The Erie, CO Goddard School

I'm finally posting some photos of the preschool which I just finished up in Erie. The theme was 'Bears'. Each classroom had a mascot bear/ bears outside their room with a large (geographically appropriate) tree. I also illustrated the seasons by placing the bears in the front of the school in 'spring' and, as you walk back along the hall, the seasons change with the final two classroom bears in wintery scenes. The low greenish hills run the length of the halls and connect all the different murals so that they feel more like one continuous mural.

Enjoy the photos...

and yes, I know that koalas and red pandas aren't really bears...

This first photo is of the foyer when you first enter the school and the next picture is of the 'entrance mural' - just past the foyer.

PDPA Gallery and Finishing up in Erie

I am in the home stretch at the Goddard School in Erie. I have to finish up this week as the school opens for kids on Tuesday. Already I wish that I could have been finished sooner as the teachers are 'decorating' their doors and windows which makes for more photoshopping in order to make my photos portfolio quality. And, I will want some of these murals for the portfolio. The bears are really turning out well thanks to Jane Chapman and her beautiful bear illustrations (the inspiration for all the murals at this Goddard School).
Another reason for me to 'hurry up and finish' is that I am helping to install a decorative paint techniques gallery at the Belcaro in Littleton on Sunday and, before then, I have the sign to paint. This gallery in the brain child of Andre Martinez, a local painter extraordinaire, marketing guru, instructor of all things 'decorative finish' etc. etc. Andre created the PDPA (professional decorative painters association) which has become a national organisation. The goal is to create standards and some sort of accreditation system. I think that, in the long run, this will benefit all of us in the industry as, I hope, it will weed out the hacks.
Seems to already be working.
The local PDPA has about 25 members I believe. I was the only one who showed up at Andre's studio to help design the gallery space the other day. We have some sample boards from one other local artist so, the 'PDPA gallery' is turning into the Andre, Braxton(Andre's apprentice), Jen (icing studios) and Michelle gallery. Since Andre is hoping that other paint stores will jump on board and want PDPA galleries of there own I am really getting in on the ground floor. In addition to this my new association with the PDPA has introduced me to Andre, a man from whom I have a great deal to learn! Knowing the best of the best in the industry in never a bad thing.
Here is a link to the PDPA website... www.pdpa.org
Thanks for tuning in. I will post photos from Erie early next week.

The Goddard School #2

This is my rendering for the entrance mural at the Erie Goddard School. Sarah wants to eliminate the stump and bunny but, aside from those changes, I will stay pretty true to this watercolor. The bears are from one of my favorite books in Charlie's collection, 'Mommy Mine' illustrated by Jane Chapman. I hope that I am successful at emulating her style for these bear murals as her illustrations are favorites of both Sarah's (the school's owner) and mine. Mrs. Chapman has an amazing talent for making potentially scary animals warm and friendly.

I sart Monday so I have much sketching to fill my weekend... my 'stay inside where it is warm' weekend.

The Goddard School... first one

I have finally had a chance to take, sort and photo shop my pictures from the big pre-school gig last month. It was a blast! I worked some insane hours the final week so that it would be all finished when they opened but, it was well worth it. It was great going back in after the school had been open for a few weeks to see how much the children have impacted the space. There is so much wonderful energy in the school... I am very lucky to have been a part of it!

Thank you Sloan and Jarrett.

I did a mural inside each of the schools ten classroom in addition to something outside each room and the big entrance mural... so, these photos are just a sampling of the work. Enjoy.

Abstract

This is a commission which I have just finished for an interior designer's downtown loft. Priscilla wanted me to roughly copy a painting which hangs in Howard Lorton Galleries. We changed the color palette drastically (in the original the entire upper portion is a rich deep blue), and, as a result, we added a bit of contrast and drama to the composition.

Although this was inspired by another artist's work I feel that I have given it an energy all it's own... exactly my goal.

Thank you Priscilla for the opportunity to work on such a intriguing piece.

This photo is a very large file so you should be able to click on it and enlarge it quite a bit. This way you can get a sence of the layering of color and deep texture. The canvas is 5' x 6'6".

Day Care Renderings

These are a few renderings I have just finished for work I will be doing in March. These murals will be two of many in the new Goddard School in Aurora. I am looking very forward to the work... it is going to be great fun. There are nine rooms in the school, each with a different animal as a theme. There will be an small mural outside each room (to include a topiary) and a large mural inside each room (near the reading area). In addition to these nine murals there will be a large entrance mural and a small mural at the end of a hallway. This is a huge job and I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to work on one large project for a solid month.

Very Elaborate Stencil Pattern

This photograph is a detail photo of two walls in a powder room I recently painted. I hope to get better photos once the fixtures are all installed and the lighting is better.
I created this finish by lightly glazing the walls and then stenciling over the glaze with a mixture of two different metallics. I intentionally left some of the stenciling fairly light and I varied the amounts of gold and silver that I was using so the stencil work would look a bit more varied and antiqued. The pattern was one that I found online and turned into a stencil myself - this was remarkably difficult! Creating the stencil took more time than painting the room. Although, it was well worth it. I love how the finish turned out as do the designer and clients.