Catch-up Post time. At the end of October I got to do a lovely project alongside my cousin: the fabulous interior designer Kirsten Floyd. Her client Millwrights Restaurant needed some artful direction to lead diners downstairs to the bar.
For this project I got to paint directly on the raw wood of the stairwell, which may have been original to the construction of the mill house in 1680, which the restaurant and bar are themed around... whoo!
This was really exciting for me not only for the risk-factor (no splatters, no drips, no corrections...), but also because I think this is the best and purest form of mural painting - interacting directly with the architecture, not constrained to a background or expected to fill the rectangular 'canvas' of a blank wall. Letting the raw wood show through and around the painting integrates the image with the rest of the space.
I even got to expand beyond the stairwell (and if you know my other murals you know this is becoming a habit of mine) - adding little motifs from the main mural around the larger space. In this case that meant a scattering of other stars hidden around the bar area.
Design-wise this was similar to my project with Halcyon Vintage and Social 52 - a mix between original design work and a pre-designed logo. It's becoming a fun little trend that allows me to work with commercial clients and still have some creative flexibility. Small businesses like there are on my 'ideal clients' list, so it's pretty cool that I've had a handful of them now :)
CLICK TO SEE THE FULL PROJECT PAGE WITH DETAIL SHOTS AND MORE INFO
That finished, I am now back into "planning and scheming" mode, putting out feelers for new leads and building some designs and plans for a few personal projects as well. I'm also flexing my organization muscles as project manager on a commission of Sterling Hundley's for Capital 1, and researching residencies and grants for next year. Planning mode is a really comfortable place for me, and I look forward to larger projects where I can really make use of and hone those skills.
Meanwhile I am building a tent/space-heater nest in my unheated studio to make a warm place to work in the winter, but until it gets there I am spending a lot of time in coffee shops...