Jack and Sandy's living room mural-
My first project was a mural at my in-law's house. They have an Asian theme that extends throughout their home. One aspect of this theme is a decorative border that runs from their dining room through the kitchen and ends somewhat abruptly at the transition into the living room. Well, I did my best to fix that! ... and to great approval I might add. =D
Here is a video of the back of my head while I painted:
And some pictures:
The inspirational wallpaper-
A blank wall-
Dark blue outlines-
Finished project!-
My family in a drawing
My second big project this past month was a 50th anniversary gift for my grandparents. My mom essentially asked me to illustrate our entire family tree from my grandparents down and nearly 30 portraits later, I did. It took me just shy of a week of non-stop delirious drawing to pull it off. I was able to ship it out to Utah overnight and it made it safely there within hours of the party. I even got to witness a rare-for-me Thuriday since I couldn't be bothered to sleep that last night. Note: I am still editing this picture to try and evenly brighten it up. I will post up a revised image shortly.
Manchester Murals for Peace-
My third major project was in attending the "Murals for Peace" mural slam held in Manchester, CT. At the CCSU mural slam I attended earlier this year, my good friend Jeremy Jordan mentioned that he was planning another slam in Manchester. Eventually we got permission from the town and backing from the Manchester Arts council (Specifically Christine O'Brien) and it actually happened! It was held at the Manchester Parade, an abandoned shopping plaza that is slated for demolition later this summer. Many residents are anxious to see it torn down because it is an eyesore. It was decided that in the meantime, it would make a great free outdoor gallery!
And aside from the somewhat disappointing protest jargon some lady painted all over half the building. It went off pretty well. The Deputy Mayor and his daughter, Fire Chief and a ladder truck full of firemen, town planner on his motorcycle, several members of the Manchester PD, many local businesses (notably Highland Park Market who kindly donated pizza and ice cream!) and about half the town of Manchester all showed up to show their support. We also had coverage from (cut and paste, sorry):
The Hartford Courant:
http://www.courant.com/community/manchester/hc-manchester-parkade-murals-0618-20110617,0,6363670.story
http://www.courant.com/community/manchester/hc-manchester-peace-mural-folo-0621-20110620,0,4063988.story
...and manchester.patch.com:
http://manchester.patch.com/articles/broad-street-parkade-preparing-to-welcome-murals-for-peace
http://manchester.patch.com/articles/murals-for-peace-transform-broad-street-parkade-into-a-work-of-art#video-6644412
According to Christine and the town council, we are allowed to paint there up until it gets torn down. This means I have time to do something very large! Stay tuned...!
(photo credit: Christine O'Brien)
Rolling primer-
Drawing the hands-
Jessica helped me fill the cranes with color and patterns-
My trusty beetle helped carry all my painting equipment in style!-
My cranes overflowed onto the adjacent doorway-
Finished and signed. This is a detail of the mural. I will get a full image once I finish taking all my pics off the other camera-
Litchfield Bug-in 23
The last project that I will mention now is my first VW show spent in the swap area. I don't have any pictures of it, so you will have to use your imagination, but I sold about a dozen of my vw related t-shirts that I printed on Friday. (...After I shipped out my "family drawing" and before I drove my 50 year old vw bug 150 miles south to CT.) This was enough money to cover our expenses over the weekend and then some! I walked away with some new trim for the bug, a short shift kit (installed and loving it!) and a desire to vend at more shows. My dad mentioned the New World festival in Vermont. Currently I am waiting to hear back from them.
