"World's Largest Business Card"

Timeline: July 5th, 2017...

After waiting for  almost five years for the Young Centennial Committee to get their ducks in a row, my patience has been richly rewarded. I was on site to capture stunning images of the massive mural installation.

A scissor lift capable of ascending 40' into the air was pressed into service.

A combination electric and hydraulic lift was brought on-site. The large working platform, in tandem with a tractor with fork-lift, made ideal equipment to lift the heavy panels into their respective positions on the massive frame.

This shot gives a good impression of the scale of the frame.

The scissor lift requires outriggers when extended high up in the air.

In the above picture, you can see the huge ( 16" diameter) steel posts that were deemed necessary to hold the 20' x 80' expanse of painted panels. The structure was engineered to withstand very brisk winds. Also, considering the predominant (prevailing) winds come from the northwest, the infrastructure is oriented to "slice" into the wind, rather than face it like huge sail.

The aforementioned tractor and fork lift can be seen to the left, carrying the next panel.

Now that you have seen some of the (later) highlights of the installation, here is the finished product...for your viewing pleasure:

The finished installation of "forever YOUNG" at Young, SK.

Once the "forever YOUNG" mural was completely installed, I decided to create a quick video, on my phone. I posted the video on Facebook that afternoon and within about 24 hours, 9,700 viewers partook of the great fun.

About the Artist/Author:    

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The Glaze Goes On...Work Continues w 'forever YOUNG' Mural

The computer-generated mock-up of 'about' how the finished mural will appear shows the scale. Note the tiny adult human on the lower right-hand corner. He stands 5 '10".

These captions are short and straight to the point. Once I feel I have a bit more breathing space, I will go into more detail about the thought and process that is invested in a project of this scale. There are other adjunct stories that tie into the project as well...stay tuned.

It's a new day. The scaffold stands ready for mounting with painting in mind.

The scaffold stage is lowered to the six-foot level in readiness for the next eighty-foot pass.

Fast forward about five hours as I make my way across eighty feet of glazing the next six foot wide swath of orange glaze.

You can see forms ( that would be a team of four oxen ) already emerging from out of the golden-hued background tint.

Shot from across the arena in the score-keepers box.

Before I stopped for the day, the scaffold was rolled back in position on the far left-hand side in preparation for the next pass.

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.

Painting the Beast: 'forever YOUNG' mural fired up!

Mock-up shows the scale of the finished mural-to-be.

Applying the first few strokes of rich orange glaze.

After an intense week of construction, I was in a position to get started on what I love best: mural-painting. As usual, I have primed the strata a warm golden-flesh tone to begin. I work in the old European technique of laying down perhaps 12-15 transparent to translucent layers in a full-spectrum tonal study before applying the 'native' colors. My first step is to differentiate between light and dark by applying a warm orange glaze to 'everything dark or shaded'.

I don't mess around once I start painting. There's a LOOONG way to go!

Feeling good to be underway after all the prep work. Delayed gratification ain't all it's made out to be.

Starting off at the upper left-hand corner.

There will ultimately be dozens of passes on the rolling scaffold as the transparent glazes are systematically laid in. I will be applying 'global' glazes, meaning ALL of each glaze will be completed before moving on to the next color. So yeah, the sky will remain orange for quite some time! This is not a process that can be rushed.

When I paint a mural on this scale, I like to stay organized, working methodically from the upper left-hand corner and across the expanse of the wall to the right.

When working on a mural of this scale, I have to stay organized with a long-term plan of attack. There is not a whole lot of random painting that goes on, especially when laying in the foundation of the piece. This may surprise you (or not) but I apply precisely the same methodology to a piece on this scale as I would with an easel painting. I won't go into detail here, you will see as the days and weeks go by how it systematically evolves.

Day 1 of painting yields a good result.

Before I move on to the second glaze, all of the rich orange will be applied to begin the laborious process of separating light from dark. 

Speeding up the Prep...Delayed Gratification is Over-Rated.

We were really happy to build the scaffolding and press it into service on plank rails in front of the wall.

Every ambitious community project needs a local champion. Lil Sather is exactly that. Lil has been a vocal proponent of this world-scale project out of small town Saskatchewan for over two years. It was Lil Sather who made the initial contact with me before the Village of Young Centennial in 2010.

Sherwin powered the panels up the wall with a lift assist from me to balance the bottom on the lip of the bottom row, then we would co-ordinate pinning the panel in place with a minimum number of screws.

Sherwin affixing panels at ground level in a systematic manner to maximize results while minimizing handling of the heavy pieces.

Aerial view of the scaffold set up on the left-hand side of the first 3/5ths of surface. What you see is the eighty-foot by sixteen-foot upper portion of the mural per se. There will be an additional eight feet of height beneath for a total of eighty feet by twenty feet.

The Zimboni which was earlier rolled out of its usual storage shop makes a convenient book-end to prop up panels against for easy later access at stage right.

A good afternoon's painting...application of the signature golden flesh-toned primer. Peace out till next time...there WILL be mural-painting soon now that this phase of prep is finished. 

'forever YOUNG' Progress: Day 2

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

Material management and co-ordination is the key factor at this stage of the project, especially since fifty-two four foot by eight foot panels are required. One side of every panel is designated the 'good side' while the reverse is stamped 'back only'. With fifty-two panels to manage, you can imagine that it would be important to always know which side is the good one. Every panel weighs about eighty pounds, so it's wise to handle and move them as little as humanly possible. I think Sherwin and I succeeded in this, as we primed and positioned thirty-six panels on our first day of painting.

We made an executive decision to leave the frames on the floor to serve double-duty as drying racks for the panels.

After the temporary frame was designed and built yesterday, we decided that they would work well as drying racks for the fifty-two panels if we left them lying on the floor. It was a great idea and worked well, speeding up the process. Efficiency, don't you know?

A huge space to work in is an absolute necessity  for a project of this scale.

As I was working today, I took a minute to reflect on what a GREAT studio the Community of Young has provided for this project. 


I also felt waves of gratitude wash over me that the universe has sent such a capable and enthusiastic assistant in such a timely manner. Sharon just happened to ask Sherwin and his partner Poppy (originally from Young) if they could think of a person who might make a good 'helper' to get the physically difficult parts underway. Sherwin immediately piped up and said, "Pick me." 


And here we are, in the thick of it!

Creature comforts are a vital part of a hard working man's day.

We make sure to take regular breaks during the work day. Nothing rejuvenates like a stiff cuppa java and some home-made cookies. Seeing as how we will be here for between ten and twelve weeks, we're bringing in some of the comforts of home. No point in roughing it too much.

Great care is taken in the application of an opaque primer coat on the surface of the 3/4" 'Cresone' aka painters' panel.

We decided at the outset that only one of us (that would be me) would be responsible for the paint application. I have about one-hundred thousand hours experience operating a roller cage so I got elected to take charge. By a unanimous vote.

TLC is fastidiously invested in ensuring a well sealed outer edge of every panel.

Getting all of the factory edges very well sealed and primed is extremely important, as they are the most vulnerable to migratory water. With this in mind, we decided to hit any tiny (or not so tiny) voids in the perimeter edges with a paintable silicone sealant prior to priming with the professional grade 100% acrylic latex. 


Rule of thumb: buy the most expensive brand of high quality paint for the best results.

Our local lumber yard delivers a second load of the high-quality painters' panels right on schedule. 

One (of many) huge advantages in the location of this project and site is its proximity to the Town of Watrous and of course Manitou Beach, where Sherwin and I live respectively. Our friends at Watrous Home-All made their second material delivery to the rink today just like clockwork. We had just finished priming and sealing the first batch of twenty panels and had had a lunch break when the truck pulled in with another load of the balance: thirty-two more panels for a total of fifty-two. 

Swallow-eye's view of the immense make-shift studio with the first twenty panels drying.

It is definitely starting to sink in that this a big project when I see this aerial shot of less than half of the panels drying on their make-shift racks. 


I am thinking that 'forever YOUNG' will qualify for the designation 'World's Largest Free-Standing Mural' by a country freakin' mile.


Just putting it out there...I am claiming that title until I hear any different.


Bring it.

World's Largest Free-Standing Mural?

Last night's meeting with the Young Centennial Planning Committee was a big success.


I presented my color mock-up of the 'forever Young' mural and it was very well-received. The transition from the monochrome version to the colorized is really quite remarkable. There's no question, the addition of full color makes a solid design that much more attractive. 

Happy faces all around as we nudge the 'forever Young' mural closer to reality. ( with two of the  local  champions of the project)

Yet again, I find myself pondering the meaning of life as I contemplate the logistics of this project.


The mural will be painted on 4' x 8' panels that are specially designed and prepared for superior exterior durability. The project calls for about fifty-two of these panels so you can  imagine that the sheer volume of material is quite staggering. Put it this way, I will not be handling these panels any more than absolutely necessary. However, they have to be separately primed (all sides and edges), man-handled into their respective position on to the temporary frame that I will be designing and building in the shop where all the excitement will take place. 

Scoping out the wall which will be the backdrop for the free-standing mural.

Then comes the fun part: the painting!


After the entire mural is painted on its temporary mount, it then has to be un-assembled to be permanently installed on its custom-designed free-standing painted steel frame. I believe that this mural will be the largest free-standing mural in Western Canada, if not Canada entirely.


Possibly even the world.

The setting of the mural from across the #2 highway. 

I will have to start researching this claim before I make it.


We're talking about something perhaps two or three times larger than those huge highway billboards. About 1600 square feet, give or take.

Mock-up showing position of free-standing mural in scale with the building. It will face the busy #2 highway.

Have you ever heard of a huge free-standing mural? If you have seen one, heard of one or know of one that competes with the scale of this puppy, I would appreciate it if you would let me know.

If you look carefully you'll see a tiny person standing by the lower right-hand corner of the free-standing mural. This ought to give you a pretty good idea of the scale of the is thing.

I decided to post one more image that I CGI-ed to represent a life-sized human standing beside the free-standing mural in its location at Young. This will give a pretty clear indication of how ...big...this is.