Busy Weekend With A “Speedbump”

A hot, sunny weekend resulted in some really progress on Segment 1.  Unfortunately, that included a small step back for the 4 or 5 steps forward accomplished.  On Saturday, I managed to complete Dad’s face only to decide after 3.5 hours, that I didn’t like that sneaky leer he was sporting.  So I stopped and worked on Elizabet’s siblings, getting quite a bit finished.  Then Saturday night I thought about possible ways to improve Dad’s looks and all I concluded was, “Just start over!”

So, Sunday morning, bright and early, I painted over dad’s face.  Wah!  I always hate to erase a lot of work, but it’s important that the figures have welcoming expressions.  I decided to work on Mom today and leave Dad for the end.  Managed to finish most of mom’s face and laid the groundwork for dad.  Much happier with the results of today’s labours!  Photos are posted on our Flickr page and a new video will be ready by Tuesday.

One of the drawbacks of a sunny weekend like we’ve enjoyed is that there are a lot of interruptions during the working process.  Our friendly Chemainus visitors are so happy to talk with someone at work on a mural.  Everyone wants to know 1) How long will it take to finish, 2) Are you an artist, and 3) Tell me how much they enjoy Chemainus.  It’s impossible to not stop and chat with such nice visitors – but it doesn’t do much for my paintbrushes which keep drying out during these breaks.  It’s especially challenging when I’m working on a wet detail area and really can’t stop.  I’ve painted over a number of places so I can start over when this happens.  But it doesn’t matter – everyone has been so nice and so enthusiastic.

Friendly Bavarian Visitors

Saturday morning our first visitors were a lovely German-Bavarian couple who were pleased that I could remember a bit of my German.  We chatted briefly about the mural and their home and my childhood in Germany.  The told me their name for our murals – which is a Bavarian dialect word – was Luftlmalerei (with an umlaut over the first ‘u’).  A subsequent conversation with our inimitable Dr. Karl revealed that they are more properly called Wandgemalte (with the umlaut over the last ‘a’).  Whatever the word, Chemainus murals are well loved and much admired!

 

Also, a special hello to all the horse-drawn carriage tours and our very own train tour driver – love sending a cheery wave to those happy tourists!

I’ll be back to work tomorrow afternoon trying to finish up as much as I can before the Tour de Rock Breakfast on Tuesday morning.  Wish me luck!

A Gorgeous Day…and some sunburn!

Friday, September 25 epitomized Indian Summer here in Chemainus.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day – weather-wise – to work on the mural.  I worked on the mural for a couple hours after work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, but was so tired that I didn’t have the juice to post photos or a blog entry – my apologies.

But today was a great day to work and I vowed to get new video and photos for the websites.  And I did!  Though I got an early start today, I knew I would only be able to work until 2pm, as I do volunteer work in nearby Nanaimo on Friday afternoons and was really looking forward to seeing the kids today.  Plus, it seemed like visitors from the whole wide world were stopping by to say hello and ask questions.  I talked with folks from Amsterdam, Japan, Australia and various parts of Canada today.  The most common questions is, “When do you expect to be finished?”  It always requires a bit of explanation as the finish date depends on which segment we’re discussing!

I am eager to get as much accomplished on Segment 1 as I can this coming weekend, as Tuesday morning the senior’s centre is hosting the Tour de Rock Breakfast.  The event generally includes a gathering in the parking lot where Segment 1 is located, so I’d like to have as much done as I can so there is a nice backdrop for the event.

This past week saw some really nice press coverage of the mural from a story by our local paper editor, Warren Goulding, special to the Victoria Times-Colonist (Sun, Sept 20 edition, page A12) to a nice story in the Ladysmith Chronicle about our survey contest to name the little girl in Segment 1.  As mentioned in our previous blog postings, Elizabet was our big winner, so the survey contest is closed.  However, it was a popular feature so stay tuned for more opportunities to contribute your votes to various aspects of the mural as it is developed.

Also, check out our Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mural41/) and our YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/chemainusmural41) for the newest visuals on the mural’s progress.

Back at Work in the BC Sunshine!

Happily, I am back from my travels, and what a return!  A great article by Warren Goulding for the Sunday Victoria Times-Colonist (page A12) that sent droves of visitors to stop by and chat while I worked on the mural today.  Plus, gorgeous, gorgeous sunshine!  Unfortunately, with all the visitor traffic I spent more time stopped and answering questions than working on Segment 1.  But I did get some more accomplished and a photo of today’s work is already posted on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mural41/3939212285/.

I hear the rest of the week is supposed to be equally sunny so I look forward to making some real tracks on Segment 1 this week.  The pressure’s on, as the Tour de Rock reception and breakfast at the Chemainus Seniors Drop-In Centre is planned for Sept 29 and I’d like to finish as much as I can before then so we have a nice backdrop for the rider’s visit.

Today is also the day we post the results from the “Name the Little Girl” survey.  After tallying the votes the results are an overwhelming lead for “Elizabet”.  Other names that rated well were Pheobe, Inez, Caroline, Janice, Susan, Connie, Annie, and Julie.  Sadie, Sarah and Mary were suggested, but did not receive any votes.  Therefore we have now settled on Elizabet as the name for the little girl in Segment 1.  Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and participation.  We’ll run more surveys about the mural as the work progresses, so stay tuned!

On The Road – A Painting Pause

A short pause in the work on Segment 1 is required as I travel for business.  Hope the good weather hangs in there…Should be back at work on Sep 20 – stay tuned!

Defying the Rain

Got a bit more done today in spite of the variable weather.  The day started off cloudy and then got sunny just before noon.  I took a chance and brought my sun shade canopy with me just in case things really heated up, though the temps were cooler (I even wore socks under my sandals).  After getting to work  the sun did, in fact, come out and start cooking me again.  I set up the sun shade canopy and within 10 minutes a big storm cloud swooped in and it began to pour rain in earnest.  Thankfully, the deep overhang on that part of the building, as well as the shelter from the canopy, kept me pretty dry.  Though there was quite a “creek” of water gushing through the parking lot!

Managed to finish the little girls arms and her dad’s hand, his trousers and started mom’s skirt.  Hopefully I can get some more done after work this week – rain clouds permitting!  New pictures of progress posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mural41/3898419651/in/set-72157622259878570/

Official Survey – Name That Girl!

Take our official survey to name the little girl from Segment 1.  Thanks, SurveyMonkey!

More Rain = More Sketch Time

Another rainy day!  Boo!  Not too swell for mural painting outdoors, but just fine for working on character sketches and planning.  Dr. Karl has suggested “Julia” – after Julia Askew, first European child born in Chemainus – as the name for the little girl in Segment 1.  However, Ms. Askew was born in 1900 and the setting for the mural is supposed to be the mid-1860′s.  I get a little bit of artistic license, but I can’t wiggle famous historical persons birthdays by 40ish years!  So how about we name her Elizabet so she is no longer anonymous?  Elizabet was the third most popular name from that time period.

Please vote on naming the little girl from segment 1, Elizabet.  Feel free to suggest different names.  A final decision will be rendered by September 20.

Welcome to Mural 41′s Story

Hi!  Here you will find the unfolding story of the creation of Mural 41 as well as stories about the people who visit during the progress of the mural and anything else interesting that might occur.  If you have questions, ask away!  If you have feedback, please share it.  The murals of Chemainus are more than just paintings on a wall.  They are the story of the town’s history, a celebration of evolution and survival in an ever-changing economy and, most importantly, a study in community and how a town can work together to make something totally unique and beautiful.

So, join me on this amazing trip through Mural Town!

A Mixed Weather Day Off

After working in the scorching sun yesterday and getting quite a bit of paint detail on the little girl in the foreground of segment one, I’ve had an enforced day off painting thanks to a day of mixed rain and windy weather.

I had hoped to spend the entire day at work on Segment 1 – and had even retrieved my 10′ x 10′ canopy from storage to afford a bit of shade – but it seems I jinxed the weather by doing that!  Well, it provided an excellent opportunity to get Mural 41′s blog, Flickr page, Twitter  and YouTube up and running.

Stay tuned for more photos, videos, tweets and news about the work and the people who visit!