Graffiti I love: Stay as you are by the Guy Who Cares

This shot from last summer of graffiti at the Davis Metra is from an Evanston Newbie reader as part of my "Graffiti I Love" series. Luckily, Evanston has some pretty interesting graffiti artists, some menacing ones too of course, and now that I know this tagger's style, I see his work everywhere - most recently I saw his work on the Dempster Street Beach information sign.

The artist is known as "the Guy Who Cares" and he often paints positive messages filled with "laid-back delight". Below is an article from The Roundtable, 8/2011, after they received a package from the anonymous artist.

Revealed But Not Unmasked: The Guy Who Cares Pops Up at ERT
By Mary Helt Gavin

The Guy Who Cares has returned. There is more to know about the nonchalant figure whose image began to appear last spring on bricks, doors, panels and other exposed, if not public, spaces. He and his messages of laid-back delight (“You are cared for”; “average but happy”; “free spirit”; and “dolce far niente,” as examples) may have been out of sight for a few weeks – their fade from public view courtesy of the City of Evanston’s graffiti removal – but a package delivered to the RoundTable last week offered a glimpse into the purpose and history of the figure named by the RoundTable as the Guy Who Cares.

The package contained a bright fuchsia panel of the Guy with the message “Stay As You Are,” and a CD containing photos of images this artist has scattered around town over the past several months. Some, were sprayed on walls; others were more carefully painted on bricks or Masonite panels. The four or five sightings of the Guy’s work by RoundTable staff and readers, however, were only a droplet in the paint bucket when compared with the dozens of images on the CD.

“Stay as You Are,” a two-page statement from the still anonymous artist, provided some information about the purpose of these scattered but happy images.

Click here to read the full article.

If you see more of this work around town, take a quick picture on your cell or camera and email the image to me at thelisadshow@gmail.com. Thanks!

Click on the link below for more images from the Graffiti I Love series

Graffiti I Love: You are Beautiful

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni