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Mural for Greece, NY

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

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.

Tags: Canal History, Community Mural, Erie Canal, Greece Mural, Henpeck Park, Public Art, WNY
Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, Greece Mural, Murals, Painting, Public Art, WNY | 2 Comments »

Treasures of Holley Unveiling and LAUNCH!

Monday, May 31st, 2010

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?

Tags: Canal Fun, Canal History, Community Mural, Holley NY, Public Art, Treasures of Holley, WNY
Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, Murals, Public Art, Treasures of Holley Mural Project, Uncategorized, WNY | No Comments »

Treasures of Holley Mural Preview!

Friday, April 9th, 2010

A detail from "The Old Canal Spur" mural panel, Treasures of Holley

Spring has been a whirlwind of activity so far… or maybe a thunder shower, or a series of snow flurries would be a more appropriate metaphor. This is Western New York after all, and while we’ve already seen temps in the eighties this month, today it snowed! So I reluctantly turned on the furnace, and spent the afternoon sending out promotional blurbs to local publications, announcing the ToH mural preview. I hope to see all of you there!

I eventually realized that the space I’ve been meaning to update for the longest time is still empty and waiting for some words. Sometimes it can really be a struggle to put the right words together! Sometimes it can be a struggle just to sit down and get close enough to this page to even begin thinking about finding the right words….But today, this is where the hard work and headache of composing press releases will pay off. Cut….and paste!

Treasures of Holley Mural Preview

On Saturday April 17th, from 4pm til 9pm, Marti’s on Main will be hosting an exhibit of all eight panels on April 17^th from 4pm to 9pm, the first exhibit in Marti’s brand new second floor gallery. This will be the last stop before the mural is permanently installed in Holley’s canal side park.

Enjoy live music and refreshments, while you learn about the purpose and intent of this interactive mural installation. Limited edition prints of the mural will be for sale. Meet the artist, ask questions, and learn about Treasures of Holley. All proceeds benefit this community mural project. Stop by for a sneak peak!

(I included a summary with the press releases as well. I’ll post it here just in case some of my readers are unfamiliar with the idea behind Treasures of Holley.)

About Treasures of Holley

This mural isn’t just a painting – it’s a Treasure Map!

This interactive mural installation designed for Holley’s Canal Park has been one year in the making. A collaboration between Holley’s Rotary Club, OCALS, and artist Stacey Kirby, Treasures of Holley is a community project that seeks to show people all that Holley has to offer. Eight mural panels illustrate a variety of interesting features of the town; historical architecture, natural beauty, interesting people – they’re all a part of Holley, waiting to be discovered.

After June 5^th, treasure maps can be found at the mural in Holley’s Canal Park. Use the map to explore the town of Holley, it will guide you to the different landmarks that are found in the paintings. Solve riddles, follow clues and answer questions as you go. The treasure hunt walking tour will be launched on June 5^th, with the unveiling of the mural installation.

“People from all over the country and all over the world travel the canal, and they love stopping in Holley’s beautiful Canal Park to eat lunch, relax and rest. Until now, there hasn’t been anything to draw them into the town itself, where their business would be very welcome. Treasures of Holley is a solution to that problem. The colorful murals show visitors what Holley has to offer, but that’s just a taste. With the treasure hunt walking tour, they can see the sites first hand and learn all sorts of interesting facts about Holley. This is great for people traveling the canal that are looking for a new activity, people from the area that would like to discover Holley’s hidden treasures, and even people that live here in town. It’s free, educational and it gets people active outdoors.” – artist Stacey Kirby

Treasures of Holley

This mural isn’t just a painting – it’s a Treasure Map!

After June 5^th Treasure maps can be found at the mural in Holley’s Canal Park. Use the map to explore the of Holley, it will guide you to the different landmarks that are found in the paintings. Solve riddles, follow clues and answer questions as you go. The treasure hunt walking tour will be launched on June 5^th, with the unveiling of the mural installation.

Treasures of Holley is a solution to that problem. The colorful murals show visitors what Holley has to offer, but that’s just a taste. With the treasure hunt walking tour, they can see the sites first hand and learn all sorts of interesting facts about Holley. This is great for people traveling the canal that are looking for a new activity, people from the area that would like to discover Holley’s hidden treasures, and even people that live here in town. It’s free, educational and it gets people active outdoors.” – artist Stacey Kirby

Tags: Canal Fun, Canal History, Community Mural, Holley NY, Public Art, Treasures of Holley, WNY
Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, Murals, Painting, Public Art, Treasures of Holley Mural Project, Uncategorized, WNY | No Comments »

“Read to Me”

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

This late-night post is brought to you by espresso! Feeling pretty foggy at the opening tonight, and finding myself in a coffee shop, I chose the not-so-smart solution of caffeine. Caffeine has a pretty serious effect on me – I try to use that effect to the greater good whenever possible. However, I will be paying the price for the next several hours and … most of tomorrow morning as well. Oh well, might as well get some good out of it right? And I have plenty to blog about, so here we go.

I will take the time to get a decent photo in the near future... but paintings always look better in real life - you should check it out!

The TAG group painting will be raffled off on Dec. 18th at Elsewhere Coffee shop. Nine artists contributed to this painting! (I will take the time to get a decent photo in the near future... but paintings always look better in real life -hint, hint!)

(Please read the previous post for a little background info on “Read to Me: the Art of Literacy” if you need it.)

The opening was fantastic. Another one of those jewel-like situations where people come together and the results are exponentially wonderful in many directions. I’m convinced there’s a Japanese term that perfectly describes this phenomenon. Meeting new and interesting people, chatting with good friends, ideas flying to and fro like gleeful canaries. Yes, canaries. Let’s just say it was a very fertile environment for the creative mind.

There are so many things I love about this show. First and foremost, the fact that two young, enthusiastic organizations have come together to share their resources and talents with such great success. Secondly: The Artist’s Group is a very giving organization, we all love the fact that our passion for creating artwork has given us this opportunity to benefit OCALS and our community. And because of this, the collaborative piece is fantastic – everyone wants to win it! It is steeped in the sentiments that went into it’s creation. I’m telling you, you can’t get 9 artists to create one painting without a lot of love!

Contributors to the group painting pictured: Kim Martilotta, Lori Groth, Pat Greene, Connie Moser, Mike O'Keefe, Tom Zangerle, and myself. Contributors not picutred: Arthur Barnes and Tony Barry

Contributors to the group painting, from left to right: Tom Zangerle, Mike O'Keefe, Pat Greene, Connie Moser, Kim Martilotta, Stacey Kirby and Lori Groth. Contributors not pictured: Arthur Barnes and Tony Barry

And guess what! Raffle tickets are only ONE DOLLAR. Truly, there are few things that can be purchased for $1, and a chance to win this painting is a very good option, in my humble (completely objective) opinion. Tickets are available for purchase wherever the painting is on display (destinations listed below), as well as a few other locations (details coming soon).

· The Book Shoppe, 519 Main St., Medina from Nov. 23 – Nov. 29

· Dr. Daniel Schiavone, DDS, 69 Public Square, Holley from Nov. 30 – Dec. 5

· Yates Community Library, 15 N. Main St., Lyndonville from December 7 – 12

· Swan Library, 4 N. Main St., Albion from December 14 – 18

The theme show itself – about 20 pieces by members of TAG – will be hanging in Elsewhere until mid January. As usual, it’s really fun and interesting to see completely unique interpretations of the same theme. The closing reception for the show is December 18th at Elsewhere, where we will find out the lucky winner of the raffle!

Thankyou to everyone that attended the opening, and helped us to make this such a successful event!

Thank you to everyone that attended the opening, for showing your support and making the opening such a successful event!

Posted in Art, Community, Painting, Shows | No Comments »

A mural in Clyde

Friday, September 11th, 2009

gfinch

Over the past year I’ve been working on a public mural for the town of Clyde, NY. Most of the year was taken up by a prolonged planning process, with painting beginning just this past August. It’s a releif to have the mural finished and in place – done! Here’s a map to the location so you can see it for yourself.

The owner of the building requested a trompe l’oeil mural featuring a nineteenth century hardware store, to represent the business that has existed there since the late 1800’s.

Mr. & Mrs. Roberts purchased the hardware store over twenty years ago. It came with a pretty good selection of antique and vintage items, a collection that the Roberts added to over the years in the hopes of someday opening a museum. When Mr. Roberts passed away, his collection was gradually sold off. What was left proved to be a treasure trove of photo reference, a fascinating look into the past that would become part of the mural.

Arthur and I, after finishing up on the last day. Arthur Barnes assisted me on site by painting the brickwork to match the wal. All full color work was done on site by me.

Mr. Roberts is memorialized in the painting, taking the place of a 19th century store clerk. I think that would have made him happy!

mrRoberts

The most challenging element of this painting was the window frame, one of the areas that I thought would be the simplest to accomplish. It’s just a bunch of vertical lines, right? But those narrow bands of color are solely responsible for creating the depth of the window. In the end, pairing a bright warm edge with a cool purple interior and highlighting the sides provided enough contrast.

scooter

This pristine, never-used red scooter gives a good dose of nostalgia as well as a shot of brilliant color. A wooden pulley, fiesta ware, wrenches and snaffle bits are a nice cross section of what you might have purchased at Clyde Hardware in 1858, or 1962…. and it’s not too different from what you’ll find there today. Housewares, tools, paint… not much has changed!

fiestaware

This Tuesday I added the finishing touches. Two trompe goldfinches, two trompe Red Admirals, and a few cast shadows on the wall. Overall, the mural is effective. My best moment was standing across the road to evaluate the shadow of the flying goldfinch, and experiencing the effect that the bird was floating away from the wall – success!

flight

This mural is just one of a series of murals being installed in Clyde this summer, done by various artists. Clyde, NY is a canal town experiencing the same economic cycle as so many others in NY. Huge prosperity followed by a slow decline with passionate bursts of rejuvenation. As I am fond of saying, public art is one of the very best ways to show the world that a community is thriving and loving their town no matter what the economy is doing. As a muralist, I love being part of these passionate bursts that are occurring in so many places along the canal. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm. The murals of Clyde will be part of the Muralmania trail as well, a project that is turning the Erie Canal into the longest mural trail in the world!

Painting the shadow cast by a butterfly.

Posted in Art, Blogroll, Community, Erie Canal, Murals, Public Art, WNY | 6 Comments »

Demonstrations at the County Fair

Monday, July 27th, 2009

A quick sketch from the fair last year. Animals are fun to draw, but challenging. I try to pick animals that are half asleep!

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, painting a Treasures of Holley mural panel outside of the Trolley building at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

How lucky can you get? Painting murals with a country fair as the backdrop! I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to visit the cows and goats, draw some chickens, snack on fried dough and milkshakes…. and hey, all of these are good reasons for you to visit too. If you’ve never been to the Orleans County Fair, check out their website. There are tons of events and attractions, I couldn’t even begin to list them all.

And of course my reason for being there! Each day I’ll give a breif demonstration (see the previous post for details), summarize the project, and answer questions. Hope to see you there!

Posted in Art, Community, In Progress, Murals, Painting, Public Art, Treasures of Holley Mural Project | No Comments »

Upcoming Painting ‘Live’ Events

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Getting the ToH mural panels out of the studio and into the world a little bit is an important part of the project. I’ve scheduled painting events around the County where I will be working on the current panel, with one or two finished panels on display. Hopefully a few of these locations will be convenient for you, so you can stop by and check it out. There are always added attractions, such as live music, livestock, or… live books! (not really live books…what would that be like?) If you have any suggestions for other public venues appropriate for live painting, I’d love to hear about it.

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Holley Community Library

July 15 & 22, Aug 5 & 19 6:30 pm
MAP

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Tilman’s Historic Village Inn

July 26th 11am 4pm
AAOC Exhibit

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Village of Holley Summer Concerts

Aug 14 & 28 6pm – 8pm
Music at the Gazebo at 7pm MAP

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Orleans County 4-H Fair, Trolley Bldg MAP

July30 2pm – 7 pm 3pm Demo: A Painter’s Brushes
July 31 2pm – 7pm 3pm Demo: Surfaces
Aug 1 11am – 6pm 3pm Demo: Painting Techniques

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August 7 5:30pm – 9pm Marti’s on Main, AAOC Gallery Event

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Posted in Art, Community, Murals, Painting, Public Art, Shows, Treasures of Holley Mural Project, WNY | No Comments »

I Like Libraries

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

This evening I did my first ToH presentation at the Holley Community Library. But… I neglected to promote the event. Since no one knew about it, no one was there! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity from all directions, distracting me from things such as marketing. Luckily I have Theresa Fischette to remind me of the importance of promotion: by the beginning of next week we’ll have event schedules posted around town. Just in time for my next demonstration at the Library on July 22nd!

This is my favorite part of a commission I completed last winter. I love how the light rolls across the golden grasses in the middleground.

I enjoyed hanging out at the library even though the event did not go according to plan. Originally I intended to set up the current panel and paint for a little while, after summarizing the project for my audience. Instead I read cookbooks and chatted with a few friendly library patrons about ToH. It was very pleasant. There’s something about a room full of books. Not just a library- any room that has a decent quantity of books is filled with an aura of expectation. Books are like doors… each one presents a world of knowledge and when you open it – a huge amount of new possibilities are available to you.

OCALS (Orleans County Adult Learning Services) is a local organization that was instrumental in helping Treasures of Holley receive funding through GoArt. It’s a young organization that’s just starting to integrate with the community, from my understanding. Their primary objective is to increase literacy in the area. There are a lot of adults, young adults and children that will benefit from their services. My own experience at the library today, and my general passion for books, has refreshed my perspective on literacy. Imagine being unable to access all of that wonderful information, all of the stories, the history, the knowledge…. If you know anyone that needs a little help or guidance in learning to read, please call OCALS at (585) 638-7180. I know the people there are very friendly and helpful! And if you feel inspired to volunteer your time or make a contribution I’m sure they would be happy to talk with you.

Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, Murals, Treasures of Holley Mural Project, WNY | No Comments »

ToH: Article in the Paper

Monday, April 20th, 2009

This is one of the many images I'll be referencing for the mural. An early settlement in "Saltport".

Here’s a link to a nice article that was printed recently in the Medina Journal. Various papers and newsletters have expressed an interest in publishing articles about the project, so it looks like this will be the first of many. The more the merrier! Each publication informs a new group of people, which leads to more participants in Treasures of Holley – which will make all of our efforts that much more successful!

With large projects like this, everything seems to take just a little longer to organize then expected. If you’re wondering when the workshops and demonstrations will be, don’t worry they’ll be scheduled throughout the summer so there will be plenty of opportunities to watch the murals develop, and participate in the process. The first one will be in May, but we’re still ironing out a few details so I’m not sure of the exact date.

If you’re interested in painting, please send me an email or post a comment. That way we can start compiling a list of people to contact with detailed information.

Posted in Art, Community, Erie Canal, In Progress, Murals, Public Art, Treasures of Holley Mural Project | No Comments »

ToH: Paint from Golden!

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

golden

A plain cardboard box full of simple, unassuming jars of paint arrived in the mail last week. Few things are more fun for an artist to get in the mail then materials- it’s like Christmas! And this particular box of paint was even more interesting then the usual shipment. A donation specifically for Treasures of Holley, sent directly from Golden Artist Colors, New York State’s very own acrylic paint company and factory. Over the past several years I’ve heard high opinions about Golden from various seasoned professionals. Perusing their site, you’ll find innovative new products (especially the mediums for mixed media artists) that really get the imagination going. Also impressive, they are far more open about safety issues, such as ingredients and toxicity, then most paint companies. There are pages of health, safety and environmental information on their website. If you paint in acrylic, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

I look at these little jars of paint and imagine the transformation of 128 square feet of blank white panel into a colorful illustration of Holley. They may look smaller then you would expect, but they’ll do the job with some to spare. The amount of paint still in the jars after a mural is finished always surprises me. But I won’t be painting 128 square feet by myself! Mrs. Zavitz’s art students at the high school will be pitching in. In exchange for their hard work, we’ll discuss all sorts of professional artist’s issues, the creative process from start to finish, and the importance of using quality materials.

I’m really looking forward to working with them, especially after meeting with Mrs. Zavitz for the first time last week. We chatted about the project as well as issues related to art in WNY, and teaching art in high school. It’s always reassuring to meet an art teacher as enthusiastic and inspired as Mrs. Zavitz. Teaming up with someone like her that is open and flexible, and willing to fit something extra into the curiculum, is a big bonus for ToH.

Posted in Art, Community, In Progress, Murals, Public Art, Treasures of Holley Mural Project | 1 Comment »

The Studios of Stacey Kirby

Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Mural for Greece, NY

Treasures of Holley Unveiling and LAUNCH!

Treasures of Holley Mural Preview!

“Read to Me”

Demonstrations at the County Fair

Upcoming Painting ‘Live’ Events

I Like Libraries

ToH: Article in the Paper

ToH: Paint from Golden!

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