Where do I begin...

Where do I begin? I've been asked this question hundreds of times so I chose this mural to tell you all about it!

One evening I took a call from a pastor in St Louis. He saw my work in Nashville and wanted Murals & Design to create some art in their new church facility. This huge image was on a focal wall for their 8th grade Sunday school classroom. (I will share some of the other art I did for them at a future date.) Normally I interview some of the principal players in a project to get an idea what they envision. Other times (really fun) I have full rein to create what ever comes to me. It is never easy and often times there is a lot of effort required to come up with the perfect final output for the client.

The painting part can be hard and laborious. You are often way up off the ground. I am not my happiest up there between Heaven and earth; painting with one hand and holding on for dear life with the other. But running one of those "high lifts" can be loads of fun!

Typically my work day is very long since the painting schedule is a compressed segment of time, especially in new construction. My work is usually done near the end of the project but so are the finish people and the make ready and clean up crews. Rush, rush, rush and I am here to confirm, you can only fit a few "behinds" in a small space at any one time without running into one another. This makes it "loads of fun." Plus when I pick up a paint brush I get really, really, no I mean REALLY focused. Talk about a circus act when you have all the other subs running around. Timing really is key to a calm and peaceful outcome. But hey this is what I do and for me the painting is the most fun part of the project.

At times there is a request that I do a "proof of concept design" prior to a large piece like this. My example (above) to the Sunday school class was very well received. The young people came up with the saying and they really liked the "modern swing" I put into the design. It went up well and is quite striking as you enter the room. Proof of concept images are used as a guide for the finished product. It gives the client something to hold and to visualize. (I really love email and the internet, no fax machine needed here!) Typically the final output is pretty close to the proof and that is our goal in creating it. When pricing projects that requires a proof, additional hours are added to the cost the client must pay but in these special cases it is money well spent.

A very challenging part of an exercise of this size is the layout. Just like putting up wall paper or laying floor tile, you must find the logical center of your space and work out from there. It would be disastrous for me to get painting and run out of room at either end. This is something we just can't afford to do. So just like going to the Moon, timing and preparation are everything to the success of the outcome.

Like so many careers, one would think this is all just "pedicures, new doos, and high heel shoes," but as you can see, the most glamorous part of being an artist, designer, and color matching "diva" is my own comfy warm bed, my two whippets and Kevin Lee when I get home after one of these "out of town painting marathons."

So we get back to the question, "Where do I begin?" Well, simply right here at home, usually late at night, thinking, dreaming, and creating till a cold wet nose (or two) causes me pause and I realize tomorrow is closer to me now than yesterday...


That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856