EAST COAST MEETS WEST COAST
Two Pittsburghers took their talents to the streets of Lawrenceville Monday around nine o’clock in the morning. Jeremy Raymer and Matt Gondek, both artists, started a collaborative wall mural in the Butler Street Outdoor Mural Gallery between the 36th and 35th Street block. This is Raymer’s first collaboration, but when he needed to find someone to work with, Gondek was a great choice. They knew each other before Gondek, originally from Lawrenceville, made his way across the country to Los Angeles, CA. They also paired up with Sunkist Growers to create a mural that merges the West Coast and the East Coast.
Both of these artists have a very unique style to their work. Jeremy has a pretty realistic take on his work, and Gondek’s work can be described as deconstructive pop art. If you take a look at their previous works, their styles could be considered to be on two completely different ends of the spectrum. This is what makes this piece so much better because they are creating something different and special for the Pittsburgh community that hasn’t been done before. The different aspects of this mural make it a must see for locals and anyone visiting the city. With the large statue head in the center being deconstructed, and the smoke, poppies, and Sunkist oranges surrounding it, there is surely not another mural like it.
Being able to watch these two work was an awesome experience. I arrived only four hours after they actually started the mural and was completely blown away. You could tell that they were enjoying being able to give something special to Pittsburgh, and being able to work with a friend was also an added bonus for each of them. If you are anything like me, you should be excited to be able to go down and appreciate the work that these two put into this mural. Take your camera and snap a few pictures, or take a seat on the bench and really look at all of the details that were put into this design. We need to thank these artists for bringing a vibrancy to the streets of Pittsburgh that also brings out the values of the West and East coasts and Sunkist.
