Well, the one I laughed the hardest at was painted over by the city not that long ago, dammit. It took me a few to get it; it was NOT obvious.
As best as I can describe it, it was a beautifully-drawn diamond-shaped swimming pool, with the diving board at the top – a pair of round, puffy bushes at the base – matched by a seamless, V-shaped hedge, neatly trimmed, at the bottom. The pool had lovely tile steps forming a double arch, also at the bottom, extending almost halfway into the pool, and the artist had even drawn the drain hole carefully. Oddly, it seemed to be halfway between the bushy V and the edge of the steps, but oh well.
The fence for the pool formed a large inverted V, almost parallel to the edges of the pool but not quite, and the top was rounded off with a slight dip in the middle, where the gate stood – a modest affair with a wrought-iron star on top.
I stood for a few minutes, admiring the artistry – it was really quite good – and then it occurred to me where I’d seen it before.
Waay back in school – elementary, I think, but it might have been junior high – I was shown a trick by a friend. It was a joke drawing. You start by drawing a diamond and tell the viewer it’s a swimming pool. Then you add the stairs, the drain, and the diving board. Then bushes, the fence, etc.
Eventually you finish, and everyone who’s watching realizes that you’ve just drawn a pencil sketch… of a couple having sex.
Whoever the graffiti artist was, he took it to a whole new level. I gotta respect that sort of talent.