Hurray for Terra Cotta!

Leo Germano in 1991 with his painted terra cotta pot collection-

One of our oldest murals was painted on a very bumpy cement wall that gave this mural a surprising resonance and rich texture. This was commissioned work to bring the outside into a laundromat back in the 90's. We had a lot of fun composing this scene and stacking these pots.  The color of terra cotta, or burnt earth-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta is classical and inviting. It is an ancient material that has a long list of artful associations.
Don't you want to pick up one and do some planting?

Bon Appetite Mentions Murals!

Bon Appetite Magazine- September 2014 talks about murals

 In the September issue of Bon Appetite magazine, we were delighted to find the following quote that helps with a larger picture of why a restaurant would choose commissioned art to adorn the walls and give distinction to the space.
Hand painted murals are the real thing - created specifically to resonate and give off some wonderful energy. They make the whole eating experience more memorable and remarkable.

The Bon Appetite mural sample

Sign Painting Movie and Reality

Street Taco on Haight Street in process

We were working on Haight Street, painting a sign for our client and met an Australian man, Roger Warsop who told us about a movie, http://signpaintermovie.blogspot.com/ We agreed that there was great promise in this documentary for all of us who dip into paint to make letters and graphics that stand far above and beyond the cheap plastic stick on letters that are everywhere, curling at the edges and looking very sad. There is no distinction in those letters. Real paint has magic in it as one can see in the movie or read in the book. Thank you Faythe Levine and Sam Macon!

Roger was attracted to our work because he was a sign painter himself. We had a great conversation that revolved around the renaissance of hand painted signs. He learned his skill from his sign writing father and now teaches his techniques to students who are excited to carry on this time honored tradition. https://www.facebook.com/roger.warsop

We have been doing more signs lately. The whole point is to get the paint jars opened, the pointed brushes out and the client lined up so that streets and businesses will have some authentic hand painted resonance working for them. A business' image will be enhanced by the special attention paid to their logos, lettering and identity.

Working in the Public Eye

Our commission was to make this storefront look friendly, inviting and interesting. The intention was to enhance the identity of a long-time established hardware business by painting faux windows around their two doorways.
This got us out of our studio and into the beehive that is the parking lot at Discount Builders Supply. It was a good kind of challenge for both of us. Starting early the first morning told us that we needed to come in a little later in order to let the morning rush of vehicles and noise subside. Working in the public is one thing but working in a whirlwind is another.
So we settled into a routine of starting early in the afternoons and going till dark or a little later.
It was September and we were loosing light fast every evening. The store closed at 6 during the week and that's when the doors closed too so we could then move our scaffold and work on the center sections. From 6-8 p.m. we worked hard and tried not to get too cold with the fog rolling in.
This took 18 days on site and was a really good experience to find ways to explain what we were doing in the beginning before people could see the effects of our lines and blocks of washes that eventually added up to windows, panes of glass and interior details. The mural gives depth to the walls that were very unremarkable at the start.