By Heather Matthews
Staff Writer

Ed Osbourne, alderman of Ward 5 in Manchester, is determined to stop kids from vandalizing and defacing the city’s property. He designed these signs to scare potential graffiti artists from leaving their marks on public property.

Taking cubism and the traditions of Picasso and other abstract artists to the streets and walls of neglected buildings and structures, Concordbased artist Fou Rou is turning the underbellies of Concord’s bridges into galleries of fine art.

While it may be illegal, graffiti is the purest form of art there is, he said. Being a graffiti artist is not about breaking the law. According to Fou Rou, it is about being involved in a time-honored tradition of artistic expression, and artists have been leaving their mark in public places around the world since 30,000 B.C.

“It’s exhilarating, beautiful and almost instinctual,” he said.

The marks left by graffiti artists are brief and fl eeting. Pieces are often covered up by other work or cleaned off by the city in a matter of days. Beyond the reach of commerce, graffiti is created solely for artistic and creative self-expression.

But no matter how beautiful or creative, graffiti is illegal vandalism and Ed Osbourne, alderman of Ward 5 in Manchester, is trying to stop it.

“I’m not saying that they are not talented,” Osbourne said. “They are painting on public buildings, and they don’t have permission to do so. Whether it is vacant or it’s not, that doesn’t give them the right to go there and vandalize.”

Osbourne has begun a new graffiti-removal initiative designed to scare graffiti artists out of defacing property. With the help of Ron Ludwig of Manchester Parks and Recreation, he has hung signs warning artists of the legal penalties for graffiti at the skate park, Little League fields and public pool on Maple Street.

Vandalism that results in less that $1,000 in damages can result in a year in prison; anything more than $1,000 could get a person anywhere up to seven years. Not only that, Osbourne said, those caught are left with a Class B felony on their permanent record, something that could aff ect job and college acceptances.

“I’m out to help educate the people about the law,” he said. “I don’t think the kids know how much trouble they can get into. It’s not worth it to get a felony on your record. This is not joke.”

Osbourne plans to take his education into the schools and pass out information to students of all ages about the consequences of vandalism. He hopes this will stop other kids and teens from becoming involved with graffiti.

Large graffiti tags and pieces, Fou Rou said, take less than 3 or 4 minutes to create. In his own work, he often uses spray paint, but sometimes carries a brush and a bucket of paint to his next location.

“It has to be mostly teens and youngsters,” he said. “I haven’t seen any elderly folks out there with cans yet.”

Graffiti is not limited to an adolescent, after-school activity, however, Fou Rou said.

“I’m a 28-year-old professional. I have an office and business cards and all of that,” he said. “I spray paint the hell out of this place, and it is certainly not the result of a lack of things to do. Graffiti is the result of extremely talented artists, and it is now an honored art form. If they paid attention, they would see it. You can see the remnants of Middle Eastern calligraphy in some of the work. It’s really astonishing work, and not all of it is done by a bored 13-year-old kid.”

Steve (who prefers to not use his last name for this story) is a graffiti-removal specialist for the Highway Department in Manchester. He said Fou Rou is a minority in the world of graffiti. According to studies, Steve said, the typical graffiti artist is a male between the ages of 17 and 22, and most of the materials are stolen from home improvement stores such as Home Depot. And while some do tag for the art of it, it is more of a way to stake out a territory or fight against authority, he said.

“Sure, some do it for the art of it, but they all don’t feel that way,” he said.

In his 10 months working on the graffiti removal truck, Steve has seen the occurrences of graffiti balloon. When he began working on the truck, he would have to actively seek out signs and buildings to clean up. Now there is more than one truck can handle.

“It’s definitely getting worse,” he said. “The volume is unbelievable. We could easily have three vehicles like this one working a steady 40-hour week.”

“Hot zones,” where the worst of the tagging can be found, are centered around schools or where school kids spend time. However, graffiti can be found anywhere and everywhere, he said. Tags are found on mailboxes, front doors of homes, street signs and churches.

While his canvases include bridges, underpasses and abandoned buildings, Fou Rou will not paint on small, privately owned businesses, state or government-owned buildings, religious buildings or private residences.

“If anyone tags a church, that’s just ridiculously disrespectful,” he said.

Fou Rou also has another set of rules for tagging: no text, no profanity, no off ensive, representational work - just the simple, abstract strokes of the brush and marks of spray paint. He wants to create a type of public art that everyone can enjoy.

“Places like this need more public art,” he said. “Concord is years behind other places. On some of the pieces that I have worked really hard on, I always joke that I should send the city a bill. But it’s covered so quickly so few people actually get to see this or enjoy it.”

Osbourne said his signs have only been up a month, and the program is in the testing stage now. If the signs prove successful in the few locations they are posted, several more will be placed throughout Manchester. Osbourne said he’s not determined to stop all graffiti, he just wants to make a dent in the situation.

“If I can get 75 percent accomplished, I’d be very happy,” Osbourne said. “You can’t get 100 percent in anything – bank robberies, speeding, crime – but if I can get 75 percent, then I will feel accomplished.”