Swans for Albion, a Stained Glass Window Design

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

A while back I was approached about an unusual project. Designing a stained glass window for the brand new library in my hometown! Collaborating with a stained glass artisan is new to me, so it has been an interesting process.

Today I finished up the drawing and color sketch and handed them off to the stained glass artisan. Over the next three months he’ll painstakingly cut hundreds of pieces of colored glass and solder them together into a three foot by five foot window. (Click for larger images.) After seeing a demonstration by local artist Tony Barry last week, all I can say is that I love my paint even more!

The only requirements from my client were swans, waterlilies, and some landscape, so I had plenty of freedom. If you noticed that the color sketch is lacking cattails, that was a later addition. The window will follow the design of the drawing, while the painting is more of a color reference.

The new library will have a new name, so everyone is happy that the old Swan  Library will be commemorated in this window.

Having the opportunity to make a contribution to the library is something I’m very grateful for. I’ve spent many hours wandering the small cramped aisles of the old library over the past thirty odd years. I love the historical building that was donated so long by Mr. Swan, with it’s beautiful architectural details and intriguing antique furniture, but this giant, airy new structure will serve our community so much better.

It’s a lot of fun being involved in it’s creation, in this little way. I’ll love driving by at night, seeing the glowing, brilliant, colors of stained glass lit up from the inside, knowing that I had a part in it. I hope everyone in Albion is as excited about the design as I am! And I can’t wait to see the transformation of paper and paint into luminescent glass.  The library will be opening in the spring – I’ll keep you posted on dates for the grand opening, so you can stop by and see the finished product!

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Jungle Mural

Posted on January 18, 2012 by admin

Snakes! Parrots! Bugs! Monkeys! It’s not everyday that I get to paint so many exotic, colorful creatures. Stepping out of the flora and fauna of Western New York and into the jungles of South America was a fun trip for sure.

This painting was a Christmas present for my nephew. Would you be surprised to hear that it doubles as a growth chart? It is an unusual example, since there aren’t any measurements on it. It’s painted on a panel so they can take it with them wherever they go. If it’s cared for properly, it will be around to track the growth of several generations, and I think the painting is colorful and fun enough that it will be worth keeping around. ________________________________________________________________ Click on the images to see them in a larger format.

 

Even though you can’t see them in the photos, there are subtle lines that blend into the tree, marking every six inches. As the years pass, my sister will write his height and age along the vine and up the tree. Having a ruler type measure on a growth chart really isn’t important at all, as anyone that’s marked their height on a doorframe can tell you.

Connor is just three years old now. I love the idea that this painting will be with him through the years, marking his journey upward and providing some perspective. He’ll remember when that big blue bug was as big as he was, when the monkeys and birds were so high up in the tree, and it seemed like he would never be tall enough to look them in the eye. Then one day he’ll be as tall as the viper and his blue bug days will seem so far away.

 

 

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Nursery Mural

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

A simple, graphic, mural for a little girl’s nursery.

I know I say this for just about every mural, but this was a really fun project. I love tackling a new style, especially when it means that I can start and finish in the same day!

There’s also a lot of satisfaction in creating a painting that turns out exactly as the client was hoping. My client knew she wanted a tree mural and she even considered a decal, but she just couldn’t find the right image. When she finally found something that inspired her (a piece of stationary), she gave me a call. As a muralist, it’s a piece of cake to take an image that inspires you, add a personal touch, and come up with something completely unique that’s just right for the room. A one-color painting like this takes about one day to complete and costs under $200.

I also love her choice of a graphic, cream, silhouette. It brightens up the room and adds interest to otherwise blank walls. The developing eyes of a six month old will be entranced with the simple shapes of branches and leaves, giving her something to ponder from her crib.

As she gets older, she can enjoy imaging what lives in the tree with the birds, and what their songs might sound like. I hope she loves it for years to come!

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A Public Mural for Middleport, NY

Posted on October 24, 2011 by admin

Historic public mural in Middleport, NY

Dedicated to retired mayor Julie Maeddle, this mural explores pieces of Middleport’s almost-forgotten-past. I’ve worked with Julie on two separate mural projects for the town so far, and I’ve always appreciated her enthusiasm and energy for improving her community, especially with public art! It’s great to see someone like her commemorated by the community.

Using a series of old black and white photos, I created a full color look into three different decades.

The first scene includes the old Middleport High School that burned down in 1910, and a wagon load of baskets. The figure standing by the horses is Julie Maedlle! It was fun including her in the painting.

As everyone in the area knows, Middleport produced a lot of baskets around the turn of the century. They were used mostly for storing and shipping produce, but they served a variety of other purposes as well. Today, there’s a restaurant at the old factory site on the canal called The Basket Factory, which has done a lot to keep the story alive.

Middleport is of course a canal town and the second scene is like a snap shot from a sunny day long ago, featuring that waterway. The canal was once lined with a multitude of businesses, bustling with commerce.

The Fenton Hotel once stood prominently on a rectangle of property created by the Erie Canal, Main Street, and Rt 31. It was torn down in 1961, and there are still people around that remember it.

For me, the highlight of this project was experimenting with a new surface. These murals were painted in my studio on synthetic, non woven fabric whose original purpose was garment interfacing! It’s thinner then canvas, very flexible and of course it won’t deteriorate in the elements like canvas would. It also won’t delaminate like most wood substrates have the potential to do. After apply two coats of exterior primer and one coat of acrylic gel medium to the fabric, the murals were painted. Then they were cut out and awaited installation while on site, the bricks were cleaned. The fabric was adhered to the brick with more acrylic gel, but first the wall was primed to create a better surface. Applying the fabric to this incredibly uneven surface was the biggest challenge! But As always, seeing a mural installed in the place it was created for always makes the most challenging parts more then worth it.

I hope you have a chance to stop by and see the mural – they always look way better in real life. If you do, be sure to pick up a coffee (or some amazing tea!) from across the street at Alternative Grounds, and have a seat by the windows where you can enjoy an excellent view of the mural. Relax for a little bit and enjoy small town life in a WNY canal town!

Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, Murals, Painting, Public Art, WNY | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Two Events and Some Paint

Posted on April 12, 2011 by admin

The past month or so has been pretty busy! I was invited to display some of my work at the GoArt Gallery in Batavia for the month of March. It’s a very old building, beautifully restored… I wish I had more pictures of the building itself – even the door handles are neat!

They have two spaces available: the regular gallery is a large open room that houses monthly exhibits and is also used for presentations; and the permanent gallery where I set up my work, which is also used for local information, publications and books. It was nice to have another opportunity to show off my Treasures of Holley prints, and talk a little bit about the benefits of public art work. Next time you’re in Batavia you should stop by to see the great work that rotates through… and maybe admire the doorhandles.

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April 30th was the date for the Medina Hospital Public Mural opening reception. There was a great turn out with a plenty of people from the community, the hospital, and some of my fellow Artists of the Oak!

Tina Ames has a talent for talking to people. Here’s a pic of her introducing the mural, and the artist. And in the second picture, apparently that’s the face I make when I talk about murals!

Serious stuff! Special thanks go to Kim Martilotta for taking the photos.

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Meanwhile, in the studio, the Drum Oil mural is well underway. Here’s a photo from the early stages. Soon I’ll post some progress pics.

Lately I’ve been thinking about making connections in the Rochester area. I would love to do some painting in a Home Show or even the Rochester Philharmonic Showhouse. Being part of a big group project like that would be a great experience,not to mention great exposure. But how to go about it? I’ve sent emails out to interior designers in Rochester and I suppose postcards are the next step. I’m sure my paintings will do well there… they just don’t know about me yet! Any suggestions?

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New Addition in the Studio

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

Current Project: Drum Oil and Propane, Gasport, NY. An interior mural across from their office in the main building on Route 31, it will illustrate various elements from the history of the business. So far I’ve had a great time working with them. It seems like a real, down to earth company. As an artist, it’s always nice to deal with people that are excited about working with me, and open to my ideas.

There’s not much to show yet, but I am very happy about progress I made this morning. I’ve been meaning to put a false wall up in my studio for a while now. I couldn’t live without the windows, but they break the walls up into4′x8′ spaces and there aren’t many murals small enough to fit. The Greece mural got me half way there since we needed to build an angled support structure to fit the eight foot panels in my 7’10″ studio. A couple sheets of homasote, a handful of screws and I have my false wall! It was pretty easy. I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to it.

The staple gun didn’t really get the job done (left) so I hammered the staples in (right), hoping it would stress the canvas a little less. I also had the brilliant idea of stapling my dropcloth to the bottom of the boards. Over the course of a painting project, I get tired of constantly adjusting dropcloths as they get kicked around. I really hope this ends up being as beneficial as I intend – I can just see my dropcloth-tangled foot ripping the homasote right off the supports….

I just have to tell you that at this very moment I’m enjoying a glass of wine at Zambistro‘s. I was caught in Medina with an hour to spare this evening, waiting for the right time to touch up the clear coat at the hospital. I feel a little conspicuous typing away in (the corner of) a nice restaurant, but they were sooo nice about it. They even gave me free bread with homemade pesto butter! I always come here when I feel deserving of a nice dinner, the food is great… now I have a reason to stop by more often. (The older couple nearby has been raving about the food ever since they sat down, so you know it isn’t just me.)

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Storefront Mural, Middleport, NY

Posted on February 25, 2011 by admin

The mural was installed over the shopfront (map) on 31A in Middleport this past Wednesday, February 23rd. Fresh paint! The smell of the varnish still lingers. This photo was taken while the panels were still hanging in the studio, but it gives you an idea of how the paintings work together. If you click on the link to the map above and go to street view, you can see the building before the murals were installed. Pics of the installation soon to come!

I think the most interesting thing about this mural is how it relates to the recently completed painting in Medina Hospital. If you were standing under that saffron colored tree on the far bank and looking this way, you would see a view that matches the Medina Hospital mural. Sans gold-framed photos of course. As I said in the first post about this project several years ago, this is one of my favorite places on the canal. Another blanket of snow is falling on WNY right now so the colors will be the monochrome of charcoal, silver and white instead of these brilliant greens, blues, and golds. But equally beautiful! I haven’t been to this spot in years – I think it’s time for a visit! Maybe I’ll bring my skiis.

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In the Studio – Snow

Posted on February 3, 2011 by admin

Remember this post? The conversation for the mural project currently in the studio began four years ago. For all sorts of reasons, big and small, it’s been simmering on the back burner all this time.  As it says in that long ago post, this is one of my very favorite places on the Erie Canal. There is a LOT of scenic canal around here, so that’s saying quite a bit. Needless to say, I’m excited to slap down some paint and finally flesh out the vision I’ve been holding in my mind.

At this very moment, three stark-white panels hang in my studio. I like to imagine that they’re communing with nature as we speak, since the view out of every window is unbroken WHITE. All of Western New York is blanketed in snow. Although we didn’t get the incredible storm predicted, we did get a nice cover of fresh, fluffy white stuff. Every time I step outside my hands are just itching for my plein air paint box! All those soft, grey, treelines, violet and blue shadows – the world already looks like a painting and I would like to partake. Soon, I hope!

The sketch (click to view) for this project accompanied the first post about Treasures of Holley. Check out the photos and the sketch, see what kind of ideas percolate in your imagination, and then check back in two weeks to see what the end results are in my studio! It is a pretty straight-forward landscape but I’m planning to emphasize the atmosphere a little bit. I will be interested to hear your thoughts! (As always!)

That’s what I did today (with a little skiing and soup simmering thrown in)! How did you spend your snow day?

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Mural; Medina Memorial Hospital, NY

Posted on January 27, 2011 by admin

A long hallway was added to connect two wings of Medina Memorial Hospital several years ago. It was an effective (and costly) addition that made movement from place to place easier and more efficient… but in the end it was still a huge empty hallway with blank white walls.

Tina Ames, head of marketing at the hospital, has plenty of past experience with the arts. She knew that a mural would be the perfect solution for this long, empty, white, space.

Paintings of wide open landscapes are excellent solutions for small spaces. A distant horizon line, paired with crisp foreground elements gives the viewer the sensation that you can walk right in. Or swim, in this case. Medina is one of those WNY canal towns, so deciding on the subject matter was not difficult.

The mural, “Past and Present of Middleport”, provided inspiration for adding historical images in gold frames. On the left the original hospital, ca. 1910, is pictured. The Orleans County courthouse is pictured on the right.

I added a few little friends to the mural, just for fun. What’s a landscape without members of the animal kingdom here and there? The little bluebirds and rabbit are only about a half inch.

A view of the mural as you come down the hall. As always, click on an image for a large view. Thanks for looking! Comments welcome.

Posted in Art, Erie Canal, Murals, Painting, WNY | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Treasures of Holley Murals

Posted on January 12, 2011 by admin

Here are images of most of the murals from Treasures of Holley. It’s worth the trip out to Holley’s beautiful Canal Park to see the installation and enjoy the scenery. But it’s nice to enjoy them from the warmth and dryness of indoors on a snowy day like today! Without further ado… (click for larger images)

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