I snapped these photos last Summer while visiting with my daughter in West Texas. They pop up fairly often when I’m searching through my picture files to locate visuals for my articles. I always find myself wishing that I had snapped a few more angles and taken the time to learn the story behind the work. But it was soooo hot. I don’t like to be hot. The locals boast about the “dry heat” they have in West Texas, all I can say to that is – there’s ‘dry heat’ inside my oven as well…

It was a beautiful day, but when I got out of the car all I could think about was how quickly I could make my way to the nearest air-conditioned building. Instead, this little building caught my eye and I was compelled to endure the scorching dry heat to try to capture the images portrayed on it.

Graffiti House is the name I attributed to the building when I saved the photos to my files. I have recently learned that Joey Martinez, Graffiti Artist and U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, is responsible for this mesmerizing artwork. He has depicted himself on the back, left corner of this shot holding a spray paint can. To the right, he depicts an image of a woman battling breast cancer and turning to her faith.

The theme of the installation is heavily influenced by the artist’s culture and celebration of the Day of the Dead. You can use your favorite search engine to read more about that event.

Here is a link to an article I found that talks about the artist and his art. I think it’s fascinating, and I would be very interested in seeing more of his work.