Artist Journal 8-28-07 by Lauren Crymes, UCA student

Artist Journal
8-28-07
by
Lauren Crymes, UCA student

8/17/07 This was the first day that I worked on the mural. At this point the wall had already been primed and the grid had been put on as well. We began to draw figures and other features of the mural in pencil, while Morton worked directly in paint on the largest figure.

8/21/07 Today most of what was drawn in pencil had to be moved as they were off one block. This was fixed and painting on the three figures in the background. I found that keeping things in perspective was difficult because of the scale of the mural. While working on one section it can be hard to keep the whole in mind simply because you cannot see it all unless you get off the scaffolding. I also found that the acrylic paint dried fast, especially in the heat of the day. This is good for covering any painting mistakes as you paint over them. Today was also cooler, so I noticed how much working in the heat actually takes out of you.

8/23/07 This was an actual class day. Instead of painting we went into the conference room to learn more about the process of the mural. The class looked at other murals, learned how the community must be taken into account and heard, while we also saw other ways murals can be done, such as on parachute fabric glued to the actual brick. We also discussed movable murals, the times at which we could meet to work on the mural, and what we would actually start doing first.

Artist Journal 8-22-07 by UCA student Kerry Tindall

Design with grid

First sketch on wall

First sketch on wall

Mural site primed

UCA student Kerry Tindall at work

Scaffolding being erected

Filigree in sky is being drawn

Filigree in sky is being drawn

Filigree in sky is being drawn

First sketch of large arm on wall

Flying kid is roughed in as Kerry

works

Student Artist Journal
Kerri Tindall

8/13/07 Monday Scaffolding is being constructed.

8/14/07 Tuesday Meeting with teachers at Mike’s Place then met at city hall to brainstorm ideas for the dedication on the 6th of October. Several ideas, from trashcan decorating to sidewalk chalk, were discussed. Morton showed a power point presentation of the recent projects he has been working on. This seemed like a time to get to know the local art teachers and the opportunities for the children in the local area through field trips to the mural site.

8/15/07 Wednesday This was the first day of actual preparation of the brick surface that will be the canvas for the new community mural. We used a white primer to cover the entire surface of the brick sealing the surface for the acrylic paint that is being used to create the mural. The priming was not time consuming or difficult-Paint, brush, cover-very simple. We were able to get a majority of the wall completed today.

8/16/07 Thursday Returned to find the remainder of the wall completed. We did go back over any areas that needed a second coat of primer to protect the life of the mural. Once this was completed, we used a chalk line, level and tape measure to create a twelve inch by twelve-inch grid over the entire wall. We started with the horizontal lines and then the vertical lines.

8/17/07 Friday Figures were placed on the grid in the appropriate places with pencil. Morton started on the largest girl in the foreground with paint. I started laying in the horizon line in the middle ground and two other students came and positioned other figures in the areas that they needed to be.

8/20/07 Monday OH HAPPY DAY! As a young artist, you do not really want to make those “big” mistakes, yet we do. We make mistakes, learn from our mistakes, and continue. When using grids make sure that all concerned are counting from the same beginning block. I was one block off throwing everything to the right twelve inches. After taking the majority of this day correcting my error I continued with the contour drawing on the grid. This part seems to be time consuming and a process that is very tedious. I realize the importance of accuracy. Without accuracy, the composition will not be rendered, as the mural should.

8/21/07 Tuesday We are continuing to place figures on the grid. We have the three historical figures, the teacher, and four sesame street characters drawn in. We are working to complete the contour drawings of the dispatcher and conductor. Morton has the largest figure partially painted in and is working on the filigree parts of the composition. This is truly a team effort to complete what we have in less than one week.



Student Artist Journal
Kerri Tindall


A student’s perspective:

I was at the first brainstorming meeting back in February of this year and a couple of meetings since. I realize how much information is taken into consideration to bring this mural to a final composition ready to paint. With no experience in working on a large-scale paintings, drawings or sketches this mural was very over whelming. One observation I made in the initial process is that the wall is so large. When you look at the pictures on the web page or the print outs it does not compare to the large scale that the composition takes on. Morton expressed that we have to imagine in our mind on a larger scale. Even in the grid process, standing directly on the scaffolding takes things out of perspective. You can get lost easily if you do not keep an eye on the grid lines. Another observation was when the line drawings of the figures started to take place. The more figures drawn, the more you can relate to the composition as the mural that it is intended to be. Another factor that is taken into consideration is the weather. The heat has been almost intolerable last week. This week has been cooler and makes the work much more enjoyable. Over all, the hard work, the mistakes and corrections, and the learning process have been worth all the heat that we have endured so far. I am pleased at the progress that we have made and am looking forward to seeing where we are at this time next week.

Artist Journal 8-09-07

Artist’s Journal
Morton Brown
8.9.07

As of July 24th, the Conway City Council has officially approved the mural design and plans for renovation of Simon Park. Everyone involved, from City Planning and the Public Art Committee to the Office of the Mayor, City Council and the Tree Board have truly made some thoughtful decisions and facilitated this entire process with such openness and professionalism, that it has made us all look good—and me very proud.

I will be in Conway beginning August 13th (next Monday at 7am), at which time the scaffolding will be erected at City Hall. I am fortunate to be teaching three classes at UCA this fall, in conjunction to the mural, one of which will allow students to actually participate on the mural painting itself. My students and I will begin work on the mural immediately after scaffolding installation and continue through early October.

Please come by the mural site at 1201 Oak Street, see the progress, and say howdy to the mural gang. We will be onsite (guaranteed) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10:30am and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6-9pm. I will be onsite at various other times, but I know that I and some students will be there at the above times.

During the mural painting process, I will be handing the artist journal practice over to my students. Each week during the mural painting period, one student will submit to you and to the website blog (www.uca.edu/mural) a journal and photo-documentation from his or her perspective as muralist apprentice. This should make for a very interesting analysis and documentation of the process as it unfolds.

The UCA television station, channel 6, will also be on hand (and have been present from the beginning) to document the process throughout. They are also working with me right now, in collaboration with the Conway Downtown Partnership, to place a revolving loop of video that explains the mural process thus far through images and text via a large video screen that will remain in the storefront of Ed Camp’s in downtown throughout the painting period.

Also, I am meeting with Conway Public School teachers on August 14th at the mural site, coordinated by Dr. Gayle Seymour and Dr. Deb Kuster in order to talk about how we can integrate this mural project (and potentially other types of public art) into the schools’ curriculum. I expect that many schools will either make mural site filed trips, or schedule a time that I could come talk to their classes. Either way, I am very excited about this aspect of the project as it truly extends the artwork beyond its basic goals, and connects local institutions of learning and young people—offering not only an appreciation for art, but a recollection of the City’s history and people.

Two upcoming dates for you to mark on your calendar:

August 30th, 7pm at UCA, McCastlain Hall, room 143 (lecture hall next to Baum Gallery) : Artist Lecture on the Conway Community Mural Project

And—keep the afternoon of Saturday, October 6th open as we hold our Conway Community Mural Dedication Celebration in Downtown Conway! We are planning an afternoon full of music, family activities and talks by the artist, UCA faculty and Conway city officials. Open and free to the public-come join our celebration of your new mural!

Lastly, I would like to offer a special thanks this week to our partners who have made an extra effort within the last few weeks to get this project off the ground:

Office of the Mayor: Felicia Rogers, Jamie Gates and Mayor Townsell

City Planning/Tree Board: Bryan Patrick and Wes Craiglow

Conway Downtown Partnership: Amy Reed

Conway City Council


Thanks as always.


Morton Brown
Artist in Residence
UCA
412.901.1546 cell
Bromorton@gmail.com