09 August 2010

Still More on the Return of Artistic Expression in the Face of Social Injustice

There actually was a recent attempt to paint out the graffiti recently applied to the historic water tank from the old La Vida Mineral Springs resort on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon, north of the highway and east of Olinda Village.  Someone with gray paint managed to blot out the "artistic endeavors" on the cement base, but, within a few days, another fresh batch of tagging appeared there.

As stated before here, it doesn't appear that this eighty-plus year old tank and base had ever been hit with graffiti until the 2008 Freeway Complex fire burned away all of the arundo and weeds that had obscured them from view for many years.  In the almost two years since, the unfortunate remnants have been hit a few times.  In fact, it seems that graffiti has generally been on the rise in the Canyon in the last couple of years compared to preceding periods.


While CalTrans has been efficient in getting out and removing the tagging on state property along Carbon Canyon Road, it is not responsible for graffiti on private property and the La Vida property has long had absentee owners, so it may be a good samaritan who has been repainting the tank and base over the last couple of years.


Let's hope whoever it was who painted over the graffiti last time and, if the same person, who started the job with the base in the last couple of weeks will get out there and give it another go. 

No comments: