By Jefferson Robbins
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Original Article Appears Here
Brandon Hughes stenciled 12 pink hearts on Wenatchee public property last year in an attempt to “fill the city with love.” He later scrubbed away his handiwork, but still faced a malicious mischief charge in Chelan County District Court.
Brandon R. Hughes wanted to give Wenatchee a gift of sorts, and he wanted to go unnamed.
Instead, the soft-spoken, off-the-grid 28-year-old got arrested for his trouble, and became the most visible creator of a graffiti style that’s coming to the fore in NCW.
In September 2008, Hughes’ 12 stencil-painted hearts, pink and sometimes accessorized with a scribbled motto “CHOOSE LOVE,” beckoned from lightpoles, signal boxes and mailboxes around downtown. When a bystander spotted Hughes spray-painting a pink heart on a pole near midnight on Sept. 18, police were called, and suddenly Hughes had some explaining to do.