Graffiti street artists generally are free spirits, so when Bay City’s Nicole Anton received late-Friday notice of a Saturday event in Saginaw, she knew she would change her schedule.
The question was whether she could persuade her friend to join her.
As a result, Nicole crafted one of her first murals at the third annual Street Art Showdown beneath the Court Street Bridge, while Emily Eschenweck made her inaugural debut for hundreds of passers-by.
Anton opted for stream-of-thought random items. Her cat must look in the mirror from time to time, because that’s what she drew. Her clockface could have shown any time of day, but she chose a quarter to six.
Meanwhile, Eschenweck went with a twilight scene in which a butterfly’s broad smile indicates happiness with being painted a guacamole shade of light green.
“These are portable murals that will be displayed in different parts of the city,” Emily said, explaining the explanation she received.
“We are nowhere near at that (skill) level,” she added, while peering across South Niagara, where top artists worked at ground level on the brick wall of the vacant warehouse at 303 Adams.
One of them, Zach Curtis of Pontiac, painted a portrait of a young woman. She bore the appearance of a movie actress, but he said he selected an image from a catalog, not of someone famous.
“It’s all about expressing yourself,” said Curtis, who noted that Nicole and Emily are give-it-a-try examples.
“Just get a four-by-eight board, some paints and brushes, and get started with practice,” he suggests. “That’s how I started.”
With a knowing chuckle, Zach adds, “Just make sure you do this in the backyard.”
