Mural Musing #5

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Finnish Ain’t No Language in Europe!

OK, I’m not really sure where that came from – other than looking at the mural this morning.  Tape had reappeared – see?  Over there:

I took a closer peek and was suddenly submerged in a world of déjà vu.  8 or 9 years ago I was working on this piece called “Beltline Boogie” that now hangs down here in the lower level den:

The image started life as an 8 x 10 inch pen and ink doodle done during a faculty meeting. I then scanned the drawing into Photoshop, where I added color and texture.  Eventually it became the 48-by-36 inch giclee that hangs on the wall.  Here is the issue.  When you work in Photoshop you can zoom in as close as you want – until you are working at a pixel by pixel level.  So you see those little tiny cars way in the background?  I could blow each one up to fill my 20 inch screen and work in teeny-tiny detail, like this:

Mind you this isn't the large car in the foreground, it is a slightly different, tiny, clone waaaay in the back. You can't really make it out here on the screen.  As it turned out, in this instance my obsession with detail was worthwhile.  This particular image ended up wrapping a city bus here in Raleigh as part of the "Art on The Move Project."  So one incarnation of Beltline Boogie ended up being 40 feet long!

Point is this – I would be embarrassed to tell you how many hours I spent working on the image.  Were it my "job", no problem – I could be labeled a “real go-getter,” a workaholic who always gave you his best effort.  I was, however, working on the image for the sheer pleasure of bringing to life the image inside my head.  When I would occasionally share my progress with someone, they would often inquire, “When will you finish?”  I had no answer. Every time I would open the image and zoom into that engulfing world – well, there was always something more to tweak.

Here is a quick glance at the current state of the image in Paul’s head that is springing to life on our walls:

Is that just unbelievably cool, or what? Were it not for the tape on the door handles you wouldn't see them at all.  We cannot wait for the first time a guest asks to use the restroom and we tell them to go out behind the trees! 

When will Paul "finish"?  I have no idea.  "Finnish ain't no language in Europe."  It is a moment that occurs in the mind of the artist, when the image on the canvas, screen or wall bears sufficient resemblance to the image inside the artist's head to be deemed "finished."  Judging by the tape in the  image that begins this post, I would guess that that moment will not occur today.  And we are more than willing to enable Paul's obsession for detail .  .  .  . 

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