CEDAR FALLS - Aaron Paquette's first foray into the art world two years ago landed him in jail.

The Cedar Falls youth, now 17, was arrested for spray-painting city property.

"I was terrified at the time," said Paquette, a graffiti artist. "Now I draw, or doodle in school, but it's not the same."

That's why the Cedar Falls High School junior is pushing to convert the underside of the 218 overpass near Washington Park Golf Course into a legal space for aerosol art. Paquette's plans were published last month in The Courier's opinion page. The teen hopes to talk to city officials about his proposal this spring.

"If people could see some of stuff (graffiti artists) do, they'd start to look at it more as art than as a crime," said Paquette, who no longer paints on city property. "Cedar Falls has a great art scene and this could be an expansion of that."

Offering a legal space for graffiti art would likely reduce the amount of illegal tagging in the Cedar Valley, said K.C. Bellach. The University of Northern Iowa art education major is a former outdoor graffiti artist who now paints exclusively on canvas.

"The people who do it just because it's illegal would lose interest," he said. "Those people that want to create art would be able to practice and get better without having to worry about getting caught."

Graffiti art, started in the 1970s, has been slowly gaining more respect in the art community, Bellach said. Today, paint suppliers manufacture specialty spray paints for artists, while dealers display aerosol pieces in their galleries.

Art Store & More owner Mare Madsen Schmidt recently started carrying artist-grade cans of spray paint.

"As a business owner, I can't condone its illegal use," said the Cedar Falls businesswoman. "But I know that a lot of my customers are coming in and buying it because they have a positive message to spread and they are excited about their art."

Creating a legal space for graffiti artists would bring those sentiments to the greater Cedar Valley community, while recognizing the talent of aerosol artists, Schmidt said.

It would also keep kids like Paquette tuned into art, she added.

Although the teen no longer creates large-scale pieces on concrete, Paquette's interest in graffiti art has not dimmed. To keep on his game he sketches with paper and pencil and watches aerosol art demonstrations on YouTube.

The inspiring artist recently completed a research paper on the history of graffiti.

"I think it's wonderful that he's speaking up and learning more," said Abby Hendrickson, Paquette's English teacher. "I think he'll make a good spokesperson. He's a good student, and a good clean-cut kid."

Paquette, who served six months of community service for his graffiti arrest, is committed to finding a legal way to practice his art.

The teen talks excitedly about his style - he prefers to work with light colors - and his latest graffiti acronym, SOES, or Something Our Eyes See.

"By making graffiti illegal, I think it's kind of keeping my generation in the dark and suppressing our talent," Paquette said. "There are people around here who are just amazing, and their work deserves to be seen."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.