Why haven't I noticed this painting? It's in the alley on
Bell, between 1st & 2nd. Oh, now I know! That's a real scungy block. I regularly avoid it. It's mostly guests of Belltown (meaning: people not residing here) buying sweet, fortified malt liquor like Joose, Tilt or Four, downing them, then screaming at each other, only to mend relations by smoking crack together - followed by another round of screaming at each other. It's a bad scene. Heck, even Google Maps didn't venture down there. It's no wonder that I haven't seen it! Let's have a look:
As you can see, there's a lot more skill invested in this than, say, tagging. Obviously, the artist had some kind of strong feeling for PBR and giant squids and guys in tennis outfits. Kind of
Infinite Jest-esque, no? Me, I'd prize this work a lot more if I truly liked PBR. But no, it tastes like iron filings mixed with non-filtered water. I'm a High Life man myself, but that is neither here nor there. It's important to deem this work as worthy of notice and to encourage everyone to go see it with their own eyes, even though it exists in a pretty shady part of Belltown.
