Graffiti artist says city needs to provide canvas
Jason Willcox became fascinated with railway freight train graffiti as a young boy.
Box cars rumble across North America emblazoned with designs from the mundane to the magnificent - all the work of artists most of the world will never know other than by their tag.
A tag is a stylized signature, symbol or calligraphy that identifies the artist within the graffiti fraternity.
"You've got people who paint these trains and they'll never see them again, but they still go out and they still do this and all of it is just so that someone can see your name," Willcox said.
"A lot of it's fame. Most graffiti artists are more or less insecure and it's basically just a way to say, 'Look, I'm here.' Whether you're the most famous artist in the world or not, it's what it comes down to."
He said it's just like advertising.
"You put a billboard up where you know 100,000 people are going to pass it, so why not put your name up where 100,000 people are going to see it?"
Willcox, 24, who works in the kitchen of a local restaurant, said skateboarding and creative graffiti are what make him happy.
And he's met a lot of young people in the city who want to engage in graffiti.
While he doesn't condone vandalism, Willcox said he understands the urge to create and he tries to encourage young skaters to find a canvas - under a bridge, for instance - where they can practise graffiti writing or graph writing.
"I'm trying to get some space designated for a legal spot. Last year, there were maybe 15 graffiti writers, but I think there's 25 to 30 in the city right now and the number is probably going to grow exponentially," Willcox said.
"There definitely is more graffiti this year. When I'm walking around, I'm always looking and I'm always seeing. I saw a name I hadn't seen before recently and the week before that, I saw three. There's definitely a lot going on here.''
That's why he'd like to see public space set aside for graffiti.
Halifax, for instance, has designated some of its downtown walls where graffiti can be created without fear of reprisal.
"You're going to have the kids who are going to start showing up there and put their resources into trying to create something rather than be destructive, rather than stop signs and mailboxes and businesses," he said.
"If we could get five or six walls in the city, I really think that it would make a huge dent. There's people who are out there to do it more creatively and there's people who do it just because they like to be destructive. It's trying to figure out who's who."
The issue of graffiti in Fredericton entered the realm of public discussion in early April when about 20 homes along Saunders, York, Charlotte and Smythe streets were tagged with black peace signs.
Homeowners were angry as they tried to clean their homes and police were called in to investigate.
Downtown Fredericton Inc., which sees its city centre businesses tagged by graffiti, also spends time and money to clean up business properties.
But some business owners support the idea of giving graffiti writers a space where they can express themselves, rather than trying to suppress the form of expression.
Willcox, who did a graffiti-style sign for East Side Board Supply on Queen Street and the dance floor at Nicky Zee's, said he'd like to find a way to make money doing something he loves.
In the meantime, he said he does what he can to influence kids and teens in a postive way.
"If I can go up to the skate park and one of these kids comes up to me while I'm painting, I can have a conversation with them and try to discourage them from getting out and marking up a bunch of peoples' businesses.
"I've already taken a couple of people and found a spot under a bridge and said 'let's practise here.' "
Willcox said he also goes up to the Kimble Drive skateboard park at least a couple of times a year to clean up negative graffiti and repaint fun images.
"We're pretty afraid if you get cuss words up there all the time, that we're going to lose our park," he said. "So I go up and basically make sure that it looks good again."
He created the giant wave painted on one of the big quarter-pipes at the park at the request of other skaters.
There's graffiti that goes back to the 1990s under the Princess Margaret Bridge.
Willcox said Fredericton is in at least its second generation of graffiti artists.
From the former Berlin Wall to New York City, graffiti ranges from the vile to the artistic, and Willcox doesn't think it's going to slip away into obscurity any time soon.
"It's an art form that I really enjoy,'' he said.
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