Pentax K7
HDR 5 Photos
I met Ellis in early 2002. Ellis was working various jobs at the time with little success, and I believe was turning 30 the next year. Out lives couldn’t be more different yet the same. Like Ellis at the time I had no idea what life would bring, I didn’t have a career, interests, or a good job. I was managing a dorm on Tillary street (fun Job if you like cleaning up after 20 year olds all night). Ellis was doing some graffiti but we became friends playing pool for beer at Annie’s blue moon our local bar on Montague Street.
I lived there just over a year in 2003 I decided I needed a break from NYC and decided to ride my bicycle across the country. I left Brooklyn and moved out to queens to save money.
I lost touch with everyone I met on Montague Street, Yet I always wondered what happened to them. I went back a couple times but nearly every place I used to hang out in had changed, was gone, or under different management. Id tell friends about Ellis and myself playing pool, taking midnight trips to Harlem, using fire extinguishers for our amusement, and general debauchery. Almost without fail my friends ask about Ellis as most of them remember him from the couple times they visited me there.
Fast forward to late 2008 and I am watching TV and hear a familiar voice. The man on tv was getting arrested for drawing on the sidewalk but I couldn’t see his face. I knew the voice so when the commercials came on I decided to stay on that channel. After the break I hear the voice again and to my surprise I saw Ellis, getting released from jail and going back to the same spot to sign his work.
I did some searching and found out that he has been doing chalk art since about 2005, and that he has a myspace and facebook account. I had seen his work all over Brooklyn and admired the creativity. I got in touch with him through facebook, we made some tentative plans to meet up but something always went wrong, it rained, was cold, he was gone, I was gone etc… etc…
I Shot Ellis a message on Tuesday and we made plans for Thursday. This time it worked out and I got some pretty awesome pictures.