Chad Hasegawa

Friday, January 7, 2022

Split Three Ways

"Split Three Ways" is painted on a poured concrete wall of the Loew's Warfield Theatre which opened May 13, 1922. The wall was last painted by Tom Lee in '99, (shout out to you Tom for leaving your mark in the paint). The mural stands 55 feet tall from the roof of the Crazy Horse on Market Street near Taylor St. And it lays 88 feet wide.

The "Three" of us (Cormac, Caleb, and myself Chad) painted it on two 33 foot swing stages and one 13 foot swing stage that had to be moved towards the end to complete the mural because of a slight bend in the wall. It was operated by a modern day electrical motor attached to the stages but it still felt nostalgic to paint the wall in this way. And instead of those big slop horse hair brushes, we used rollers and an electric airless paint sprayer.

For now, the wall sits as is, resting behind the Spring-filled trees on Market Street. In the Fall and throughout winter the mural will be revealed to the pedestrians of Market Street. Then when spring comes around again it will go back to being viewed by peaking through the trees filled with leaves, almost forgotten. I love that about this seasonal mural. I will wait patiently to see you every Fall. @cormacculate @luggagestoregallery @c4itwaswritten @thewarfield

process of 'Split Three Ways'

'Sandy Beach Parking Lot' at Park Life Gallery

Sandy Beach Parking Lot. What a great place to grow up. I spent most of my youth going to Sandy beach. I remember when I was a young kid always begging my dad to drive-through the parking lot just to check out the waves. As I got older, I was able to go there on my own with my friends. We’d walk there barefoot with just our boards, no towel, no slippers, just what we’d wear in the water. After being in the water all day we’d beg people for a ride back home. We’d hang out in the parking lot while doing so, everybody did. I’d say 50% of going to the beach is hanging out in the parking lot, “talking story”, and watching all the action. I’d look at all the cars and try to imagine which car I’d have when I’d save enough money to buy my first car. The Civic hatchbacks from the 80s caught my attention. The car was 10 years old at the time but the Civic hatchback still looked cool. I loved the back lights. I loved the way the window opened in the back because it didn't have a tale-gate. Only the window lifted up and I remember watching this guy put his body board and fins straight into the car while lifting that little glass. It all fit perfectly. I loved how boxy and clean and minimal the car was. I believe this is where my love of minimal art began. And Sandy Beach is where my love of color came from. I love the way bright strong colors illuminated against the sand and water. It really set a vibe at the beach. You could tell who your friends were in the water amongst the other 100 people in the water because you could see the combination of their board and their fins. While out in the water, you needed to have a visual marker to look at so you didn't get drifted by the strong current and so you didn't get taken where you weren't supposed to be. Luckily, people used to hang their towels from their cars almost like a flag. You could always have a visual marker whether it was the lifeguard stand, the bathroom, a tree, or that bright colored towel flapping in the wind.

This show is dedicated to everyone that hung out in the parking lot at Sandy's beach in the 90s. Especially to my friend’s mom that would wait patiently for him every day to come out of the water. Sometimes she would beep her horn to tell him to come out. Rest in Peace, Mrs.Young.