So here’s something random I came across yesterday… These are wheat pastes, which are essentially home made stickers. These were spotted around Lake Merritt on the bases of a few light fixtures. I’ll be covering Lake Merritt in more depth in upcoming posts… there a lot going on there right now.
Each base had a bunny/carrot cartoon on one side, and what seems to be a piece of newsprint on the other. I have no idea if this was all done by one artist, or a pair, each claiming one side. In either case, it’s pretty weird.
Wheat paste is commonly used by graffiti artists to hang posters & smaller applications and is a simple solution made out of water and flour. It’s one of the most environmentally friendly adhesives because it’s made from organic materials that eventually break down.
It’s also essentially the same goop we all used as kids to make paper mache piggy banks around balloons in arts & crafts… do you remember? I do!
Here’s a link to “the best wheat paste recipe” (self-proclaimed):
http://www.citynoise.org/article/1177
The post also offers some tips for how to go about applying your art without getting caught, and undoubtedly my favorite is “Carry a Gap shopping bag.” Who could possibly suspect a fine upstanding consumer of Gap products? I love it!
Oaktown Art | Oakland Art, Public Art, Murals, Graffiti, Culture, Oakland 
mmmmmmmmmmm … wheat paste.
These postings are illegal. If there was no cost to the City of Oakland to have them removed this might be funny.
I hear you… I am a tax paying citizen of Oakland and I do understand that graffiti abatement costs money. What I wonder though is if the city might make public spaces available where it is encouraged to put art. Do you have any thoughts on this? As I’ve stated in previous posts, many of us are forced to view corporate messages in the public space that we find incredibly unappealing.
studiodeb333
I apologize. My comment from earlier is out of context with the mission of your blog. This is great work .. and is very creative. As a nature photographer and parent of an aspiring artist I want to commend the author for the good that these pieces do and evoke. As a City of Oakland employee .. this art came to my attention as an illegal posting that required attention of the City’s abatement crew. I agree that such work should have a place .. probably provided by our City .. where it can be appreciated and celebrated. I hope that the artist .. all of us .. can get such a venue where such good work will endure.