Positively Main Street

BY CONSTANCE CHERISE

Photos courtesy of Positive Street Art or by Robert Ortiz (where indicated)

Shepard Fairey, Tristan Easton, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy are all famous artists who have left a permanent mark on the world. Add to that list, artist-in-residence of Nashua’s Positive Street Art, Manny Ramirez.

If you are unsure of Ramirez’s artistic fortitude, consider one of his latest endeavors: “Poseidon’s Grasp,” a phantasmagorical mural reminiscent of pinball art, based on “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Japanese artist Hokusai. Clearly a fantasy piece, it’s hard not to wonder, with its kinetic structure, saturated hues and alluring effect, if at night, when no one is watching, somehow it comes to life.

“Basically, our technological advances don’t compare much to nature, that’s kind of his idea,” said Ramirez. “I wanted this modern idea and I took a little bit of Greek mythology, like a goddess that came out and just destroyed all the boats, and that kind of urban legend mythology.” It’s not only “Poseidon’s Grasp” where Ramirez flexes his creative command. “Young Heroes,” a set of two murals located on the >>

The “Young Heroes” murals are “meant to give people hope and feel empowered in their life for what they can do.” – Manny Ramirez and Cecilia Ulibarri, founders or Positive Street Art

Photo by Robert Ortiz

Nashua PAL building, showcases the mystical encapsulation of possibility that lies within us. “It’s meant to give people hope and feel empowered in their life for what they can do,” said Ramirez. Perhaps his most personal mural to date, also part of the Young Heroes project, is a portrait where his niece was used as the model of a superhero. “I feel like I did a really good job on that one, that one is the most touching for me,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez’s introduction to art began at a very young age during a trip to the doctor’s office for a childhood booster shot, when his weary father, trying to calm his hysterical son, stumbled upon a creative solution. “I must have been, like, 4 or 5 years, and I was going to get my vaccine shot. I was freaking out. I wanted to leave the hospital. He was trying to calm me down. Eventually, he just kind of gave up and he was sitting right next to me.” His father grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and started drawing. Ramirez said he can’t remember the exact drawing, only the way that he drew it and how good it was, but it made him stop crying. “I was, like, wait, what’s he doing? He softened the whole entire moment. The nurse came and she was preparing to give me my shot. It could’ve been this moment like, ‘Oh, I got a needle that hurts so bad.’ No. I don’t even remember the shot. I don’t remember anything else but what he was doing,” explained Ramirez.

The “Young Heroes” murals at the Nashua Police Athletic League are designed to inspire and empower.

In that moment of creative convergence where a boy experienced the ignition of his inner spark, Ramirez firmly decided he wanted to draw like his father.

It was not until later years that Ramirez would learn his father was not an artist, although convincing his 5-year-old son otherwise, at that moment, would have proven difficult. “I continued to draw for as long as I can remember, then to find out later on in my life that my dad is not an artist. He was really good at it, but he didn’t consider himself an artist, and he never really wanted to pursue that as a career,” said Ramirez.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ramirez and his family moved to New York when he was 11. His mother later settled in Nashua, while Ramirez remained with his grandparents in New York. During his adolescent years, Ramirez’s mother decided to move her son to New Hampshire. “I was getting into trouble and I needed to change. So my mom decided to come and pick me up and bring me here,” Ramirez said.

Later in life, he found himself at a personal crossroads. While experiencing the drudgery of traditional routes to support his then-family, Ramirez decided to pursue his own fulfillment, enrolling in the Art Institute of New York City. “I just wanted to make myself happy. I gave everything that I could to make sure that my kids were good. I made sure that their mother was good and that everything was fine, and then when that failed, I was, like, OK, what now? What do I want to do?” He had worked hard at all those hard jobs, but they brought him nowhere. “The only thing that was lingering around that I was confident enough to follow was art. So I went to school for graphic design,” Ramirez said.

Following his instinctual path, what appeared as coincidence transitioned into fate.

Attending a silent art auction upon the urging of an insistent friend, and drawn to a particular piece, Ramirez asked who the artist was. “It was bright, it was bold, it stood out. The gallery was showing a lot of traditional art in terms of scenic art and portraits. Then there was this abstract, super-bright and colorful painting. It stood out to me,” said Ramirez. The artist was Cecilia Ulibarri, who would become co-founder/president of Positive Street Art, and, eventually, wife of Ramirez. “We sparked up a conversation about art and how much I adored her art, that I’ve seen it, and recognized it for the past few months,” said Ramirez. Finding kindred spirits in one another, Ramirez and Ulibarri connected. “I knew about graffiti and she did too. The more we talked about art, the more urban art came into the forefront, and how much we feel like graffiti art is not [appreciated] in New Hampshire. How can we put this to the community in a way that it can be understood, and have people judge this in the correct way? And so that’s what we set out to do,” said Ramirez.

Aiming to educate, but unsure of how to execute, Ramirez and Ulibarri met with the group Visualize Nashua, a crowdsourced placemaking community. “So the more we went to these meetings, the more we learned about things that we could do with our community,” said Ramirez. “Things that seemed pretty impossible and just ‘in our heads’ became more realistic and more like, OK, this might be a way that we can go about this.” On the advice of group members, Ramirez and Ulibarri educated themselves about the various aspects of a nonprofit organization, founding Positive Street Art and creating their first mural, “The Face of PSA,” in 2012.

Ramirez has no set ritual as to the formulation of his artistic concepts. “I could be skating or I could be riding a bike,” he said. “I am doing something that doesn’t necessarily require me to think too much. Random things that will float into my head will just trigger a snowball effect.” He first draws his art on paper or on a tablet and uses either a projector or grid system as an outline on a chosen wall. However, not all murals utilize a grid or projector. When Ramirez finds himself in a tight spot, his paintings become freehand murals. “I’m often constricted,” he said. “Then it is mostly freehand on the wall. Everything is live and those are some of the funnest projects because it’s kind of like you’re a spectator and also theater at the same time. I do a lot of tweaking and a lot of figuring out like what’s the thing going to look like,” Ramirez said. Asked how he knows when a mural is complete, Ramirez explains, “I don’t. A lot of artists want to keep going back and adding. I read this a long time ago and I kind of adopted it, not to second-guess myself: Finished is better than perfect —because, if I go back, then I’ll just keep adding and I’d probably still be working on my first piece,” Ramirez said, and smiles.

Cecelia and Manny pose in front of their “Nostalgia” mural.

Most Positive Street Art murals convey a message of hope.

PSA’s newest projects include murals for the 50-year anniversary of the Nashua Rotary Club as well as a commission from Nashua’s Boston Billiard Club & Casino. Looking toward the future, Ramirez would like to work with some industry heavyweights. “Goldman Global Arts is one of the organizations that we would love to collaborate with. Their founder created Wynwood Walls in Miami, and that’s the most common graffiti haven right now, also, Pow! Wow! [an urban art movement that began in Honolulu]. They have a lot of different charters and they have one out of Worcester. We traveled as an organization to a couple of these places for inspiration,” Ramirez said.

Often the journey doesn’t seem like a straight line, but somehow the curves, bumps and valleys surprisingly end up leading exactly where we are supposed to be. As unbelievable as it is when everything falls apart, it’s just as unbelievable when everything falls together. Could Ramirez have fathomed that his decision to create a shift toward the satisfaction of his own soul would result in his present actuality, creating a reinvigorating ripple effect on an entire community?

“No, no! I would have never imagined any of this!” said Ramirez. “It took on a life of its own that is Positive Street Art. Nobody really thought that I could do something with my art. If anything, it was the complete opposite. This is something that came out of our heads. Now we are living in this reality.” Ramirez notes that much of his work is done in open air right downtown. “Often people are staring at [his mural] and I’m literally three feet away from the person who’s, like, ‘Wow!’ I’ve heard people be very moved about some of my work and it’s a great feeling.”

“Poseidon’s Grasp” mural in Nashua