Wednesday, January 27, 2010

January 2010: C. Finley in NYC

Nobody likes taking out the trash. The bag is usually overfilled and ends up spilling by the time you make it to the can. If someone left a half-full can of tuna in there, all the better. Hauling that nasty, drippy bag into a festering cesspool of refuse isn't a good time. But what if instead of a cold steel box you placed that junk in a pinstriped vessel? How 'bout a paisley bin? C. Finley understands the importance of aesthetics and is out to beautiful New York City one dumpster at a time. She writes:
“I started doing street about two years ago.”
“I always try to get as many people involved with my street art as possible. It usually takes a village. Chris donates wallpaper from Composition Workshop in Brooklyn. James, Annabelle and Shaina help me with the press release. Kate, Rachael and Matthew help me with the actual wallpapering of the dumpster. Waste management has to approve the project...and on and on. I have great friends who help me in the dead of winter in NYC.”
“I started off painting and went to the Pratt Institute. It was amazing to work in NYC with some talented peers and great professors. Then I worked as a set painter for a few years. I learned how to coordinate projects and make large scale work quickly. Completing my MFA in California helped me with my voice, to refine what my stakes are in the world. For the last year or so I have been living in Rome, which feels like a dream. I love to paint wherever I can! Rome has been amazing.”
“Once, Italian officers stopped me and I lost all of my Italian language skills in that moment. I kind of had to charade myself out of that one.”
“For the next few weeks, I will be wallpapering dumpsters in NYC and hopefully will earn some grant money to do ten cities in 2010. I continue to paint and draw nearly every day.”

Thanks, Finley! For more dumpsters and other projects, check her website.

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