Brushing on the 1st Eighty-Foot Length

The computer-generated mock-up of 'about' how the mural will look...

As with any other 'north-paw' painting, no matter what the scale, I begin with the upper left-hand corner.

On a mural of this scale, it is advisable to stay organized. This means executing successive passes across the expanse of the wall while working on 'global' glazes. The process will not be micro-managed; rather, every glaze will be completed through the full-spectrum tonal study before finally arriving at the 'native' colors. This bears repeating as the temptation is to simply paint, for instance, a 'blue sky' which if laid in at this early stage would look flat and tepid in comparison to the rich, vibrant effect that is only achievable by multiple translucent glazes. About thirty-odd years and over 60 large murals has taught me never to rush into a native color, as it a recipe for mediocrity and dullness in my view.

Taking a quick breather on the relentless march across the wall.

You can clearly see even at this early stage that the idea of separating the light from the dark with the first glaze picks out the objects which will eventually make up a very high-contrast horizon. As I spend time with brush in hand, ideas begin to crystallize in my mind about the 'concept' of the mural. It is not always possible to visualize 'big enough' when planning a project of this scale on paper until one is confronted with the reality of experiencing it first-hand.

Making my way down the eighty-foot runway in front of the mural.

Although after a few more passes the novelty is bound to wear a bit thin, I wanted to capture a play-by-play of the first trek across the (somewhat) daunting eight-foot length of the 'forever YOUNG' mural.

You can see the forms emerging...

 After I touched the extreme far end of the wall with paint on my first pass, the scaffold was rolled back into position at the right-hand side in readiness for the next go at it.

All set for the next painting day.

The next step will be to lower the staging of the scaffold to the six-foot height to paint the next swath in rich orange.