I Love You Dude

A freshly painted white wall in NYC sprouts a doodle–a blue elephant with shoes and the inscription I Love You Dude above it. When the police are called to take care of the graffiti, Dude runs away and searches for a safe haven. He finds a blank yellow coffee mug, which is then purchased by a little girl who loves Dude and drinks her milk from the mug each day. The doodle is happy there until a weird aunt visits and drinks hot coffee from him. He leaves the mug in search of a place where he will be loved and appreciated. After several failed attempts, Dude gives up and lies on the sidewalk, where he is discovered by an art lover who gets him framed and hung in the museum between a Picasso and a Matisse. This odd story of acceptance and finding one's place is accompanied by Radunsky's quirky artwork, expertly rendered in mixed media and collage.