Where Is Eye Guy?

You know, I really hate taggers, but when somebody shows an understanding of concept, I tend to raise them above the fold of the other dumbasses. True, they're still defacing property, but they're defacing it in an interesting way. One of these few worthy people is the one I call Eye Guy. The moniker's source is obvious; he goes around the neighborhood painting eyes on various surfaces. (Examples of his work can be found here.) Or rather he went around the neighborhood. I haven't seen anything new by him in more than a month and a half. I know that my friend Jim spotted something by him in Tacoma in December. Is that where he is now? I kind of miss the eyes. They were very much out of the ordinary. But I guess that, like with Scary Skull Guy, they just move on after a while. Or get thrown in jail for some other offense. Or get hit by a train. Or get tragically decapitated at a Sounders game. Or get kidnapped by the mole people. These are all possible scenarios. If anybody spots any new stuff by Eye Guy, please let me know.

Eye Guy's Latest

And when I say "latest," I mean from the last month or so. He hasn't been too active in the last few months, but have any of us. My friend Jim spotted some of his trademark work in Tacoma. Hey, why mess around in Tacoma when you can contribute to Seattle's urban nightmare? See, I ask the important questions.

Here's something on the side of the New Pacific Apartments (aka the starting point for Jeff Bridges' extravagent walk through Seattle at the beginning of Fabulous Baker Boys) at 1st & Vine. Poor Eye Guy is still dealing with water solubility issues like with this:

This is quite the inferior work. I mean, is that tag really necessary? We all know it's Eye Guy.

A lot of his stuff has gone on signs. I'm not sure that those are the best place for the eyes. Witness:

It doesn't work too well, does it? But this kind of does:

This is also on Vine Street, at 2nd Ave. I think the fact that it's on the reverse side makes it work. Overall, it's the best of the lot. Funny thing, just when I think that Eye Guy's stuff is declining precipitously in quality, he'll do something surprising and cool. Come on, man, gimme some of that old magic!

Weep, O Creature of Eye Guy!

I know that Eye Guy has used a variety of paints, markers and whatnot, but this is indeed new territory. Folks, welcome to water-soluble country!

This is at 4th & Wall. With all the rain we've gotten of late, I'd be surprised if it was still there. I'm thinking that his choice of markers was a mistake and not an intentional concession of his creation to the elements. No Eye Guy, you haven't reached that sublime level yet. It was a boo-boo on your part. I'll tell you what I like, though. It's this from 4th & Cedar:

Isn't that sort of interesting? And it's nice that he didn't draw it on everything single one of those anti-skater things. I approve of that. It just has so much more going for it than stuff by other dumbass taggers.

Eye Guy x 5

This work has been up for a while at 4th & Battery, but I thought I'd share it. Here's what it looks like from across the street:

Doesn't look like anything, right? Well, when you get closer, you see the trademark eye on every single Zip Car spot:





That's five total. Question: what kind of animal has five eyes? Beats me! I prefer the minimalist approach; less is more. Drawing five eyes on five signs just because they're there doesn't make any kind of statement. It doesn't provide any context. It's just five eyes on five signs. Eye guy, if it was your goal to impress with lots of eyes, you have failed. Show me something better, OK?

Eye Guy at 6th & Wall

When you walk by the entrance to 521 Wall Street at 6th & Wall, you don't see anything weird. After all, an office building with lots of vacancy is a pretty ordinary thing, right?

But, like many things, on closer inspection, you see this:

I say well placed and well done, Eye Guy. It works nicely right there. It's subtle, but effective. And in a practical sense, it's not impossible to remove either. Good job!

Eye Guy: Recent Work

First it was buildings, then mailboxes and parking pylons. Now he's turned to signs. Observe:


These both appeared within about 20 ft. of each other down at the A.L. Humphrey House construction site at 1st & Cedar. I'm not convinced this is his most effective medium. But I realize that putting large eyes on buildings gets a little tiring. It is kind of interesting that the original context of "large sleepy animal" is pretty much negated by these signs. Instead, they take on Masonic or ancient Egyptian characteristics. A change in medium, a change in meaning. Well done. Although I don't want to be seen as encouraging this guy's exploits, I do actually understand what he's attempting.

Eye Guy Oversaturates!

Lately, everywhere I turn, there's a new sleepy eye, like here:

This is at 3rd & Battery. You can tell it's an older (meaning that it's a few weeks old) work, because it's in black. Recently, he's changed his palette to light blue/turquoise. I can't really tell because I'm color blind. All I know is that it's bluish. Observe:



These are all recent additions from around Belltown. But he also operates outside of the neighborhood, too. This is from around Elliott & Wall:


So he's been very active. The thing is that it's all the same thing over and over again. I've said numerous times that it's only clever depending on your canvas. Mailboxes, utility panels and parking machines aren't the best things for eyes. They don't imply any additional bulk. Buildings work the best. Of course, I'm not encouraging you to go out and put eyes on every building in Belltown. I'm only saying that I've seen enough sleepy eyes everywhere. Show me something else, willya?

Eye Guy Strikes Again and Again!

Although I followed Scary Skull Guy with much more enthusiasm, I'm glad to say that Eye Guy is still out there re-facing public and private property. Although this is a few weeks old, it still qualifies as new work:

This is on the side of the Rite Aid (gosh, he sure likes that building) at 3rd & Vine. But that's not all. He's also been to Battery, between 4th & 5th. This example is on the back of the fire station, right by the entrance to the alley:

I think this might be his best work to date. It's cleanly drawn and expressive. The gigantic animal looks particularly drowsy and indifferent. I'm sure we'll see much more from Eye Guy in the future.

Eye Guy Changes His Canvas

I don't know about this. The sleepy eyes look good on buildings, but on utility mail boxes? You be the judge:


These are both along 2nd Avenue. It doesn't work so well, does it? The clever thing about his previous work is that it implies a larger form. This doesn't. What you get here is just an eye on a utility mailbox. Try again, Eye Guy - and use this building at 3rd & Clay:

It needs something to dispel its own blandness.

Eye Guy Once More!

Whenever a building is missing a certain "drowsy beast" quality, Eye Guy is there. This is at 3rd & Battery. Witness:

Well, didn't that just hit the spot! Honestly, I like where this is going - just as long as it isn't everywhere.

Eye Guy Again

Folks, this is the worst day ever. I barely slept at all last night. I'm so friggin' upset that I have to force myself to breathe, so blogging is going to be light today. All I can offer you is some of Eye Guy's more recent work:

This is around 4th & Battery. As you can see, these things attract additional visual noise. Otherwise, the concept is still pretty interesting. Enjoy. I'm gonna go try to feel slightly better now.

This Totally Doesn't Count as a Scary Skull Guy Sighting

My quest for Scary Skull Guy has ended, as you know, in disappointment. I accept that. However, I did spot something of his the other day. Here it is:

Yeah, it's not his best work, but it was definitely done by him. It's on the back of a load zone sign on 1st, between Blanchard and Bell. You'd think that by now he'd understand that what makes his skulls scary is their size. This one is tiny and not scary at all. OK, so I'm done with Scary Skull Guy.

In terms of strange and interesting graffiti, my interest turns to someone I'm calling the Eye Guy. He puts up large, half-opened eyes on the sides of buildings, giving the impression that we're looking at a very large and drowsy beast. You can find this at 3rd & Blanchard on the side of the Cornelius:

See what I mean? It gives the impression that the building is alive and very lazy. His work is not uncommon around Belltown, so I'll be bringing it to you quite often.

Like Right Now!

Here is another example of his work:

This is on the Rite Aid at 3rd & Vine. The problem with his stuff is that it inspires other people to add more visual noise, which detracts from the "large sleepy creature" aesthetic. Still, I like what Eye Guy is trying to accomplish.