Atlanta's Blah Girls

The Reynoldstown Building By the Bridge

2009-03-29T12:23:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago on a bright beautiful sunny Sunday in Atlanta, I left the house ostensibly to run errands. Halfway down Boulevard I realized I didn't have the slightest interest in shops and the like and instead decided to visit my best friend in Reynolds-Cabbage. Instead of taking Pearl from Memorial as I usually do, I took Chester and happened to notice this amazing rickety old bridge down Fulton Terrace. The sun glowed over the top of the arc of the bridge and I just knew there was a Girl to be found.

I turned onto Fulton Terrace which becomes Mauldin when you cross under the bridge and immediately I saw this warehouse:

It was like a game, finding the Girls amongst this incredible collection of Atlanta's tags. Then of course, there she was on a door:

And again, growing up from the ground sporting a thought bubble and boobs that were not her own.

Sadly, both of these Girls were clearly very old compared to other pieces on the building. I think this is even more proof that the Girl may be gone- but hopefully just on sabbatical.

Moreland Marker Girl

2009-02-14T12:57:00.002-05:00

We saw this very faint marker Girl while stuck in late afternoon traffic on Moreland avenue. Its on a telephone pole in between Kirkwood and Merlin Avenues and is drawn above an old wheatpasted flyer from the 2007 U.S. Social Forum. High five to Mohammad for taking this shot on a cellphone while the car was moving! I actually really like it with the sun streaming through. Find the hearts, find the Girl.

Sevananda Sidewalk Girl

2009-02-02T22:09:00.002-05:00

I stopped at the Sevananda Natural Foods Market the other day and when I stepped out of my car I stepped right on top of this YOu Go Girl message. I love the hotpink spray paint. This is the second You Go Girl siting so far, the first one is at the corner of Edgewood and Krog streets. This also marks the first Girl found in Little 5 Points.

A Wrong Turn Leads to a Blah Girl

2009-01-25T13:09:00.005-05:00

All credit for this Girl goes to a favorite Friend of Blah Girl, Shawn- thanks so much! Shawn writes:

First, thanks again for you site. And truthfully, I had given up on see a new Blah girl. Not that I stopped from looking at(or looking for) new street art during my travels through the city, but the thought of an artist not creating art is a saddening thing. No matter the artist.

Anyway, on to the Blah girl. I made a wrong turn, coming out of the Krog St. tunnel going into Cabbagetown, instead of making a left on Wylie I made a right. And after going this way for a short time I realized I made the wrong. So, I needed to double back to get going in the right direction on Wylie and as I was about the start to make my right turn on Wylie and head in the right direction I saw a Blah Girl. So, I made followed this correcting route again to get a picture of her. It was easy to get to her again, all the roads (except Wylie) are one way. So, go on Wylie, to Savannah, to Pickett to Berean, and just before you get back to Wylie the Blah Girl is on a fence on the right.

But I'm not sure if this is a new Blah Girl. The tag next to her goes over the top of her, instead of the other way.

I really love this particular shot that Shawn sent that shows a larger view of the fence covered with a great collection of the many different tags that define this part of our city:

Lenny's Girl

2009-01-18T12:24:00.001-05:00

I was driving with Ela last night and as we drove by the You Go Girl tag I lamented the fact that it's been so long since new Blah Girls have been spotted, and that I feared she might be gone forever. A couple of my readers here have posted that some Cabbagetown neighborhood association had published online information about where the Blah Girl creator lives as part of their "crack down" on street art. I wouldn't blame the Blah Girl creator at all for being more cautious under these terms.

But then when I checked my email moments later, I got a message from the lovely Jana who sent pictures of a Girl she had found at Lenny's Bar on Friday night. I just LOVE this Girl too. I love the fat marker and the contrast between her blackest black and the whiteness of the wall and sink- not to mention her mischievous expression. Ela commented that I should try to get the same design down over my kitchen sink which I think would be terrific.

Thank you Jana for proof that she is not gone! And Blah Girl Creator- if you're out there, keep the Girls coming and holler if you want some commissioned work!

Citgo Dumpster Girl

2008-11-15T10:56:00.006-05:00

Well, this has been a great weekend so far- kicked off with two parties last night, the second of which my new BFF Jason was nice enough to let me play Rock Band on his new Wii, oh man!- and then this morning I hear from Blah Girl Seeker Shawn of a brand new Girl! I actually was starting to get worried that the Girl might have retired because it's been so long since I've seen new Girls anywhere. I'm so relieved this isn't the case!

Shawn found this Girl on the corner of Wylie and Moreland yesterday afternoon, on the dumpster in the Citgo parking lot. I love this picture even more because of the Gun Show sign in the back- oh Georgia!!!

You Go Girl!

2008-10-17T15:39:00.003-04:00

I had my suspicions that this "You Go Girl" on the corner of Edgewood and Krog was done by the Blah Girl Creator, but felt sure once Lori also pointed it out.

Any thoughts on the monster tags that are going up on Boulevard and around the neighborhood - some say "rawr" and some say "sorry" across the mouth (backwards r's) - are also done by our Girl creator?

Wylie Street #2

2008-10-03T13:36:00.002-04:00

This is the second Girl spotted by Ela on Wylie Street on the border of Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown. I wonder if anyone will put a bikini on her like they did on the formerly-topless girl that lives a block away from this girl on Pearl Street.

NOLA Girl

2008-09-27T15:00:00.002-04:00

I couldn't have been more excited to receive a message this morning from Lauren with pictures of the furthest away Blah Girl so far- she's from New Orleans. Like so many of her Blah sisters, this girl is now gone so I'm even more glad to have evidence of her smile.

Lauren writes:

This comes from S. Claiborne Ave. in New Orleans and the pic was taken in July. Sad thing is, it was on the wall of an abandoned auto garage that was demolished last week, so technically this Blah Girl now only exists in the photo.

Thanks SO much for sending her!

One of the MJQ Girls

2008-09-06T17:54:00.002-04:00

FInally I remembered to take a picture of the Girl in the bathroom at MJQ that Malissa told me about ages ago. Apparently though I missed another girl in the other bathroom but I'll remember next time.

Behind Mary's

2008-08-21T22:43:00.004-04:00

After checking out the East Atlanta Ice House on its second night ever open for business - featuring two of my Atlanta favorites DJ Swivel and Sharaab - and a quick stop at the Flat Iron, we came across this Girl on a dumpster behind Mary's.

BP on Hill and Memorial

2008-08-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

Pulling up at the BP on Memorial and Hill Street, on our way from the fantastic Rodrigo y Gabriel show at the Tabernacle, on our way to The Standard for a nightcap, I roll on up to a little Girl on the newspaper stand.

North Avenue by the Masquerade

2008-08-06T12:04:00.002-04:00

I spotted this Girl a few weeks ago on my way to the Tom Waits show, but didn't have my camera. There was a second Girl about a block west of her, but by the time I came back to get this picture, the second Girl was gone. You can find the remaining Girl on North Avenue just East of the bridge next to the Masquerade.

2nd Avenue and Hosea

2008-07-29T11:48:00.005-04:00

Thanks go out Shawn, a new Friend of Blah Girl for sending in this new Girl. Shawn writes:

I stopped at the light at the intersection of 2nd and Hosea Williams looked to my right and saw a Blah girl. I was able to get up the fence that surrounded the building to take the picture. I looked for a way to get past the fence, but didn't have too much time. I needed to get back to my car before the light turned green.

Shawn gets a high five (and perhaps a traffic warning from APD) for acrobatics like jumping out of the car to get the pic! We are grateful; this marks the first Girl recorded here in Kirkwood.

Sugar Britches

2008-07-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, Ela texted me a picture that her duplex-mate Stephanie took of a Blah Girl, but I kept forgetting to ask where it was taken.

Yesterday afternoon I was walking in East Atlanta and came across this marker-drawn Girl in front of the parking lot between Sugar Britches and Traders- the same one I was texted just days before!

The Glenwood

2008-07-05T15:25:00.001-04:00

My old pal Chris is the newest Friend of Blah Girl, letting me know about this Girl behind The Glenwood one of my favorite restaurants in East Atlanta Village.

The Shed

2008-06-29T15:43:00.002-04:00

After a Blah Girl -free period, I saw this Girl on the corner of Glenwood and Bill Kennedy Way (formerly known as the Glenwood-Memorial Connector). She is just behind a new restaurant called The Shed where I ate the most delicious beet salad I've ever had.

The Local

2008-06-08T12:14:00.004-04:00

Last night as we were parking at The Local I said to Ela, I think there's a Blah Girl here. I checked the dumpster for her cute little face, but just found lots of other scrawls.

A little bit later I trekked to the ladies room with Mica. As I closed the door of the teeny tiny stall, I found myself looking face-to-face with the first Midtown Girl that I've ever seen.

I think the faint writing in the background says "SARA LOVE". And Sara does love.

Blessing Tires

2008-05-23T17:20:00.001-04:00

We're getting closer to Grant Park! This Girl was found on the lot of Blessing Tires (It used to just say "Blessen" but someone made the second E into an I and added a G in green paint a few years ago) at the corner of Boulevard and Memorial, across from Oakland Cemetery.

Glenwood and Stovall

2008-05-19T00:31:00.007-04:00

On my way to my lovely friend Amanda's house, I found my first ever Ormewood Park Girl! Next I want to see a Grant Park Girl for the first time.

Disappearing Blah Cloud

2008-05-15T18:25:00.004-04:00

This is on Edgewood on the bridge in between Airline and Gunby street, across from AC White Transfer & Storage. I love the cloud even without the Girl.

On the other side of the bridge at the same time that I was taking pictures, there were two men painting over other things painted on the bridge. It appears that this Blah's end is imminent, so I'm glad I saw it today.

Banna Grocery Store

2008-05-14T11:45:00.002-04:00

This giant Blah Girl is on the side of the Banna Grocery Store at the corner of Irwin and Howell. I love the blahs on the vents! Photographed on the way to work this morning.

The Story of Blah Girl and my Bottomless Love for Street Art

2008-05-12T20:47:00.007-04:00

I have been photographing street art since I was a teenager. While riding the El in Chicago I would stare out the window and watch the art unfold along cemetery walls, through tunnels, up on top of super high buildings. I fell in love with the idea of spray paint and public expression - the inherent law-breaking nature of street art also appealed to my rebellious teenage self.

My documentation started with my friend David.

I would go with him sometimes when he would go tagging on the bridges and underpasses in Chicago suburbs.

My friend Rachel had a basement where we could paint and repaint the walls. It was here that I first held a can of spray paint and failed miserably at making definable shapes.

It didn't take me long to put down the paint can permanently and hold a little more firmly to my camera. I realized that my strength is in framing, memorializing, and relentlessly watching my environment.

One of the greatest places for street art photography is in my hometown, Chicago, in the Pilsen neighborhood.

I always admired the honesty of the Pilsen street art, like this one that shows the range of family relationships from love and companionship to the family as a prison. I love how free form art tells stories of its community, its people.

I have photographed street art in travels around the world. From Dublin, Ireland

to Mazatlan, Mexico

to Islamic Cairo, Egypt

and of course my home of now eight years, Atlanta.

The first time I ever saw a Blah Girl in Atlanta was April, 2007. I was driving south on Boulevard passing the Fulton Cotton Mill on the left and Oakland Cemetery on the right when I saw her.

I loved her from the first moment. I loved how purely joyful she looked, the simplicity of her form and the choice of pink as her color. I loved the hearts that flew freely from her body. She made me smile just by existing. I grabbed my always-toted camera out of my purse and snapped a quick shot.

From that point forward, I started watching for her. It amazed me how without even trying, I would wind up in places where she was- whether we were searching for a new place for my friend to rent or out drinking at a bar. The Blah Girl became an auspicious sign.

She is fleeting though- such is the nature of street art. I was sad when that first Girl disappeared by way of white paint. But just a few months later, there she was again.

I have seen her in curls and flowers, bikinis and topless, on trucks and in bathroom stalls, in blue, green, red, pink and black. I want to honor her and her creator by archiving her existence in our lovely city of Atlanta.

I originally posted the photos at my personal blog, Ashes and Glass. Recently I decided she deserved her own site to stretch her cute little arms and settle in for awhile.
So here we are at our new home on blogger and there's no place like home!

I have posted some answers to frequently asked questions. Come back and visit for new Blah Girl pics and let me know if you come across any of your own. You can email me at sara dot totonchi at gmail dot com and give me a location or send me pictures you take yourself. Pictures taken by people other than me get the honorary Friends of Blah Girl tag.

Blah blah, hearts, love, kisses, spray paint.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Blah Girl Project

2008-05-12T20:32:00.006-04:00

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the Blah Girl:

A: I am not the creator of the Blah Girl. I am nowhere near as cool or talented as she is.

A: I do not know the Blah Girl creator. People who do have told me bits and pieces about her, but we have never met. I look forward to that day if/when it happens. I would give her a great big hug and thank her for all her work and give her some cash to buy new paint. I would plead with her not to think I'm a total stalker for being obsessive about documentation of her art.

A: I do not go searching for the Blah Girl. I jut shoot pictures whenever I run into her. I'm grateful that we travel in similar circles.

A: I definitely love getting tips of places where new Blah Girls appear. You can email me at sara dot totonchi at gmail dot com and give me a location or send me pictures you take yourself. Pictures taken by people other than me get the honorary Friends of Blah Girl tag.

Wedding Girl

2008-05-11T14:59:00.006-04:00

I knew before I even saw her that the Blah Girl wouldn't miss her chance to smile on the union of Beck and Garrett at the Eyedrum yesterday. I found her exactly where I thought she'd be: grinning from her post in the bathroom.

Jackson and Edgewood

2008-05-07T18:44:00.003-04:00

On the way to work this morning, Mica and I came across this Girl at an old gas station.

Girl Under the Stacks

2008-05-04T22:16:00.002-04:00

When it rains it pours - And I'm not just talking about this grey Atlanta day. After what seemed like a Blah Girl drought, she's back smiling all around the city. Here she is below the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts on Shelton Street in Cabbagetown.

1, 2, 3, 4 Blah Girls on the Bathroom Doors

2008-05-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Blah Girl also drinks at 97 Estoria, as illustrated by 4 different appearances in one little bathroom stall. She starts out all pretty for the evening with flowers in her hair but then as the night goes on hearts fly out of her, she drinks to much and ultimately loses her top and says "grow up" and "eff you" to the rest of the bar.

Tornado Blah Girl

2008-03-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

Here is girl I found at the corner of Memorial and Boulevard while absorbing the damage of the tornado in Cabbagetown.

Reynolds-Cabbage Girl

2008-03-12T22:09:00.000-04:00

Here's a brand new Girl shot by the lovely Ela on Wylie Street on the way from Cabbagetown into Reynoldstown.

Blah Girls in Athens

2008-03-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to recieve evidence of the existance of a new Blah Girl from my darling friend Red-Handed Jill.

Jill found her in Athens. Makes me think its probably time that I go east to visit Athens and two girls that I love indeed.

Missing Blah Girl at Edgewood and Jackson

2008-02-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

I see the Blah but where's the Girl?

The Earl's Blah Girl

2008-01-27T21:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted a new Blah Girl! I'm happy to bring you this one, fresh from a Hawaiian-themed Dunch at The Earl. They decked the place out with pineapples, cocnuts, bamboo; there were tropocal print shirts and leis everywhere. Tag Team played. I saw old friends, Ryan from Berry, lovely rock n' roll Vanessa and even my old coworker Palmer. What a great way to spend Sunday afternoon!

Sideways and Original

2007-10-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

A new Blah Girl, at the corner of Chester and Fulton Terrace in Reynoldstown.

I really love this one, sideways and cheery.

The original Blah Girl -the one featured on my blog banner- was on Boulevard in between the Fulton Cotton Mill lofts and the Oakland Cemetery wall. The first time I saw her I couldn't stop smiling and thanked my lucky stars that I always carry my camera. Sadly, she was painted over a while ago.

I'm happy to share that the original spot once again is ornamented with a new Blah Girl- saw her for the first time today.

Again, I want to send out gratitude to the Blah Girl creator.

THANK YOU for the surprise and joy seeing her always gives me.

Always Auspicious on Pearl Street

2007-10-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

In addition to being a delight in her green bikini and encircled by floating hearts and an ice cream cone, this time the Blah Girl was a sign of hope and home for another lovely girl.

This one lives at the corner of Pearl and Marcus Streets in Cabbagetown.

On a Truck / at El Myr

2007-10-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

This one on the left is off of the side of a truck and was taken by my lovely roomie Anne with her cell phone camera.

This other one smiled back at me from the girl's bathroom at El Myr. Apparently Mademoiselle Blah and I travel in the same circles. But we already knew that, I suppose.

Moreland and Glenwood

2007-09-24T21:46:00.000-04:00

This one is at the corner of Moreland and Glenwood, heading into East Atlanta Village.

Looks like this one might have been a bit rushed... still love it in contrast with the "Wage" and "Fatso."

Boulevard and Ralph McGill

2007-09-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

This Girl surprised me when I was driving out of the Atlanta Medical Center.