PROJECT NOW FINISHED!

Today was a nice relaxing day. Once I was all set up for today's painting session, it took less than 2 hours to paint the final accents, remove all the masking and do the touch up. The employees are all very pleased as far as the landscape is concerned. Some were a little disappointed that I didn't paint a bull elk, a squirrel, a pair of loons or a girl in a bikini, but everyone who works in the building was pleased with the mural. All I am waiting for officially is the final approval from top management and my last paycheck for this project.

As far as the next project. I am having several panels made which will be for the purpose of a poly-dyptic sketch (more than three separate panels hung together only inches apart which form one unit). As soon as this sketch is finished, I will post it on www.novatekgodzillamural.blogspot.com. See you again soon!

Interior Murals An Important Part Of The Workplace Environment

After a professional mural painting career of thirty-three plus years, we have heard much positive feed-back from many satisfied customers in a variety of interior settings. Unfortunately we did not take the time to document our customers reactions to our art work. Looking back over the years, we now realize that had we followed up each mural project with a control study, asking the clients employees specific questions regarding the value of art in the workplace, this would have been a valuable resource for us. Some studies are available and this year, we intend to conduct such a follow up study after each mural we produce. One example is found at the following internet address; http://www.nhbca.com/news_031208_workart.php (ART IN THE WORKPLACE, Survey Reveals Workplace Art Collections Are Valuable for Business).

The above mentioned study revealed that art helps businesses address some key challenges, for example;

Reducing stress (78% agree, 8% disagree and 14% neither agree nor disagree).
Increasing creativity and productivity (64% agree, 11% disagree, and 25% neither agree nor disagree).
Enhancing morale (67% agree, 13% disagree, and 20% neither agree nor disagree).
Broadening employee appreciation of diversity and encouraging discussions, and expression of opinions (77% agree, 11% disagree, and 12% neither agree nor disagree).

“The workplace art collection is often an underutilized, sometimes overlooked, business asset,” said Judith A. Jedlicka, President, BCA. “The results of this survey point to the fact that art in the work environment fosters creativity, boosts employee morale and sparks dialogues – all of which are essential to a company’s success.”

This survey also revealed that art in the workplace:

Enhances the work environment (94% agree, 3% disagree, and 3% neither agree nor disagree).
Evidences the company’s interest in improving the quality of life in and out of the workplace (84% agree, 6% disagree, and 10% neither agree nor disagree).
Helps to build customer (65% yes and 34% no) and community relations (73% yes and 27% no).
Leads to networking opportunities (52% yes and 47% no).

Another interesting article relating to this subject can be found at the following web address; http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4568089-1.html

This year, we have enough work lined up with our Novatek customer to keep us busy for twelve plus months. Thus, conducting a control study would be very valuable and it would be a shame to pass this opportunity up. Although we did not take the time to gather information in the past, I recently discovered a very interesting coincidence. First, I must note that we have been producing murals for Novatek since the year 2001. Upon looking at Novatek's website, I discovered a chart which illustrates the number of patents awarded Novatek for inventions, since it's founding in the 1950's and up through 2010. As you analyze this chart, you will observe a slow but steady increase in patents awarded Novatek, from the fifties decade to the year 2000. And interestingly, in the most recent decade, you will notice a drastic increase in this number. In other words, the largest percentage of patents awarded for inventions to the companies credit, were in the past ten years, as compared to previous decades. Pretty impressive. To date, Novatek has a company total of over five hundred patents since their founding and to their credit. It has been said that the company CEO makes more trips to the patent office than the average person goes grocery shopping. In observing the companies productivity first hand, I can tell you that it is hardly an exaggeration. In making this observation, an individual might ask himself, "What is it then, that has caused such an increase in productivity and company success?"

In the past decade and through my own personal observation, Novatek has done several things to improve the work environment for there employees. First I would like to add that I have never heard a Novatek employee say anything negative about the company. I get the impression that morale and productivity has always been high, even in previous decades. Even though the work environment is already top notch, Novatek continues to look for ways to improve their environment. Why? Because all these "extras" improves productivity. Do the math. An increase in productivity increases profits.

After we painted our first mural for Novatek, beginning August 2001 and added framed paintings in their conference rooms and offices, The employees observed that is seemed to add a whole new energizing dimension to the workplace. One of Novatek's customers from Texas once told me, "When I come to Novatek for business, the first thing I usually do is go to the wall where a mural is painted and soak in a little inspiration. It helps me relax and prepare myself for the business at hand."

Since 2001, the company also began to add dozens of sky lights to their rooftops, flooding the interiors with natural light. Their shops are always as clean as a hospital, even their machine shops. Their HVAC system is state-of-the-art, all adding to the employees comfort. Novatek is kind of like a state-of-the-art business incubator. They are continuously developing new technologies from the ground up and creating working prototypes. Everything is provided for them in house for their convenience, from mechanical tools and equipment, marketing research tools, intellectual properties and legal professionals, etc. All these "extra" conveniences, including our murals, seem to have weaved a decade of more successful productivity and profits. Coincidence? We like to think that Ricks Fine Art Murals has now become an important part of the companies productive fabric.

When you think about it, why do corporate officials wear business attire, drive expensive-looking cars, polish their shoes, press their shirts and pants and groom themselves nicely when meeting important customers or making presentations? Is it not because they have learned the right business attire creates a very professional first impression? It has also been shown to improve sales, because it creates an image of success. If spending the money to "dress up" the corporate building with the above described improvements will increase profits, then does it not make sense to do it? In this respect, high quality murals and artwork is the business attire and grooming standard of the corporate professional.

Our mural product is unique. It is more like a gargantuan easel painting than the typical large-scale postery, commercial-looking wall graphic. During my professional career as an artist, seventeen of those years were in the sign industry, supplementing my fine art career for a while. Our real passion is museum quality mural art with heart-felt expression. Anything less than that would seem to us like just another commercial sign job and we don't want to do another sign. We strive to reach beyond that. When we finish a mural project, it is only after we have done everything we can to give the customer our very best. Judging by the data in this article, our "very best" appears to contribute to a companies success.

BACK AT IT AGAIN!

APRIL 7, 2011. On Monday, April 11, we will get set up again with our paint and brushes to finish the MC Print mural. We estimate that we will bring it to a finish by the end of April or the first weekend in May. As it stands, the mural is about 75% finished. follow us the next few weeks on this blog.

Changed Projects For A Few Weeks

February 14th. We are now working on the Novatek Mountain Vista Mural. We will be there for a few weeks. We will be back to this mural to finish it around the end of February or first of March. Check out the progress on the other mural at; http://www.novatekmountainvistamural.blogspot.com

How Much Are My Murals Worth?

In the Spring of 2006, a client of mine hired me to paint a scene of Mount Nebo on a wall inside one of his industrial complexes. This particular client likes to invent, develop and market products which mostly service the oil and gas industries. WHen the new business is ready, the client will often sell it to another company or investor, then start developing new products to follow a similar process again. The Inteliserv building was massive. I painted on the south wall a mural measuring approximately 25 feet by 150 feet. During the middle of the project, the client sold the business for several million.

Recently, someone asked me how much I would charge for a mural project similar to the ones I am currently working on. Using the Inteliserv Mural as an example, I told him the Inteliserv Mural sold for several million!

Actually, a more realistic dollar figure is with with several zeros left off the end. Sometimes I charge by the square foot, sometimes by the hour plus overhead cost or I just make a straight bid based on my mural and fine art experience of over 30 years.

"Slow Down, Don't Move Too Fast..."

Today, the painting process started slowing down a little. We are now using smaller brushes and we are being more careful with the brushwork. I wish you could see the mural in person. If you live in the Salt Lake and Provo / Utah County area, email me at rricks1002@yahoo.com. I would be happy to meet with you so you can see the mural first hand. A few days ago, I thought the mural would be finished by this Friday. Now I realize I may still have one more week on the project. Monday, we go back into the Mountain Vista building to work on that mural for a few weeks.

Customers Are Impressed and Very Pleased!

Today was VIP day. A group of investors walked through the old MC Print building to tour the facility. A lot of eyes were on us as we worked on the project. Several gave us a thumbs up (A good sign we're headed in the right direction). The client who is paying for the project also said he was very happy. The feedback he had received from his employees over the past few days has been very positive. We take great pride in making sure the client gets exactly what he wants.

Today I learned that the third mural will be on the north wall and 50 feet longer than I had anticipated, making this project 30 feet by 200 feet rather than 150. This will be the biggest mural project I have ever conquered.

The past 2 days, I struggled at first painting in the Silver Creek section. One of the engineers named Marshall suggested that my ash green grass would look better if changed to a "browner" tone. This suggestion was the perfect fix for what was bugging me. I also simplified the area. LESS IS MORE never fails to fix a problem with design. Another way to say it is as my instructor, Sergei Bongart put it; "More important is what you leave out than what you put in".

Tomorrow, we plan to work mainly on the left most and right most sections of the mural to make it consistent with the rest of the project.

Mural Might Be Finished In A Few Days!

We got a lot accomplished the last three painting sessions. The mural is getting to look quite detailed. We added more detail to the peaks, allowing the granite forms to peek through the heavy blanket of snow on the granite forms which identify Mount Timpanogos. We added an eagle and black birds to the sky, a nice not so obvious detail which brings life to the landscape. We also added a moose. We will soon add more moose near the lake area. The creek area is beginning to come out with water trickling over the river rock and cascading down the hillside. At first this area got to busy (an all too common hazard easy to fall into) until We discovered how to simplify the area, yet make it have an organic feel. The lake area will also get a pair of trumpeter swans taking off along with some other waterfowl varieties. at first, I felt that the mural would be finished by the weekend, but as I studied it further, I began to realize it might take a couple of days longer.

I want this mural to be so good, so exquisite that another client I have in mind will hire me to paint murals for them. When I finish this mural and the one in the Mountain Vista building, I plan to invite the client's design committee to see it personally.

"Almost Good Enough To Go Fly Fishing"

It's interesting to hear the comments from those who walk by everyday. The employees in the old MC Print building where I'm painting the mural, started noticing that the mural is beginning to look more realistic. As one guy walked past it he said, "It looks almost good enough to go fly fishing!" The trees, mountains, foothills and lake each day gets a little more 3D form. Today especially, the painting is looking more representational (identifiable realism). Another funny comment was, "Pretty soon, we're not going to be able to find our office door!" Actually, all they have to do is look for their office door window. I can't paint over the window (wish I could).

Several employees asked if they could make a request. I got a request for everything from fly fishermen, a girl in a bikini, a hedgehog, a ground hog and a squirrel among others. I tell them, "You're welcome to make a request, but that's no guarantee I'll put it in." Then I let them know I plan to add moose, some waterfowl and maybe a pair of swans taking off from the lake.

I'm sorry, I didn't get any pictures posted today. The photo update will come tomorrow night when I blog again. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

A Possible New Studio!

I got a call from a young fellow who has space that is approximately 20 feet by 30 feet and offered me studio space for my easel works. I am currently looking for a new studio. I put the word out on craigslist 2-3 weeks ago. I will go check it out on Tuesday. Hope it will work!

When I return to the MC Print Mural on Monday, I plan to work on the foreground, rocks and the trees. Once I have the basic structure of all this worked out, then I will return to the mountain details. At this point, we will pretty much be working all over the mural and not necessarily in one area balancing all art principles until the project is finished. The following week, we will then resume the progress of the Mountain Vista Mural until it is also finished.

Once I get my studio set up again, in between all the mural work, I will be creating new paintings for my Park City art gallery and for the One Man Show in the SMA this fall.

Feb. 4th; Timpanogos Gets A Little Detail

The past few weeks, I had been thinking how to better represent the mountain more realistically with paint. I didn't want to over detail the mural---LESS IS MORE applies here. Nor did I want to paint the main mountain colors too intense. Neutralizing the color tones did the trick. This will will more effectively create color contrast and allow me to place just the right amount of brighter color where the morning sunlight skitters over the majestic granite rock forms. The mountain and surrounding hills will still get more detail; including color and value contrast, cosmetic refinement (or detail) and final accents of color. Right now areas on the mountain seem a little too dark. Part of the reason is because we are still working in MIDDLE VALUES. The middle values must come first before all the icing on the cake.

Before we called it a day, I quickly scumbled in a mountain mist near the base of the foothill just behind the Silver Lake Reservoir then added some pine tree details.

To our pleasant surprise, we painted much of the mountain forms in one 6 hour painting session. We plan to put our time in on the mural all next week and we could have the project close to being finished by then. The following week (the third week of February), we will return to the Mountain Vista Mural and then work through a few challenges we have over there until it is also finished.

Simple Steps to Painting A Mural

I have been painting murals throughout my fine art career which has now spanned just over 30 years. Depicting a scene on the grand scale is like second nature to me, like eating food or breathing. To those who have never painted a mural before, at first it may seem overwhelming, but once you get your feet wet in the process, it really isn't.

THE FIRST STEP
The first step is coming up with a THEME and then find a way arrange it in a pleasing composition. For the Novatek Mural Project, the theme has always been to depict a Wasatch Mountain scene from the Utah County area. PURPOSE is also an important part of the first step in mural creation. In our case, the purpose of this project is to create a mural that is so inspiring, so uplifting that is has a positive influence on those who work in the space daily or come to visit, to conduct business. For us, this is really a tall order and a big responsibility. The wrong colors or mood could contribute to a depressing atmosphere, low morale, etc. It is absolutely important that the final result fulfills the purpose intended.

Yes, sometimes this first step can be nerve racking, but we have been painting murals for a long time and I know from experience to not give up and to have confidence and tenacity in my own ability to give the client what he wants. The sketch for the Mountain Vista mural came much easier than the MC Print building's mural sketch, yet we plowed through all the objections (the MC Print sketch went through about 13 major changes/repaints in a two month period)and we are now much closer to where we need to be. The final result will fulfill the mural's purpose.

STEP TWO - SCALED SKETCH
Making an accurately scaled sketch is important if you're going to enlarge your drawing onto a larger canvas surface or directly on the wall. Creating a sketch to an accurate scale saves a lot of time, making the transfer from small to large much easier. I will often make a drawing or a painting with the scale of one inch representing one foot in full scale. You can also use smaller measurements such a one-half or one-quarter inch equals one foot enlarged.

Next, on the wall or full scaled surface to which my sketch will be transferred, I sometimes make a grid of one foot by one foot squares. I duplicate this grid from top to bottom and left to right, until the whole surface is covered with this grid pattern. If I don't want to draw a grid on my nice sketch, I will create a simplified drawing or rough sketch and grid this to one inch squares. Now it is a simple matter of observing each individual square at a time to see where the basic lines fall in each one foot square on the mural surface. Don't worry about detail yet, which leads us to the next step...

STEP THREE - ABSTRACT SHAPES
The mural composition (arrangement of shapes or patterns balanced with the arrangement of positive and negative space), must first work in it's most simplified, uncluttered form;Abstraction of Shape and Design. LESS IS MORE is a true design principle which means to eliminate the unimportant so that it emphasizes only that which is important. My instructor, Sergei Bongart put it this way, "More important what you leave out than what you put in". Long before abstract form was promoted as an Avant-garde art statement, master artists followed this principle as a foundation for establishing solid design. Before any detail is to be applied to an art form, be it visual, sculptural, musical composition or literally any art form, it has to work in the abstract. In music, the abstract is in the theme and a very basic melodic line. In visual art, the abstract of a pine tree or other objects may be represented as a simple triangle, a cylinder, a square or other simplified geometric shapes.

When I paint at my easel or on a wall, I will sketch out the Abstract Forms with either a piece of charcoal or a paintbrush.

STEP FOUR - FOUNDATION WASH (can be done with oil or water based paints)
Still thinking in basic abstract form, cover the white surface with thinly painted colors that will make for some great under-painting. For example, in this Novatek Mural Project, I first painted the sky which was to become a neutral pale blue clear sky in the MC Print Mural a creamy yellow. Why would I do that? The end result created a softer, more pleasant subtle warm luminosity in which I know of no other way or technique to achieve this effect. If you study the sky on a clear day, the "blue" sky is actually a softer and slightly warmer blue nearer the horizon. The neutral blue tone was painted thinly, by thinning the color with turpentine. This created a semi-transparent effect, allowing the creamy influence of the under-painting to come through. The rest of the painting was quickly washed with appropriate colors as you can follow in some of the pictures provided in the blog.

STEP FIVE - MIDDLE VALUES
Now I start applying paint with less thinner and more opacity. I am still not concerned with detail, but I am concerned with color values. Some artists begin painting by establishing what they first perceived as their lightest light and darkest dark. I don't agree with this method. Too often, you will discover down the road that you limited yourself and have to make major adjustments. It is much easier for me and it makes more sense for me to begin the most serious painting with only the middle values, eventually working toward my darkest dark's and lightest light's as I get near to the finish. Usually, with this approach, the lightest colors are your final accents which you apply in the very last few strokes. This method also seems to create a much more subtle and sensitive range of color harmony.

STEP SIX - COLOR HARMONY
This is the fun part; getting all the colors in middle values to dance together in beautiful harmonious melodious visual music. If the colors don't work well together, it is the same as striking an out-of-harmony chord on the piano. I have a term for a painting with bad color; "VISUAL VOMIT" (My father came up with that one). If the color is off, something makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy. Sometimes the colors look too muddy, too chalky or raw. What is the cause? It is poor juxtaposition of color (different colors positioned side by side). A particular color which looks muddy, chalky or raw, etc, in one circumstance may be beautiful and harmonious in another, depending on the other colors next to it. When all the colors are working beautifully together in their middle values, then it is time to move on to the next step.

STEP SEVEN - ADDING THE DETAILS
As we begin to apply detail, we first begin by working out the other value ranges. Although we have come this far in the painting, it is still important to remember and keep the previous steps in control. The "less is more" principle is especially important. Only the right amount of detail is enough. Too much detail in my opinion looks to mechanical, too illustrative and strays away from the "true art of the art form". Over modeling of an object also kills color luminosity. One or two simple brushstrokes can represent much detail if the color looks atmospherically correct. Besides, you really cannot actually see every blade of grass or leaf on distant trees, although your mind knows they are there. What you do see is a mass of color, value, pattern and shape. I do not apply every single detail. That is boring to me. Even still. I am considered a realist painter, because I make it feel real, yet with an economy of brushwork.

STEP EIGHT - FINISH
Add the last minute details and the brightest accents then, VOILA! you are finished!

Step 3 in Mural Painting: Middle Values

With all the foundation painting out of the way, we now start on Step 3 in the process: MIDDLE VALUES. This is one of my favorite steps, but the focus is not so much detail. This is when painting really gets fun! The focus is on getting all the MIDDLE VALUES to work together like a beautiful melodic song. When colors or a color is out of harmony with a particular melody created with paint, it looks muddy, chalky, raw, too warm or too cool, etc. It's just like hitting the wrong note on the piano which causes you to cringe! Bad color is Visual Vomit!

Once the color is worked out, then the rest is a matter of refining the color harmony, values from dark to light and adding details. After that, the Final Step: the last few minutes of applying Highlights, which are the Final Accents of the brightest colors.

CHANGES FOR THE BETTER

The MC Print Mural is undergoing substantial changes and the changes look good. We expanded the lake area which reduces the "too much yellow" effect and adds complimentary contrast to the line of autumn trees. To the left of the foreground in the picture plane, we blocked in a mass of rock formations. In the midst of the rocks will be a a little waterfall as it flows over the river rocks and into the reservoir. Eventually, I plan to add a line of low hanging mist at the base of the foothills and behind the mix of trees on the backside of the lake. This will add interest and simplify the large dark foothill area. The project is coming along. I feel very good about the progress.

"Blue Skies, Nothing But Blue Skies From Now On!"

Today was a very productive day. The sky now has a cool bluish tone instead of a yellow undertone. Nearly everyone in the building would walk by and make a comment like, "Ah finally, a blue sky!" Funny thing is, after a while with each sky comment I started singing an oldies song, "Blue skies, nothing but blue skies, nothing but blue skies from from now on!" then no one commented any more. Was my singing that bad?

I also took the time to block in snow patches for the light and shadow areas of the mountains. The mountains are starting to take shape. The foreground was changed as well from golden tones to neutral greens, bringing more contrast to the tree areas. Although the mural is yet in it's very early stages, it already seems to lift the interior space. A more upbeat and positive, yet unexplainable feeling seems to be in the very atmosphere itself. It appears the mural is already doing the job I was hired to do!"

Back To Work On The Mural Wednesday

Didn't work on this mural today. Day was cut too short with errands to run. Earlier in the day, I was in Novatek's Mountain Vista building painting clouds. I plan to work on the sky on this mural this Wednesday.

Clever Pallet!

I needed a pallet with a large mixing area and large enough to hold big globs of creamy artist oil colors while I stand on a ladder. To solve my need, I riveted metal paint pans side by side. It works great! Having the paint at my side is much handier than going up and down ladders each time I need to load my paintbrush. I think I might add one more thing---a handle on the right side to hang paint rags.

Balancing color harmony in painting

Mr. Hall felt that the MC Print sketch was too Yellow, especially the sky. My original intent was to create a morning light effect. I repainted the sky in the sketch and will try to get a photo of it next week. The truth is, I also felt it was too yellow or warm when I finished the sketch , but I left it as you see in the first photo above so as to avoid too much purple or too much blue---which the client especially does not like ( I also agree with that ). What the client wants is to help create an uplifting and inspiring atmosphere. He wants to wow the viewer as he walks into the building. The place needs a decorative face lift anyway---the plain white walls make the place look like a mental hospital and needs a little color. Some of the employees jokingly say it is a mental hospital!

As color theory goes, there must be a delicate and carefully orchestrated balance of Warm against Cool colors in order for the painting to have the right "Temperature". Yes, there is actually such a principle as "Color Temperature". The painting must always have the right balance of cool against warm colors and yet still have an overall warm quality about it if warm tones are more dominant. Dark against Light and degree of  Color Intensity ( or Saturation )  from Neutral colors to a higher intensity must also come in to play to create beautiful subtleties and moodiness. Yes, it's more than just slapping on paint and much more complex than paint by number. All paint is mixed as I go and done by feel until I am able to create beautiful music with a brush.

Making a Change

After painting in the mountain area, the following day I determined to raise the foothills on the right side. As they were, they looked like I could just swing my leg and step over them. The foothills were too much at eye level, so raising them made them feel a little taller. By the end of the day, I had the whole mural area blocked in.

Painting the Novatek MC Print Mural

Well, we started painting the basic undertones for the purpose of covering the white areas and placing key colors in areas which will influence the colors painted on top. In spite of a few interruptions today, we accomplished quite a bit. My goal is to have the background colors blocked in before the end of the week, then I paint on the Mountain Vista Mural in the morning then the MC Print Mural in the afternoon to evening. The idea is to hit two birds with one stone and cut down on my travel time to and from the mural projects.

I sort of invented a handy artist's pallet to use while I'm up on ladders painting away. I riveted 3 metal paint trays side by side. The two from left to middle holds large globs of paint. The one on the right is mainly used for mixing. I also have mixing area in the other two trays if I need it. I riveted a handy metal handle on the underneath side of the middle tray also, so I can hold onto the pallet. It works great! I'll try to take a picture of my handy pallet tomorrow.