The Artist

Art world traditionalists never see my work. Oh, they may look at it while driving by in a car or bus, but they never take the time to appreciate my creations. The city fathers consider my art graffiti, a blight on every neighborhood I choose for my paintings. They don’t have a clue as to the time I spend sketching out rough drafts, and measuring the wall so that my creation fits with the exact proportions of the surroundings. I’m not some gang tagger marking my turf with scrawled initials. I’m a genuine artist. Banksy may be more famous than me, but that’s temporary.

Finding this flyover to use as a canvas was pure luck. There are other artists in this town competing for prime locations to display their works, but none has had my good fortune. Just look at this overpass. It’s perfect. There are three separate surfaces which will allow me to create individual murals and tie them into one massive masterpiece. Naturally, it’s a first come first serve world, so I must move quickly before another artist claims it as his.

I can’t believe this has happened. It’s only been three days since I was here and already one half of the arch has a mural covering it. This is Ricardo’s work. It has his signature elk skull positioned in the middle of his voodoo-themed creation. His work is good, but it’s always the same subject, very predictable. Now I’ll have to rethink what to paint on the other half of the arch. My work can be different, but it must blend with his. Time to create something new.

Honey jars! Roxy got to this side before me. Where Ricardo uses a skull, Roxy uses honey jars as her pictogram. Her work always has a nature theme depicting Mother Earth turning a wheel that represents the cycle of life. I’ve never seen their works displayed this close together. It makes me wonder if there is a rivalry developing between them. This could develop into quite a chess match.

Chess match! Inspiration can come from anywhere. I had no idea what to put on the remaining wall until this instant. What better way to depict a rivalry than by using a chess game? I hope when they return to admire their work, the symbolism of mine will stand out. Every artist hopes to produce a creation with deep meaning. I’m sure this work will.

(This is my final entry for the weekly newspaper writing contest. It's not my longest story or my most dramatic. It's simply what the picture inspired me to write. Results come out sometime in August.)