The Studios of Stacey Kirby

Back in January I shared the news of this public mural commission for Greece, including an image of the sketch for this panel. Comparing the two is a good example of how a mural can evolve from sketch to finish!

Today a few representatives from Greece came by to check it out and give the thumbs up before I apply the clearcoat. Now that we have the all clear, I thought I’d share a few photos real quick. Unfortunately you can see a little gap between the second and third panels. That won’t be there when it’s installed. Hopefully it doesn’t disrupt your viewing experience! This section is 12′ x 8′. Click on the images for a larger view.

One of the biggest challenges for this commission is making sure that the painting is readable from 80 feet away. That’s where most people will be viewing it from, since it will be installed under a canal bridge on the other side of the canal! Of course, boaters will be able to see the brushwork.

Any comments, suggestions and criticism are most welcome! Thanks for looking.

Away she goes!

The unveiling for Treasures of Holley is only days away. June 5th, at 11am, the mural installation in Holley’s Canal Park (map) will be unveiled.

I’m very happy to be tying this event in with Holley’s Junefest. Crafters, many garage sales, a car show, chicken bbq and other festival food, drum corp show, 5k race, fun for the kids, fireworks!…. and of course an awesome mural!! There are a lot of reasons to come to Holley on June 5th.

The mural kiosk under construction. You can see the lift bridge and the canal in the background - great location!

It doesn’t seem like it was a year ago that I met Joyce Ridley, then president of the Holley Rotary Club. Somewhere in that first conversation the subject of creating a mural in Holley came up. Before winter hit I had spoken with the rest of the club about partnering with them for a community project, then applied for and won a grant through GoArt to fund the project. This project was even more involved, with way more potential, then we first anticipated. And this is just the beginning!

After all the work of the past year, it will be really great for everyone involved to see how this will all function on Saturday. The murals themselves were very well received at the preview (an article in the Journal Register Register). That was a great night! We saw more people then we ever expected, and the response to Treasures of Holley was just wonderful. Now it’s the other half of the project, the walking tour/treasure hunt that remains to be proven. We’ve tested the route several times to get the kinks out, but you know something will be not quite right, come the final reckoning. We’ve done enough ground work and preparation for it all to go smoothly enough, but I’m curious to see what the public will think.

That’s the moment I’m most looking forward to… when the murals are unveiled, the maps are picked up and people head out to explore the town of Holley. It truly is a launch, like sending a new boat into the water for the first time. Should I bring a bottle of champagne to smash?

The seventh panel for Treasures of Holley is completed, but here’s a look at what’s under the finished painting.

My intention in this panel is to create a sense of the individuals that built the town of Holley, NY and made it what it is. The same kind of people that live here today: hardworking, enjoying life, lighthearted, solemn, and giving to the community in more ways then one. It was quite a task to select the right photos from the many thousands that historian Marsha Defillips has in her collection.

Click here to read on about painting in monochrome: Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, you have to promise not to tell anyone… I’m not supposed to show you yet… but I just finished my part of the collaborative painting this morning and I can’t keep it to myself. It’s just a little sneak peak!

This is a tiny part of a big painting that has gone the rounds among The Artist’s Group. By the time it’s finished, the work of about ten artist’s will be represented in one painting. I’ve never done a collaborative painting like this before, and I’ve enjoyed seeing how such distinctive styles can merge, creating one successful piece. Earlier today one of the painters commented on how this painting is very symbolic of our group; a range of unique individuals contributing their talent and skill to create one fantastic whole, The Artist’s Group!

This special work of art will be raffled off as a fund raiser for OCALS (Orleans County Adult Learning Services) an organization I’ve mentioned here before.  Discussions between Patty Hawley, (a member of OCALS and a very inspired woman) and members of our group led to the formation of a very beneficial partnership. Our two young organizations came together and planned a show of artwork created along the theme of literacy, with this collaborative painting as the centerpiece.

The show runs November 21st until January 8th 2010. Raffle tickets will be sold as the painting travels to different locations around Orleans County, while the show hangs in Elsewhere Coffeehouse in Albion. The raffle will take place at Elsewhere during the closing reception on December 18th. I’ll post more details as the date draws near!

Show Opening: Saturday, November 21, 6pm – 8pm

Unveiling of the Painting: 7:30

At Elsewhere Coffee House

November! Bringing us a brilliant show of color before winter paints the world white.

It’s time for another First Friday gallery event at Marti’s on Main! There are so many things going on in our scenic little town of Albion, (three art exhibits and two live music performances)  it looks like it will be quite a night!

• Apple-icious First Friday Live music at Spotlight Studio, a variety of shops open late along Main St for a little early holiday shopping, Apple Wine and Hard Cider tastings for $7 at Elsewhere Coffee House, with more live music upstairs.
• Closing Reception of Voices of the Earth at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce 7pm-9pm. “The exhibit features more than a dozen pieces of pottery hand-crafted by Hispanic farm worker women who participated in a creative arts and English language program provided by the World Life Institute in Waterport. The program is supported by Orleans-Niagara BOCES and with a Reach Grant administered by GO ART!, funded by the state Council on the Arts.”
• Art Opening at Salih Studio. Salih Studio is a beautiful space. I’m not sure what will be hanging this Friday, but judging by the shows I’ve seen there in the past it will be full of great artwork.
• And of course the Exhibit at Marti’s. 5:30 – 9pm.  There are only two more First Friday events this year before Marti’s closes for the winter to begin renovations. When they reopen in the Spring, the gallery will have twice as much space to exhibit.

I hope you all have an opportunity to stop by and join in the fun – be sure to say hello if you see me there! It’s not just the events and activities that make First Friday great – it’s the friendly people and small town atmosphere. I love it.

This month I find myself revisited by certain thoughts, over and over again.

“Each project teaches something new.” This line can be reassuring and also intimidating. When I find myself ignorant of any aspect of a project, I remind myself that each mural presents different problems to solve, guaranteed. There’s no way you can be prepared for everything life throws at you. Deal with it all as best you can, use your innate skills to solve whatever problems come your way, and remember for the future.  Have faith that, if nothing else, you will learn something. It also means that no matter how many murals I do, no matter how many situations I’m prepared to deal with, there will always be a new and surprising challenge waiting somewhere in the future. Scary? Maybe a little. But definitely exciting.

“You reap what you sow.”A simple straightforward decorative mural, done well, is a satisfying accomplishment. But a community mural installation that increases tourism and bolsters the economy is even better. One of them takes a little more effort, time and energy then the other and sometimes it may seem like the end will never be in sight.  But if you let yourself get scared off by the big ones, if you never give yourself the opportunity to prove that you can handle it, you’ll never enjoy the accomplishment and the rewards that come with tackling an ambitious project and seeing it through to success. Personally, I like a good mix of simple and ambitious.  I love to concoct big convoluted projects like ToH, and the straightforward portrait or observational drawing is a wonderful refreshing break now and then.

“If only I would just sit down and paint.” Ah, procrastination. I have an ungodly amount of painting to do in the next month. But lately it seems that the amount of work piling up in the studio inspires the same level of procrastination. Are there any other painters out there feeling the same thing? How do you get yourself into the studio on those days where even the vaccuumm is more enticing then a paintbrush? Regardless of the fact that painting is usually the very best thing for my own personal well being, sometimes I just can’t do it. The life of a creative professional!

On that note, I’d better get back to work!