Spokane has a great art scene. I participate in few organized art events, but this was a project that intrigued me. Spokane Arts was looking for artists' entries for a new crosswalk. It was going to be something that would be printed up and then applied to the asphalt so it could be as intricate or as wacky as necessary. It would be located at the west end of Comstock Park. I went out and looked at the area and came up with an idea.
The dimensions of the crosswalk were really narrow. But I painted three panels that when put end to end were perfect for the size. The photo above is a mockup of what it would look like on the corner.
Here are the three paintings. I have hidden a lot of crazy animals in there and three very overt, very wacky birds.
Then I took the three images into GIMP to color correct them and to blend the edges of the three images into one. I was really happy with how it turned out.
I was not bummed that I didn't win. There are so many great muralists in town. It wasn't on my radar to win, but was a great prompt. I will probably use the image to apply for some other crosswalk project, or do something else with it. Maybe. Oh let's be honest, probably not.
As usual, with my painting, and art in general, I get so much satisfaction from the making - the figuring out, the painting and problem-solving. These three paintings already did their work for me, and I am thankful for that. This crosswalk project was nice, in that there was something to do with the work after I was done with it. I entered it into a contest! And that felt really good too!
While I am painting something, the ideas for my next projects start coming to mind with each brush stroke. When I'm finished with that painting, I am off to the next project. I am not a very motivated seller of things. Once a year I make a push to sell a few paintings to pay for supplies.
Thanks to the wonderful Spokane Arts organization for the opportunity. Here is the whole thing stitched together. This is what I submitted:
