroft and sacred Mayan symbology. I talked about our industrial past and the difficulty in envisioning the future. I even went ahead and mentioned human consciousness and stages of development. The response was a row of faces full of flat affect. I continued with all of that 2012 stuff. I tried not to read their thoughts as I heard myself sounding like a new age psychotic. And finally I made sure to point out that none of it had to be taken literally- that it was all an allegory for sustainability. That was my main concession. Besides that, I did get one laugh when I explained that the Mayan temple on the Hill in my picture was my failed proposal for a new arena. Never underestimate the power and universality of a sporting reference in Pittsburgh.

I thanked them for having us, and reclaimed my seat. We were able to make our escape shortly. As soon as I was outside I sought reassurance from my fellow artists. I asked them how crazy I sounded. They tried to console me by saying I sounded like "an artist". This was cold comfort. One (or maybe two) of the submissions will be chosen for the project. The council itself will make a recommendation, and then representaives from the community will have a chance to vote for their favorites. I wonder if it is a good or bad thing that they won't hear my conceptualization. In a way I think it's appropriate that the piece will have to stand or fall without explanation. That's the way most people will experience the mural if my work is chosen. I won't be there to talk about it. Maybe folks will like the colorful alien, and appreciate the mystery of the obscure references. Or perhaps not. I don't flatter myself with favorable odds. But at least I'll have more time to travel if I am not chosen!