WEST SEATTLE ART: Desmond Hansen’s newest rock ‘n’ roll signal box

1:57 PM: Thanks to Dave Brewer for sending the photo! He’s one of several readers who messaged us to say artist Desmond Hansen is painting another signal-box portrait today, this time the late, great Prince, at 47th and Admiral. Dave observes that it’s an appropriate spot, as SW Prince Street is just blocks away! (Checking the artist’s Instagram page, we see he’s also recently painted Dave Matthews.)

7:11 PM: Thanks to Al for this photo of the finished creation:

26 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE ART: Desmond Hansen's newest rock 'n' roll signal box"

  • Kim August 12, 2019 (3:15 pm)

    I love coming across these <3

  • WS REZ August 12, 2019 (4:03 pm)

    Yes! I live right by this. excited we will get to see this daily :)

  • M August 12, 2019 (4:56 pm)

    Does anyone know the cost to commission one? I’d love to see the bland box near my house jazzed up. 

    • ttt August 15, 2019 (3:48 pm)

      Desmond has a website or maybe it was a gofundme for funds to help fund his endeavor to paint aignal boxes…

  • West Seattle Coug August 12, 2019 (5:56 pm)

    Shameless plug.If love to see him do the box on the corner of Admiral and Olga, where I catch the bus. It’s the first one you see as you come up Admiral from the WS Bridge. 

  • waikikigirl August 12, 2019 (6:22 pm)

    I just looked at the one of Dave Matthews…wow he’s aged…but I guess so have I! Good job Desmond, luv seeing all of them!

  • dsa August 12, 2019 (6:50 pm)

    How does he do that?  The only thing I see are spray cans.

  • sbre August 12, 2019 (7:04 pm)

     Looking out the upstairs window of my home I can see itHow lucky are we he chose here for this one!!! 

  • Blbl August 12, 2019 (7:23 pm)

    I love these, and I’d love to see more women featured. I saw Mia Zapata, but there are so many iconic women. More more!

    • WSB August 12, 2019 (7:31 pm)

      Also Ann & Nancy Wilson (Avalon/Fauntleroy).

  • LW August 12, 2019 (7:47 pm)

    Such a talented artist. We’re lucky to have him in West Seattle!

  • Abyk August 12, 2019 (7:47 pm)

    By far my favorite. Wish I lived closer to it!

  • Yma August 12, 2019 (8:25 pm)

    Prince has a tie to Seattle?  I do love this artist,s work – but it seems hes getting a bit of a monopoly. Maybe he can teach up & coming young artists?

    • WSB August 12, 2019 (8:50 pm)

      Some of the boxes have been a collaboration, in fact.

    • Gene August 12, 2019 (9:48 pm)

      Why?

      • KBear August 13, 2019 (9:15 am)

        Prince invented grunge and wrote all of Nirvana’s music. You didn’t know that? But the street is actually named for Will Smith.

  • EyeoftheBeholder August 12, 2019 (10:48 pm)

    I suppose I will have to be the sole dissenter here, but I find these works rather tawdry. I don’t know why other neighborhoods get the less kitschy signal box art. At the very least, these in WS have heretofore featured Seattle musicians. As genius and musically gifted as he was, what connection, prey-tell, does Prince have to Seattle? Having been privileged enough to have met the man, I know he would have found this…artwork…bemusing. 

    • let.art.be.art August 13, 2019 (7:26 am)

      I find you bemusing. 

    • waikikigirl August 13, 2019 (8:08 am)

      Prince was an amazing artist and he is another one gone too soon and maybe he would have found this artwork “bemusing” but to Desmond he must had admired he ALOT to want to “paint” his portrait. I am speaking from my thought on it not Desmond’s.And wouldn’t you rather see this than some ugly “gang related” graffiti on the box? 

    • Turtle Tower August 13, 2019 (10:12 am)

      Words are cheap, and you plunking half a buck down every third word as if to impress us is wasted breath. Sounds like you swallowed a dictionary.

  • m August 12, 2019 (11:43 pm)

    Love, love, love it!

  • Rick August 13, 2019 (8:25 am)

    I like how the access panel frames his eyes.

  • miws August 13, 2019 (8:35 am)

    For those that wonder why Desmond has painted someone without ties to Seattle; I don’t believe it was here on WSB—it *may* have been—but I believe it was on a feature that Q13 did on Desmond a few weeks back.  Desmond mentions that his art depicts notable people that he has admired that have had an impact on his life, it just happens that most of them are from the local music scene. But, there are others, like Prince who was not local, and Paul Allen who was more prominently known as a businessperson and other things, than as a musician.—Mike

  • Jeannie August 13, 2019 (4:03 pm)

    prey-tell,” EyeoftheBeholder?? Also, your screen name suggests you believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you think the art on the signal boxes is “tawdry,” can you also accept that most other beholders appreciate the work?

  • Mj August 13, 2019 (10:20 pm)

    Looks very nice, rolled by it today.  Thank you

  • waikikigirl August 14, 2019 (8:31 am)

    Desmond… what I want to know are you listening to these artists song when doing these paintings?! :>)     I know I would be Let’s Go CrazyPrinceDearly beloved, we have gathered here todayTo get through this thing called lifeElectric word life it means forever and that’s a mighty long timeBut I’m here to tell you there’s something else (Go crazy)If you don’t like, the world you’re living inTake a look around you at least you got friendsCome on lady for friendly wordShe picked up the phone, dropped it on the floorAh, ah is all I heardAre we gonna let the elevatorBring us down, oh, no let’s goLet’s go crazy, let’s get nutsLook for the purple banana‘Til they put us in the truck, let’s goAll excited but we don’t know whyMaybe it’s ’cause we’re all gonna dieAnd when we do, what’s it all forBetter live now before the grim reaperCome knocking on your doorAre we gonna let the elevatorBring 

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