Hi There (Feel Free to Move This Elsewhere)

Just wondering if anyone remembers a certain Graffiti Artist who left his mark all over Manhattan in the 1980’s. This is what you would see. Walking down a street or driving past a building, on the building is painted a shadow. The paint is like a tar-like material. I found them to be very interesting. When walking, you would see this shadow but there was no one “casting” it. At that time I was living on this old estate on Long Island, NY. Very interesting time of life for me. I was working at a Mental Health Nutritional Center full-time & going to school full-time. The estate was a very cool place to live – my roommate & I (Hi Cheryl!) lived in what used to be the servant’s quarters of this old mansion. We were also told that the main house had served as a hospital during the Civil War. The family that currently owned the property lived there in the main house & they rented out apartments (the Carriage house, the Garages, & several small sections of the main house) to people to help pay the expenses of living there (Hi Lou, Lenny, & everyone else!) We had a huge kitchen, a separate pantry (which I turned into a darkroom) & two bed rooms & a living room. Oh & the bathroom! A claw foot bathtub & one of those toilets with the tank mounted on the wall & above the toilet. I used to love to take long bubble baths in that big old tub! Only problem was we had sporadic heat & hot water. Our landlord told us when we first moved in that we should never give his Mother the rent money. She liked to bet the horses & didn’t often win. We never saw her much except toward the end of the month when the rent was due. She was a really nice lady. It was very dark there because there weren’t many street lights & when they turned off the electricity every so often ‘cause the landlord didn’t pay the bill, it was really darkest!

How does this relate to the Graffiti Artist? Well, Lou used to have this Artist’s Convention every summer on the grounds of the estate. Artists would come & leave their work on the property. All kinds of mediums, some of them were really nice! Well the “Shadow Artist” I never met – he had been there before my time there. But he did leave a shadow of a dancing cow on the old barn (very cool.) & also when you first pulled into the somewhat long winding driveway (especially nice at night!) you would see a shadow painted on the huge & beautiful old tree in front of the main house. The shadow was of a man standing (akimbo?) with his hands on his hips. Very cool but a little disturbing at the same time. My friends from the city who would visit were put off by the darkness of the place (even when they had paid the electric bills.) My Mother cried (she only told me this years later) after coming to visit us. She was especially upset because we didn’t have a lock on our door (when we were inside, we would put a pen through this loop in the door to lock it.)

The place is gone now, unfortunately. I used to go back & visit every time I was in the neighborhood & then one day I pulled up to see construction crews taking down the old place & putting up new homes. I walked around for a while in & out of the houses & out on the property & no one bothered me. Everything was gone! Even the beautiful old trees.

I had taken many photos there. I had developed the black & white ones (in the dark room in the pantry until the stove blew up on me one day!) but had color film that was never developed. My boyfriend at the time still has the film (Hi Franco!) I haven’t spoken with him in a while (didn’t want to cause problems – y’know old girlfriend – don’t know how the wife feels, etc.) but I have spoken with one of our mutual friends at the time & they are still very close several times throughout the years. Franco doesn’t want to part with the film. I even told David to tell him he can keep the other ones (oh well, what can I say?)

Did anyone ever see either the Shadow Artist’s real stuff? (They’re all gone now in Manhattan I believe but hope I’m wrong about that) or anything ever written about this Artist?

Thanks. Respect. Love 2,
JoAnn

No, sorry. Doesn't ring a bell, though I was out of that area for most of that time. Can't say I remember any specific "artist" as standing out from any other at other times neither.

Interesting story though!

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the response - didn't think I would get much - but I would really like to get that film back. I would have to develop it to see what's on it but I don't mind. I've been taking my Son out learning to drive & I've been thrown back into all kinds of memories of past times. I've lived in more places than most maybe, & have met more kinds of people than most too, maybe. That place was one of my favorites. That & the houseboat. Oh, living on the beach in Sunny Isles too!

I spent a lot of time wandering the streets of Manhattan in the 1980's. One summer I made it a personal goal (not really) to try every single ice cream place in Manhattan (didn't achieve!) There are more French restaurants in Manhattan (as an aside) than in Paris! Go figure!

I love to walk though & Manhattan is great for that. I love to do the "touristy" things too. When my Son was young I had an excuse! I like when people come to visit 'cause I ask them what they want to do & then we do it! My friend Karen (originally from Texas but I met her in Tennessee) wanted to go on the Staten Island Ferry as one of the things (another story.) You live on Staten Island?

Gotta go to work!
Bye!

Love,
JoAnn

I lived on Staten Island after Brooklyn. Been gone (again) since ~2003.

oh - I thought you were still in NY

Time flies, when .....

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Hey I know this should be in the Dreams thread but ...

I had this dream once where I'm walking alone on this beach (seemed like the one in Hallandale, FL 'cause I recognized the pier there) but the beach is filled with people, not super crowded, just peoples doing what they do. I'm walking along & thinking about Time (a hobby of mine.) I think to ask a question (like people do) & then ...

Everything starts moving quickly & chaotically all around me. It's similar (not exactly) like being on one of those roller coasters where you get turned upside down but smooth like. Dis-orienting at first but then you get used to it, then you start to Love it.

Then I get it (I'm thinking this in my dream.) This is the answer to my question. When you're living in a human body, & you lose the concept of Time, this is what happens. Time is the "mechanism" that controls the perception that things are all happening at the same Time (or not.)

Things slow down then (in my dream) & I go into the Ocean to do a little body surfing. The water is warmish, salty too, the waves are nice but not too big.

I do lose track of Time sometimes. Like when I'm doing something I really Love. I'll even forget to eat!

Hey Charles, I want to visit your site. Today I'm going to be really busy at work but I hope to go there soon!

Love,
JoAnn

oh hey now,

My new boss just told me she remembers the shadows from back then, she lived in the East Village at that time. They were all over Manhattan though. She didn't know anything about who the artist was. Lou was probably the only one who knew his true identity.

Love,
JoAnn

Only the shadow knows

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yeah - just like here!

Hey Charles,

I have this great idea for staying out a trouble here on this site. I'm not gonna say anything original - I'm just gonna spout the Tao Te Ching. What d'ya think? How 'bout this?

I really Love that one. & did you notice my creative association (so free!) with the Totally Off Topic Subject & the word Shadow? Now if I can only stop speaking 'bout Love. Hhmm. Well uh ... I guess nobody's perfect!!!

Love,
JoAnn