Where to start? One Saturday afternoon I went to take measurements and see what space I had to work with. The room to be transformed into the library has these large windows and there are also doors on the opposite wall. There was also an electrical conduit running along the bottom of the wall. Right way the electrical fixtures and windows posed quite a challenge in having sufficient surface space to paint.
Part of being an artist is problem solving. Whether it's figuring out how to draw a hand a certain way, create a certain lighting in a picture, a specific angle or perspective, what technique to use or what medium to work in, there's always a problem to solve. At some point it just occurred to me to make some wooden boxes to be mounted to the wall. Only problem is I'm no carpenter and I'm not a magician either. Fortunately, the organizer for the volunteer effort, Lezlie Gold, is a seriously resourceful person (and possibly magician mixed in there too). Within no time she was able to provide fantastic boxes just as I had envisioned, only better. Two boxes measuring roughly 4x6 feet and the other 3x3 feet, would be the surfaces I would need to create the murals for the library. As these were mobile units I worked on these at home, later delivering them for installation at the center.
The final murals for the entrance I painted on my days off and a few hours here and there in the morning and afternoon on different days.
In the end everything turned out pretty much in line with the original concepts. I think I got pretty darn close to the look of Carle's work and everyone seemed to really enjoy the murals. It was a great experience and I met some super nice people along the way! Was amazing to see all the kids and volunteers work together and be a part of something that many children will enjoy for years to come.
 |
| Entrance |
.jpg) |
| Entrance (View from steps) |
 |
| Steps |
 |
| Stairs |
 |
| Hallway |
 |
| Library Final Set Up |
 |
| Caterpillar Box |
 |
| Butterfly Box |
Now I wonder where the next place is my art will lead me to?
Awesome work! Those are kids will be so excited. Now you're prepped for storybook illustrations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, man. The best part was seeing how the kids would respond while I was painting. One little girl just wanted to stand there and watch me paint for like twenty minutes. I think she would have been content to stand there the whole day and watch. Other kids wondered what I was doing and why I as drawing on the walls. Like totally had that curiosity, like maybe they got in trouble for drawing on the walls @ home. Like "why is it OK for him to paint on the walls and I can't?" kinda thing. The staff was really excited too. They had nothing but the best compliments.
ReplyDeleteWhether it's more mural work, illustration or you name it, I'm up for the challenge.
Wow, those walls must've been pretty dull before your murals were painted into them - nice job! I'm ready for your next mural project!
ReplyDelete