It was many years ago that a local man, who wishes to keep his identity concealed, came across a P.T. Barnum quote – “The noblest art is of making others happy.” Taking inspiration from that quote, he came up with the idea for what he refers to as “reverse graffiti” in the form of bird and insect structures posted up in roadside trees, telephone poles, and signage.
“I wanted to be the reverse of graffiti. See, graffiti makes you mad because it destroys property and it’s so disrespectful to do. So I wanted to do something that is completely fun, light and happy,” explained the anonymous creator. “It’s not political, it’s not religious, it’s not commercial, I don’t sell them. I do it in areas where I drive by frequently because I like to see them.”
A lifelong admirer of nature, the anonymous creator read Jack London’s novel “The Call Of The Wild” as a child and became infatuated with wildlife. One of his creations, a small sign, is tucked on the side of Mountain Road near Angel’s Food Market that reads “The Call Of The Wild”.
The bird and insect structures, which the anonymous creator said there are at least a dozen of along Mountain Road, began around a decade ago in Pasadena. “I try to make them out of material that is indestructible. The swan is the most recent one. That was made out of aluminum, and the main body was made out of plastic. The main idea is that they’ll last a long, long time,” he said.
The anonymous creator explained he was a former special operations officer and captain in the military when he started his art sketches. The bird structures began around 30 years ago, he said. “It all started with trying to save this tree. These developers wanted to cut it down. So I concluded maybe if I put a woodpecker in it, I could use it as a rally cry to save the woodpecker, which would then save the tree,” he said. “So it was silly stuff like that.”
The anonymous artist emphasized that this is simply a lighthearted way to make the community smile. “Our country is going through a very difficult year. So this is simply a way for people to see something fun that they can’t object to,” he added. “I also believe that the key to this is the anonymity of it all. It takes the fun out of it if you know the guy.”
Asked if he is ever concerned about anyone removing his structures, he said it would make him very unhappy. “It would take a really bad guy to remove one of my birds. That person would have absolutely no sense of humor,” he commented.
As for the future of his artistic creations, he said he currently has no plans to stop. “I consider this area my own little art studio,” he said.
