When three different people alert you to an open call for a mural, you might think “this is a sign” or “wow, I have such caring friends and supporters”.
But when that open call is to paint a garbage truck you might then think “I should just apply and not read into this too much or it might damage my self-esteem”.
In all seriousness - I am very excited that the New York City Department of Sanitation’s Trucks of Art program is back and is requesting local artists to paint collection trucks using paint sourced from the city’s SAFE Disposal program. Having just contributed paint to this program from my last mural project, I am so thankful that this city runs this program and am really excited about the possibility of participating.
The theme for my mural is composting. I very proudly compost every week - I keep a large bag of coffee grounds, eggshells, avocado pits, and dead flowers (to list only the least offensive things) in my freezer all week long in preparation for the weekly compost collection at our local Greenmarket.
Because artists will be challenged with both an uneven surface of a collection truck and unknown/limited paint color options from the SAFE program, I tried to keep my design graphically simple and with a limited color palate that can be altered depending on the colors available.
I will know soon if I will briefly have the honor of joining the ranks of New York’s Strongest.