THE FREAK ALLEY EXPERIENCE

Nearly eight billion people on this planet, each one of us different in our own way. Age, gender, religion, race, and sexuality, these differences are what make us all unique. This has been the same since the beginning of human history, and since the beginning this individual uniqueness has inspired a trait we all share; the desire for self-expression, a yearning to leave our mark on this world, to share what makes each of us special. Art has consistently been the vehicle for this expression, as what better way is there to make a mark? The caveman of a millennium ago showed this with their cave drawings, and while much has changed since our hunter gatherer days, painting on walls has not.

Boise, ID is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation and since its inception in 2002, the Freak Alley Gallery has reflected this influx of people, ideas, and culture through art. Located in the heart of downtown, Freak Alley started as a drawing on the alley doorway of a café by eventual founder Colby Akers. Since this original drawing the alley has exploded into the Northwest’s largest open-air, multi-artist mural gallery. Melissa Nodzu, the current face of Freak Alley, took over for founder and O.G. artist Colby Akers in 2020. According to Melissa over 200 artists have been represented in the space. Some have been covered in the layers of paint, as hundreds of new murals were painted from 2011-2019 in the “annual refreshing” of the gallery. The constant additions have led to an ever-evolving space for the hundreds of visitors who walk through the alley every day.

I was lucky enough to talk with a few contributing local artists and get their take on the Freak Alley experience. Their contributions can be seen throughout this article. 

 How/why did you decide to create a mural at Freak Alley? 

Charlie Demaria – Creating a mural for Freak Alley has always been a goal of mine. Having been born and raised on 8th street, I have always held the place near and dear to my heart. It is something truly special that makes downtown Boise unique and I hope that it will continue to promote more of the arts in downtown public spaces. Why have a boring wall when you can decorate it with colorful art? 

 Elms One - I painted my first piece in Freak Alley back in 2004 with my friend Blank One (RIP). I was just starting to really get into painting, and it was a cool place in the middle of downtown. It wasn’t all covered like it is today, there were only a couple of small spaces. Since then, I’ve painted dozens of pieces down there because it's a great place to practice and showcase your work.

Bobby Gaytan – I decided to paint a mural at Freak Alley when Colby Akers, the founder, asked me to. He had a vision for the alley to bring artists together and give them an opportunity to create and share their art in a place where they can be themselves. I’ve painted at least 10 murals over the years at FA. I’ve met so many cool artists that have become my friends.

What was the creative process behind deciding what the mural was going to be?

Charlie – The second piece I made is on a doorway on the south-side (of the alley). The piece, entitled Sawdust and Diamonds, was directly inspired by the musician Joanna Newsom. The song to me speaks of vulnerability, coping with the loss of a child, and the fragility of life. In her lyrics, the words Sawdust and Diamonds seem to reflect the dichotomy between valueless and valuable as the two materials represent vastly opposing societal meanings. The song as a whole speaks towards the idea of eternity as well. I wanted to represent these two characters in an abstracted form in an attempt to place them in an otherworldly, ethereal spotlight as I felt that is where the song transports the listener. Though the turnaround for paintings in Freak Alley, especially on the lower sections, I find solace in that sense of temporality. 

 Elms – I like to use the alley as a place to really explore imagery and concepts. I do a lot of client-specific commission work, so having a place to just have fun and express yourself is important. Sometimes ideas come to me suddenly, sometimes I brainstorm for a while. I always have a small part of my mind thinking about concepts for paintings so they can be influenced by everyday life.

Bobby – My creative process starts with an idea that incorporates something positive. Sometimes it takes longer for me to come up with the right idea versus actually painting it. I like to paint whimsical characters or an animal scene that makes people smile. I sketch out the idea on my blackbook and then either freehand it on the wall or use a doodle grid. The more practice I get the easier it is to freehand it.

How much experience do you have with creating large scale art pieces?

 Charlie – I don’t really have too much mural work under my belt just yet. Aside from the two pieces I have in Freak Alley, I have a third painting of a steal-your-face on a garage wall in the North End. That was a really exciting project for me. After it was all completed, the Grateful Dead tribute band, Grateful, gathered around it one night during a Hyde Park Street Fair because they knew it was a safe place to be. I found that hilarious because it fulfilled the most desirable aspect that art can accomplish, bringing like minded people together and sharing tangible moments. 

Elms – I’ve been doing murals for about 15 years or so.

Bobby – I’ve been painting large scale murals for over 2 decades. One of my first 18’ x 10’ murals was inside the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho, which is still up. I typically paint about 5-7 large scale murals during a year. This is because I am usually designing, painting smaller scale art or working on other creative projects.

What is your typical medium of art?

Charlie – I typically go for using colored pencils and gouache coupled with various mixed media techniques as I find that the flat washes of gouache emulate digital technique. I also find that the two mediums are easily layer-able. It is certainly a reach working with paint as the mark making strategies between wet and dry media can be very different. 

Elms – Usually I am working with house paint and aerosol cans. 

Bobby – I consider myself a versatile artist that uses a variety of mediums including digital, drawing, acrylic paint, oil paint, photography, mix media, screen print, and aerosol. My typical medium is acrylic and aerosol in which I use an airbrush or spray cans. With aerosol I get to cover large areas in a short amount of time.

How was the experience of the actual creation of the mural? Did you work during the day/night? Did a crowd form to watch?

Charlie – The experience of painting down at Freak Alley was something I found to be absolutely rewarding. I went hard the first half of the week worried that I wouldn’t be able to gauge my time properly. It felt right to take on the bulk of the project from the very beginning and then spend the latter half adding nice finishing touches as well as networking with the awesome artists that painted alongside me. Another factor to the whole thing was the heat of the day, and so for that reason I often got most of my work done at night. The temperature also affects the condition of the paint. If it is too hot out, the paint will run thin, and pigments begin to separate out as the heavier metals fall to the bottom and compromise the original hue. If I was out working too late and the temperature dropped, the paint would thicken up and make the process of cleaning my paint brushes all the more challenging as the acrylic would dry incredibly fast. Some nights I would be out there till 2 or 3 in the morning even if it wasn’t all that necessary. I really found that it was less about the painting and more about the community aspect. Crowds would come and go all week as they passed through, and it became more of an opportunity to get my name out to the public. And of course, my amazing friends that would come down, set up chairs and have makeshift stick-and-poke tattoo stations was really my biggest support.

Elms – I have had so many experiences painting in Freak Alley over the years. I’ve worked all hours of the day and met all kinds of people. These days it’s a destination within Boise, but it used to be a bit rougher around the edges and more of a DIY feel. I could probably write a small anthology on all the stories down there. 

Bobby – I paint in the evenings or on the weekends since I work during the week. I am used to painting in front of a crowd because of my experience airbrushing at state fairs for over 12 years. I’ve also done performance art where I paint behind a live band. When I paint murals outdoors, I always have an audience watching. It is exciting to see a live mural come to life from start to finish.

Has your mural increased your exposure and led to more opportunities for commissionable pieces?

Charlie – It has certainly helped me reach a broader audience as my Instagram tag is attached with it, but so far it has not helped in creating any more work/opportunities for me. The mural business in Boise is a competitive one that requires a lot of gumption to thrive in. 

Elms – Yeah for sure. Since so many people filter through there you never know who may see your work.

Bobby – Yes it has. I usually try to learn something new from each mural I paint. I am always trying to improve my painting skills. Mural work isn’t easy, but it is very rewarding when you are done. The exposure leads to more work, but it depends on how well your last painting is received by the public. That is why it is important to me to always give it my all each time I go and paint. For me the reward is in the process of creating.

With Freak Alley being such a notable landmark in Boise, it serves not only as a destination, but as an inspiration to other artists in the community. Murals are a much larger scale than other art forms, presenting a larger set of challenges. Kevin Chapton is a Boise area sketch artist who has recently been dabbling in mural work. “Honestly, I’m so accustomed to sketching. I’ve been sketching since I was like 7 and have never stopped”, says Chapton. “(a challenge) for murals opposed to small canvases is the use of cans. There’s definitely a technique to it, there’s different cap sizes, stencil caps, and it’s all how you use them much like different styles of brushes.”

“My inspiration would be just the process of creating the images on a large scale, I love it and there’s a lot of local talent here in Boise that definitely inspire me to get better. I have a wall that is basically my sketchbook, as I improve it would be nice to share my work as a mural around Boise. When I feel confident enough, I’d love to hit up Freak Art Gallery or apply for a project”. 

Perspective is a powerful thing, and every artist who utilizes the gallery brings their own.

This massive example of self-expression on the large scale makes every trip down the alley what it is: The Freak Alley Experience.

Written by Blake Chainey