Graffiti seen as art, not crime Street paintings shine in the eyes of enthusiasts By Sergy El-Morshedy Throughout each and every day, a few intrigued faces can be found following train cars one by one, looking for some freshly painted graffiti to marvel in while waiting to cross the railroad tracks that split Chico in between Orange Street and Nord Avenue. Deemed one of the original elements of hip-hop culture that arose out of New York City in the 1970's and 80's, graffiti, or tagging, made its way into this small town community some time ago, said Mazi Noble, an artist and ex-graffiti writer who has lived in Chico since 2001. Although the acts are illegal, many unknown artists, or "taggers" and "graf writers," living in Chico keep the scene updated by "getting up" wherever they can, he said. Graffiti is arguably the most plentiful art form that can be found in Chico simply because it is so often on display for any and all to see on the trains that travel on the tracks that divide some of the busier streets in town. Graffiti "pieces" can be found on old buildings near the railroad tracks, in alleys, under overpasses, and other places all over town. Noble is one of those who admires watching trains pass by, he said. Because most of his time spent traveling is on foot, he gets to see graffiti other places, too. When Noble first moved to Chico, he was already immersed in graffiti culture, he said. "I've been interested in the manipulation of letter forms ever since I was a child, before I knew what graffiti and tagging was," Noble said. "One of my friends when I was kid had an older brother who tagged, and it kind of got passed down to my friend and me through him." The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines graffiti, a noun, as an unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface. According to Noble, who used to tag at the old, abandoned warehouse on 16th Street alongside local writers like "Yacko" and "Unknown," graffiti is not the best term to use when describing the urban art form. "People need to look past the fact that it is a crime, and also see that (it) is so much more than just painting words." -- Mazi Noble."Graffiti artists don't consider themselves as criminals or consider what they're doing to be vandalism," he said. Rather, the artists are trying to beautify something otherwise dull and ugly to the eyes, like blank cement walls and train cars. "No one cares about what a train car looks like," artist and graffiti enthusiast Drew Araujo said, "But if it's covered with vibrant colors and insanely detailed letter forms and designs, you can't take your eyes off (them)." When Araujo, a poet and writer, moved to Chico in August, he immediately found warmth in the local art scene, he said. He was surprised to see graffiti right in front of his bedroom window when he moved into his apartment near the railroad crossing on West Sacramento Avenue.

created by:Menzi Phasha