Where the sidewalk ends, The Other Side Begins. Street art in the truest sense. Cave art on concrete. Stainspotting. Chalkwalk. Rorschach Worship Workshop.
It all started one night; I was on my way back from a tea-house where I like to spend my time, when I spotted a face in a passing wall. I conjured a small box, about the size of a pack of Marlboro, from my pocket and a stick of chalk from the box, and began outlining the face. Strangely enough, this act is considered 'de-facing' a wall, and it attracted the attention of the first cop car that evening, slowing behind me and rolling down his window. I approached him, intentionally, keeping my chalk and hands in plain sight, like I was surrendering my weapon. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?" "No, it's just chalk," I answered innocently. "OK, keep it up," he said and drove off. Beautiful, I thought, and continued on to the next wall and, with conscience cleared, began chalking an animal… a sort of psychedelic Lascaux creature. So that's when the second cop car arrived, and the third, disco-lights of the law in full effect, and three cops emerged and were steadily stepping towards me. Intentionally, calmly, I began to imply, again, that it was only chalk and that the previous cop had cleared me already, but in their eyes it was still vandalism. "What the hell motivates you at 1130 at night to draw on walls?" The first one asked me. Obviously the Alpha cop, probably wondering if I was on drugs. "What is this, cave art? What is this supposed to be, some kind of goat-cat?" "No, well..its a..uh... like a cat-sheep w/ Dali legs," I answered the art-critic. Really, I hadn't thought of what it WAS yet. I had just created it. I was gonna create another creature to name it. Then these cops show up, want me to tell 'em what the hell it is... "...in other news, God was questioned by the SFPD today for instigating the creation on someone else's ultimate ground of being. When asked what was the meaning of all this, he simply said, 'I cannot rightly say.'" "Looks like a chupacabra," one of the alfalfa cops chimed in, and did his best monster impression. This was starting to become very absurd. I said, "what are you talking about; it looks harmless to me." "Y'never know," he said. "It could turn on you. With those teeth. Well, least that's what I see..." "Well yeah, you have to be cautious in your line of work I suppose…" From that moment on, I steered clear of wallscapes, and kept my eyes on the ground.