Let's face it, times are tough. Really tough. Everywhere.

But Bren Bataclan, a painter armed with a cheap canvas from the local Hobby Lobby and his old brush he's reused for several years, is using his artistic talent and quirk to bring a smile to a random stranger for the day.

His plan? He paints a picture -- a simple, quirky cartoon painting with a bright splash of color -- and leaves it on the street. Yes, he leaves his perfected and finished artwork lying around in downtown Boston.

Attached to the small painting is a simple note written in sharpie: "Everything will be alright. This painting is yours to take for free."

Bren has been doing this for years, leaving his artwork in odd places and watching a passerby’s' reactions when they find it. So far he has left his paintings in over half of the states in the country of the United States, not even counting the numerous countries overseas he has traveled to and left his mark, like Ireland, China, England, Italy, Japan, and Canada, just to name a few.

His notes used to read "Smile at a stranger"; but with the recent worldwide economic downturn, among the growing distress the world has seen these last few weeks, his notes have taken a more supportive and uplifting tone, all the while giving a complete stranger a piece of his artwork. His paintings range from 95 USD to 3,000 USD in art galleries, but his theory is that as long as there is a roof over his head, food on his plate, and clothes on his back, giving a few paintings away for free is a small price to pay for the reward of the reactions he receives.

He leaves his paintings in every place imaginable: on subways, on steps, in windows. One was even found in a chair in a Las Vegas casino -- no doubt a very ironic place to leave a note about the economy and it's problems.

Sometimes it's rejected, the painting. Sometimes people just don't know what to think of this odd cartoon painting laying on the court house steps with a hastily written note attached. But 99% of the time, he says, they are received with smiles and even joyful tears on rare occasions.

When Bren is short on cash, he will do a smaller painting; when he has a little extra money, he does a big one. But lack of money won't stop him from bringing a smile to someone who might have had a bad day and needed a little pick-me-up. Bren has been doing this for close to six years now, and he says that the looks on the person who finds his painting's face never gets old.


The Project:

What is it about finding a simple painting on the street that gives us such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside?

I wanted to find out myself, but I soon realized that finding one of Bren's paintings lying around where I lived would take a very long time.

So, instead, I decided to follow in Bren's footsteps to find out what he felt like giving his paintings away. While at a local bookstore today, I left a quick copic marker illustration of a smiling girl I drew and sat it in a reading chair in the cook book section. I left my own personal note attached in my messy scribble, while still keeping close to Bren's original message: "Keep going strong, everything will turn out alright. If you find this, it is yours to keep."

Then, I hid somewhere between the K and P section of fiction, and waited. It only took a couple of minutes to be found. A man (not sure what he was in the cook book section for, though ) of maybe forty or so walked past the chair, stopped, backed up, and looked again. He then picked the picture up, read the note, and stood there for a couple of seconds. Then it came. A small but very apparent smile crawled across his lips and he glanced around, trying to find whoever left this silly thing.

He didn't care about the quality of the artwork. He didn't care about the skill. He didn't care about the numerous misktaes. The only thing he cared about was that he now had a very optimistic view on life, if only for a little while.

I don't know where the picture is now. I don't know if he kept it or trashed it, and I frankly don't care. I saw that smile, and that was good enough for me.

Between then and writing this article, I left two more pieces of work with a note attatched. Two simple sketches, both depicting something happy. I didn't wait around to see how they were recieved, but I think that's half the fun.

Whether you're on the giving or recieving end of this gesture, you some how feel accomplished for the day.

I know, like many others, I don't have much money to spare; if I could I would donate every penny I could. But this is at least something I can do. All I had to do was buy a pack of 250 sheets of cardstock paper for 3.00 USD and a 1.50 USD mechanical pencil. All it cost me was 4.50 USD to brighten three people's day, and this is just the first day I've tried this.

So, here I am, spreading word of this project. It's not originally my project; I give credit to Bren and whoever inspired him, and him before that. I am a firm believer of the fact that optimism can cure many ailments. When we are pessimistic about a problem, we tend to be less motivated to fix it. If we can give people optimism, I believe we can at least jump start fixing (if not completely fix) our current problems, whatever they may be. It is something that everyone can do. Whether you live in a small town in the United States, and busy streets of London, the fast-paced city of Beijing, the countryside of Iran or what have you, I believe this is a project that anyone can do as much as they like; whether you just want to try it once to say you did it, or make a habit of it on your daily commute on the subway. Either way, you're brightening a complete stranger's day.

Who knows, you may even one day find a piece of artwork yourself.






If you want to join this project, there is no one you need to note, ask to join, or talk to. Just go outside and do it.


Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are wanting to do this yourself:

1. Don't print off a picture you found, make what ever you leave YOUR artwork! No matter your experience, skill, or medium as an artist it's much more fun and sentimental to find someone's art rather than a pixelated print off.

2. It doesn't just have to be a painting. It can be a sculpture out of paperclips your made on break, or an uplifting poem you wrote, or one of your favorite photographs you've taken. Be creative!

3. If you decide to attach a note, try not to make your notes political or religious. Short and simple is best and works for everyone! Just a little funny phrase will work just fine and will ensure anyone who picks it up will enjoy it.

4. Make your pictures semi-anonymous! This isn't meant to be a project to plug yourself. Sign your name if you wish, but please refrain from writing your website or deviantART on the back! Bren signs his paintings, but notice he doesn't give prices and directions to his art gallery!

5. HAVE FUN! This is meant to be fun and rewarding for you!

C'mon guys. We're ARTISTS! We all have the power to put a smile on someone's face! Now go get devious, you guys!

KikaiSaigono


Bren Bataclan’s site: [link] and [link]



(I am currently attempting to find translators who would like to translate the details of this project for easier reading for Deviants around the world. My Spanish is really poor, and I doubt anyone would read this article in Latin, so I'm useless. If you would like to help, please note me, I would love you forever! )

(I hope this is in the right category. D: This is only my second news article, so if I've screwed something up, let me know! )