What a ride! Yes, I remain a finalist in the Shorty Awards, and I am trying to find a way to get to New York City on March 3 so that I can attend the ceremony. More about that later.
As fun and gratifying as it was to have my Twitter following support me so enthusiastically in the Shorties, I am glad to get back to the business of painting and creating things. I never stopped, but I am glad to have it as my primary focus again.
What have I been working on? Well…
I have recently completed two canine pet portraits, which I will detail in future posts here. I am working on another pet portrait of three West Highland Terriers (Westies) and I am about to begin a cat portrait as well.
And I have begun work on the ultimate grand pet portrait, the “Downtown Cats” mural. The mural depicts the most famous downtown cats in Canton, OH—my own Brewskie Butt, Who, Slick and Noah—and will eventually be mounted on the building currently occupied by HEAP in Downtown Canton, OH.
The mock up design that is seen above is what the mural will look like when it is finished.
Currently, it doesn’t look like much, but it has entailed quite bit of work. here are some photos of the beginning stages. Please excuse the photo quality, as the studio lighting is set for painting, not for photography.
Medium Density Overlay (MDO) board is a wood panel that is often used in the sign painting industry. It is recommended for use for outdoor murals. I purchased the boards at a local lumber and hardware store.
I am not particularly handy with power tools, but my friend Kevin Anderson of Anderson Creative is a wiz with them. He cut the boards for me into the shape of windows, simulating the windows on the building across from the place where the mural will be hung.
Each panel was primed with white gesso and then painted with a dark blue background. All of my paintings begin with a dark layer of color. I follow a process of layering subsequent layers of colors over a dark background, allowing the initial layers to define shapes as later colors are applied.
I masked off the window pane shape with painter’s tape and drew a sketch of the background design for my painting reference.
I then began blocking in the shapes of the cityscape design with paint.
At this stage there are 3-5 layers of color applied. many more layers will be applied before it is finished to create rich vibrant color and visual texture.
All of the materials used in this mural are those that are recommended for exterior use. The paint, board and gesso are all materials designed for exterior use and weather resistance. The final work will be coated with a weather and UV protecting sealant to ensure the longevity of the piece.
The “Downtown Cats” mural is obviously a very large project that will take a long time to complete. Completion and hanging of the piece is slated for July of this year. I will periodically update my progress on the piece as it develops in various stages.
Thanks for following along with me on this adventure!
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Thought for the Day–An Animal's Eyes
An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber
Cool Brew Ice Adventure
I wrote last week about this year’s First Friday Ice Festival in the Canton Arts District. I am just now reaching a point in my recovery where I can write about it. I was pretty sore and achy after 3 hours of rigorous work in sub-freezing temperatures.
I have decided that, should I decide to do it again next year, I will:
- Spend some time to really learn about what I am doing.
- Obtain my own power tools and honest-to-goodness ice carving tools.
- Get my body better prepared for such rigorous work.
All that said, I believe this year’s effort was a success, despite many challenges.
Somehow, I managed to burn through 3 different chainsaws. I rendered two old electric ones totally useless, and I used up all the gas in a gas-powered saw. Sheez!!!
At least all fingers and toes are still intact.
We also had problems with lighting. The Canton Development Partnership graciously provided some high powered lights to illuminate my work. Problem was that they were too high of voltage for my studio’s electrical system, so we had circuits blowing all over the place.
Somehow we managed, and the sculpture of my cat Brewskie Butt, entitled, “Cool Brew” came to be.
My sculpture, however, was only one small part of the many things going on in the Canton Arts District for the First Friday Ice Festival. We had master carvers, other Canton artists, the head chef and owner of Iris Restaurant, and culinary students from Canton South High School all carving ice creations.
We also received some wonderful press about the event. Here is an article from the Canton Repository (front page no less) in which I was quoted. Check out the photos for all the other fabulous ice creations around town.
Special thanks go to ArtsinStark and the Canton Special Improvement District for bringing so much energy to the First Friday events!
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT