Star-Spangled Spectacular (+More Mural Photos)

The Star-Spangled 200 was Baltimore's big to-do this year.  This month commemorated the completion of Francis Scott Key's "Defense of Fort M'Henry" which evolved into our national anthem. The Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission provided the funding, and was the reason behind the sidewalk mural I was painting last summer.

In a press release from the Visionary Museum, the mural is said to be a

"lively, complimentary and decidedly pro-peace take on Baltimore’s and America’s extraordinary true history."

We finished well into the cold season, but the snow and ice were generally good to the work. Here are the new and final additions not shown in previous posts.

The southern end of the mural features Chief Tecumseh from an anamorphic 3-D perspective, the far north side (museum entrance to Covington St.) are the written lines of his beautiful famous speech. 

Portraits of notable Baltimore natives were also painted near the main entrance of the museum. 

Tall Ships and Blue Angels (Featured ship: El Galeon Andalucia).

September 14, 2014 Canton Waterfront Park; Baltimore provided the people with Maryland's largest fireworks display to date.

(“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."-Chief Tecumseh)

Ground Mural at the AVAM

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore is in the middle of an extended summer to fall ground mural, mostly commemorating the War of 1812 and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, but told through little known war stories, historical oddities, and cheeky anecdotes. I've been painting since May alongside several others, including mural designer, DC sculptor Lee Wheeler. 

A picture of me starting the USN tattoo segment while my friend Kristin tackles the pub. It's fantastic to work with [fantastic] people and painters.

Originally 500+ feet, this was to wrap around Key Highway and has recently been abbreviated to just the main side of the Museum. The entire piece is "temporary", so see it while you can; projected to last through fall 2014.

Conveniently under the "o say can you see" neons, and some stellar sunflowers.

Little known (and questionably true) war fact: something involving England sending a wheel of impertinent cheese to The White House.

Sometimes you get stuck doing what you start;  a few solo afternoons spent with this bomb laden water, and Uncle Sam above.

Brooklyn and the #giftfair

Ps I'm not truthfully a hashtagger. New York over the weekend was nothing more than short and sweet. I was able to make it to the NY International Gift Fair- more fun than expected!

Jonathan Adler was the only land I felt comfortable taking any photos in, much thanks to Melissa Cromwell, and JA did look great. I was also able to locate an old favorite company now under the new name of Moksha, Indian goods and handmade wares (from Texas) and old family friends.  Moksha- "Liberation". Also check out Lusty Letters for a change of pace in your greeting card and gift-giving life. A lot of colorful inspiration, all in all. Meanwhile back in Brooklyn there is a new mural up in the courtyard of Soda Bar, courtesy of 'MissBoombox', not to mention the new chalkboard wall over at St. Johns Place...woah! 

Mural of Insects

Newest mural; A residential bathroom; Cape St. Claire in Maryland. Sixteen butterflies.

The problem is that while the work crew was finishing up, the bathtub broke in half. (When does that ever happen?) Each butterfly is meticulously clear coated to completion, hopefully staying smooth and sound.

Old newspaper nostalgia

And look, almost four years to date. Chronicle front page! Hospital mural fine-tuning and my unnaturally cheerful paint pose. I hope that anyone I worked alongside of on this one is finding much mural and/or painting success! Leap month now, leap month then. How incidentally awesome! (click image to read)

Newest Mural

After working with A Girl and A Brush last month on a residential Maryland dining room; approx. 84"x60". Grass and boats, grass and birds. The homeowner loves it more than a he would a photograph (and I'd rather deal in paint) even if it is the beautiful blasé Bay.

Doctors, Pandas, Women

I don't think I've had this much of a Savannah/SCAD inspired weekend since living back in Maryland. Three consecutive days off (boom), I painted until 1:30 a.m. in an empty building all alone, had to be up early for a film/lecture at a film festival, I purchased 4 new notebooks (very excited to fill them up with lists, notes and art-notes), and thought of a new tattoo (hopefully won't get this one). Then there was being too busy to eat, calling doctors I don't know (and who don't know me, double plus), setting up a new website (for the lady I'm painting murals with) and managing to log into my old paypal account, only to find that the address on record was still W 38th street in Savannah, GA. How nostalgically full circle.

So here is one complete panda. Currently I'm working with "A Girl and A Brush", painting rooms in the new Chesapeake Bay Pediatrics, Stevensville, MD.

Not quite complete pandas:

New topic. Rowdy hearted women, bold art. The Guerilla Girls are in all of these types of documentaries, though. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Love.) I'm really curious to see who and what will be discussed in 20 years when one of these films is made about today and tomorrow's art-minded women.

And, more pandas. This is from the mural we made off-site and installed in the children's oncology  room at Memorial Hospital, Savannah GA in 2008.

No stranger to pandies. They also eat for about 14 hours a day. Side note, one of the books I'm using is called Animal Life Cycles, every page has a detailed illustration of every animal mating, from hedgehogs to hyenas. It's actually all the same.