suaf'ed

I feel like I stepped into a time capsule tonight. Tonight was the second evening of events for the Savannah Urban Arts Festival. Since a film was to be shown, I, of course, was in attendance. Even though this was a "school night", I managed to find a quick route from AASU (far southside)to Indigo Arts (downtown and north). To my surprise and delight, I had missed NONE of the film! A workshop on graffiti writing had run long, due to the enthusiastic crowd participation, so I was able to enjoy the last of that event as well as decompress from my mad rush to get there.
I was also able to enjoy the works of Roosevelt Watson III, before and after the film. Vibrant canvases, of all sizes, were splashed on the dark walls of Indigo Arts! Nice. The artist's bio was mounted to the wall, so, of course, I read it and was quite impressed with his mission statement. To wit: “My paintings are representative of the spirit of us all. I use the Abstract/Surrealism styles to get my point across... that we are so different but yet the same, shown with many colors and textures, and shapes, yet coming from one thought source. My colors are vibrant, just as our spirits used to be as children. The textures are the physical aspect of our world which makes the paintings life like. The shapes are every where and just plain enjoyable; hence, we are all very colorful, physical, and shapely which I convey in an abstract/surreal fashion." What an incredible world view!
Now, on to the film! A 1983 winner at the Sundance Film Festival, "Style Wars" chronicled both sides of the dispute between graffiti artists and the New York Metro Transit Authority. My opinion mirrored that of the young visitor from France, who stated that the graffiti-drenched subway trains were to be enjoyed, not washed bland. (Well, I paraphrase, but you get my drift.)
I'm glad I was able to be there, even though I felt dipped in past time. I'm sure Sam Johnson would have, and perhaps has, enjoyed it very much. What a fitting thing for me to do on this day. I feel so much better than I did this morning!