There was some sort of renovation project going on here, so they had put up siding, which they painted blue. I’m not sure why siding is so often painted blue in New York City. Maybe blue is an especially cheap color.

On the second day, a group of teenage boys sitting on the stoop opposite the wall kept yelling “Police!” and “Stop, graffiti!” and then laughing like hyenas every time I turned around in panic.

When I was almost finished, a man came up to me and asked me if I’d do a similar piece in one of the local community gardens. I explained that I wasn’t doing commissions, but because I really like community gardens, I agreed to do a separate piece for him later. Unfortunately, we never managed to meet up, so nothing came of it.

This is one of the images that I made into a postcard because I liked it so much. It’s based on Gustaf Palm’s View from Narni. The siding has been taken down now.