Last week, Glasstire’s Assistant Editor Brandon Zech posted an item about a resin statue of a gnome stolen from Florida’s Cornell Art Museum. This week, there are more gnomes in the news.
USA Today and the Record Searchlight have highlighted the mysterious appearances of tiny gnome paintings throughout downtown Wichita Falls. Apparently, the small paintings first sprouted up in Oakland, California, in 2012, but the artist has since moved to Lawton, Oklahoma. Referred to by the Record Searchlight as “the Banksy of gnomes,” the artist tries to remain anonymous (but obviously speaks to the press). He has hinted that he has plans to gnomerize another north Texas town.
What does Wichita Falls think of the hundred plus gnome paintings? The assistant director at Wichita Falls Downtown Development states, “Although we don’t condone illegal activity, this has had added some whimsy to downtown and makes you want to walk around and explore.”
