Show next Friday

So in starting this new thing for me - painting things that people can actually hang in their houses (which I've been avoiding for 35 years), I've realized that artists do shows not necessarily just to sell work and generate cash to buy more supplies to do more work but to get the finished pieces out of the studio so they have the space to do more. 

Well, since this is so new to me, I didn't get my act together to get any shows for this year (and only one for next) and the studio is getting very cramped, so I'm creating my own. A friend of mine who is an architect offered me a space to show my stuff on December's First Friday gallery walk. This, by the way is an excellent space, in a perfect location downtown. Carl is the same person that got me the HuHot mural job, which has paid my bills for the last 8 years (he's like my own personal career fairy). He owns Paradigm Architects for anyone local who wants to stop by next Friday. 

Enormous Madison

I just got back yesterday from the Madison HuHot. I was expecting to take it a little easier than in Wichita, it being just 650 square feet of wall space to paint but there were some changes and somehow they were able to squeeze almost 1100 sq. feet of murals into this space. 9 walls in all and one being a 63 ft. long curved soffit that went up to the ceiling at 20 feet or so, another was 30 feet long, so I had to drive heavy equipment on this one which always makes me a little nervous, but miraculously I didn't run into anything. 

I took a few pictures but now I remember why I never take photos of these jobs. First, it's in the construction phase so you don't get the impression of what the finished restaurant looks like. The areas are hard to photograph because there are obstructions hiding parts of them and the lighting hasn't been installed so it's very dark. But here are a couple of the little walls that you can actually tell what they are and I'll put in a photo of the first HuHot to see it without the construction. I came up with these designs about 10 years ago, very graphic, which makes it possible to paint 1100 sq. feet in 5 days. As the years went on and I had to create more and more of these characters I started researching Mongolian Folklore so most of the designs are from these stories.

 

Murals Shmurals

I wish I had a photo to attach but I forgot my camera. I'll remember it next week when I go to Madison.

I'm here in Wichita Kansas on election day, painting 850 square feet of murals on the walls of another HuHot. For those who don't have them in their town (yet) they are a Mongolian restaurant chain, I think there are 27 now or something like that. When I come in to paint they are still in construction and so there are always unforseen problems, although I have to say the only problem on this one is dust, and they have tried really hard to keep it down for me. Also my energy level, which these days is always a problem.

Happy voting!