Double Fantasy

ANTHONY FREDA‘s latest paintings—two giant panels commissioned by CONVERSE—are something of a tall tale. However did this Queens-based illustrator, whose work often graces the Voice and other publications, land this whopper of a project? “The creative director of BUTLER, SHINE & STERN saw my work in a gallery,” explains Freda, “and thought it would be a great fit for their new campaign. They gave me amazing freedom to express myself visually. I’ve always thought a giraffe would work great on the side of a building—not only because of its size and proportions, but also because I like the idea of populating the urban jungle with fantastic creatures. I painted [the originals] on beat-up old wood . . . some scavenged from the neighborhood, so they’d be at home in the East Village.” See Freda’s winsome, towering twins—all 1,800-plus square feet of them (pictured left; and in a comp, right)—unfurled at 6 Avenue B at East Houston, through the merry, merry month of May.