Three months ago, Sally Marbry conceived the idea to transform a utilitarian electrical box in front of the Greyhound station in downtown Redding into a piece of public art. This 18-part series is a chronicle of her work and her observations of life on the corner of Pine and Butte.
Part 15: Everyone Else
August 19 No street groups today. Exhaustion from the heat, maybe the emotional pull of street life or losing my cat.
Painting the front buckles and lock today and looking good. I like my style on those but have been hating the side brackets. I have been fussing with them all week and they just get worse. Maybe I will sand out the middle section.
Indian Joe plants himself, but then answers the needy call for cigarettes from of a guy on top of the kitty-corner brick building who shouts he is trapped and can’t leave or else he will be kicked out.
Bill and Chester, the mosaic sphere artists, make their way to their truck across the street. I take a break and cross the street to chat. We talk about art interests and I notice my group o’ guys pass by the trunk. There are only four today. I also catch a glimpse of Weaving Bum and make it across the street to hover over my trunk to establish territory again.
A young guy asks what kind of wood is on the trunk. Cedar, pine, fir…he has me wondering now. A customer from the barber shop comes over and pats me on the back. He says he was wondering when they were going to move that trunk indoors. Comments like these are the ones I strive for.
Two men lean against their truck as they wait to pick someone up. They argue loudly. I look up to really check them out and realize they are just talking. It must be the foreign language and the louder-than- normal volume that make me believe differently.
Later, a stout women questions what I am doing. I can’t decide if she is Swedish or Danish. Maybe German. All these foreign older women lately. Who are they working for? Why are they commuting by bus? Where are they going?
I enjoyed the arty goth chick with a fashionable groupie look from the Andy Warhol years. She described to her guy groupies the various people she sat next to on her long journey and how sore she was. Her elbows, knees, and neck…everywhere. They all passed by me on the way to the mall. “That is gorgeous,” a compliment to the trunk. Very flattering.
To be continued…
Click here to find all the Greyhound Chronicles.
Visit Sally on September 12 on Pine and Butte as she reveals her electrical box turned masterpiece as part of September’s 2nd Saturday ArtHop.
Sally Marbry has shared her fine art, ceramics and sculpture skills as a teacher, product designer and interior designer. For the past year, Sally has been the host and writer of “Home Zone,” weekly on KLXR. She also chairs Viva Downtown Redding’s Design Committee, which spearheaded the public art and street beautification project. Reach Sally at Earth2Sal@charter.net.
