CityView Magazine

34 | January/February 2015 licity people are becoming unprejudiced to graffi ti as a form of urban art." Just like anything artistic from classical music to watercolors, graffi ti has become a visual representation of the millennia's art scene. Similar to the massive artworks we see in museums by famous painters, it takes years of perfecting techniques and mixing colors to create graffi ti masterpieces. A graffi ti artist could use anywhere from three to 100 cans of spray paint for a mural, depending on the size or color. A project could take one day or two weeks, depending on its grandeur. Even though we aren't roaming around the spectacular Louvre or the graffi ti- fi lled south side of Chicago, artists exist everywhere and it is up to these creative souls to set the standards of what is con- sidered art. Kilroy sheds light on the vague and controversial subject of graffi ti stating, "When I look at somebody else's work, I'm always thinking about how many years of practice and training it took them to get to their skill level. en I think about how many times they have been arrested and what it took for them to get there. You can vandalize someone's car or you can put something beautiful on the wall, but at the end of the day it's all graffi ti, so I understand why people despise it." Although graffi ti is becoming more accepted and appreciated in society, that still doesn't make it safe or legal. Despite the negative feelings towards this art form, Kil- roy is optimistic about the graffi ti scene. Due to its increase in popular culture and new media allowing artists to easily share their work with the entire world, the graffi ti community is one that can't be ignored. "You're forcing people to look at your beautiful and o en controversial stuff when they are commuting to work or on a walk with friends." Painting Fayetteville Kilroy has been living in Fayetteville for six years. He believes Fayetteville is changing quite a bit, especially so in the past three years. As gentrifi cation kicks in, there are less abandoned apartment buildings and more room for creative spaces and an arts scene. He explains, "Fayetteville is defi - nitely changing. ere are artists in Fayetteville and there are local art shows to promote the local artist. I'm happy to see that there is an art scene building and growing." As the arts become more prominent in Fayetteville, Kilroy would like to see the youth of Fayetteville get involved in the arts incentive. He suggested the idea of a wall for kids to paint, a giant mural for an art project, complete with handprints and a refl ective image of the community coming together in the name of art. He explained, "Most school systems aren't big on art in their curriculum, but creativity helps branch your brain out to develop other fundamental things - it keeps your mind open." Although Kilroy hasn't seen much of a graffi ti scene around Fayetteville, he has con- tributed to it by painting all around town. He has had commissions at local shops such as: Stay True Tattoo, RedPoint CrossFit and his local charity artwork. For fun, Kilroy paints empty mailboxes or whatever random items he can fi nd and leaves them somewhere so people will fi nd them. It's like stumbling across a piece of treasure, your own piece of custom artwork - equally unique and creative. When asked what his favorite thing to paint on, Kilroy ecstatically responded, " e bigger the better! But in all honesty my fa- vorite things to write on are the random stuff I fi nd that has a history. It provides something more to think about, for example a door from the 1980s has a history and I added something new to it. I like the panache of it." Seeing as his graffi ti name was inspired by the late "Kil- roy Was Here" doodle that was tagged around Europe during World War II, Kilroy's artwork has a strong connection to Fort Bragg and the military. "I serve in the military and I also believe I serve my com- munity by providing visual stimulation." Kilroy does not want to compromise his career so he sticks to creating legal, commissionable and charitable works around the Fayetteville and Fort Bragg community. His murals and artworks are dis- played at businesses around town. As long as he is creating his favorite form of art, Kilroy will spray paint the town red. CV Although Kilroy hasn't seen much of a graffi ti scene around Fayetteville, he has contributed to it by painting all around town. He has had commissions at local shops such as: Stay True Tattoo, RedPoint CrossFit and his local charity artwork.

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