Hecho en Mexico: Scribe Heads South
Graffiti Across the Border
Scribe, known worldwide for his graffiti murals and fine artwork, headed south to Mexico on a recent trip to visit his sister and her family. While there, he participated in a community art project that involved painting an 18-wheeler trailer and distributing posters of his artwork to local children. "I don't know how they came up with the 18 wheeler," says Scribe, whose given name is Donald Ross. "It was a cool idea but a little hard to paint on."
Scribe's work has gained a following online and in places as far away as Japan. In Mexico, familiarity with his art preceded Scribe's arrival. He was also well-received as a guest. "The people down there were so nice and it really blew me away how many people down there knew my work. They named a lot of my early murals and work from KC," he said. "The thing that really humbled me was how nice they were and some of the people throwing the event had no money at all but somehow made it all happen. I was in the really rough parts of Mexico...this was no resort trip!"
Sharing his artistic gifts with children has long been a priority with Scribe. Inspired by his two sons Elijah and Jonah, he developed the concept for a children's book, There's an Octopus Under My Bed, filled with his richly-colored illustrations and published it earlier this year. (Read more about the making of the book and learn more about Scribe's inspiration for the project.) In Mexico, he was flattered to meet children who knew his work and admired his talents.
"The amount of kids that came up to me and told me how amazed [they were] that I would even come to paint there almost made me cry," he says. "I had to just look down at times because they treated me like some rock star and it was so not deserved."
Scribe with his sister and family.
Scribe held a gallery show inside an 18-wheeler where he exhibited large-scale posters printed in Mexico while he was there. He also offered small versions of his work. "We did a lot of posters that were small and sold them for 20 pesos ($1.85) which was hard for some little kids so my sister snuck
them to the kids," says Scribe. "My sister and family handled all the sales so I gave their ministry all the money only taking enough home for a cup of coffee at the Dallas airport."
Spending time in Mexico among locals had an impact on Scribe, reminding him of the good fortune he enjoyed back home in midtown Kansas City. "The trip blew me away," he says. "We have it so good here."
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