mural blog

An Enchanted Dining Room

One of the more interesting residential projects we've completed in the past few years was this dining room for a townhouse on the upper West side of Manhattan, just off the Hudson River.  The townhouse was being completely renovated by the owners, and they brought us on board to create a landscape mural for the dining room. 

Conceptually, the owner's idea for the space was to create a landscape mural in the room that would bring some of the magic and mystery of the forest into the experience of the room.  At night, lit by fireplace and candles, one might be able to imagine that one has set up dinner in the clearing of a verdant landscape.  During the day, the landscape would bring a sense of life and space and color to the room.

The architecture of the room was established when we started on the project.  The walls smoothly curved up into the ceiling with no break and there were some existing columns at the the doors to the adjacent parlor.  The dining room is on the third floor of the townhouse, and a curving staircase with a beautiful wrought iron railing transitions through the space on the east side of the room.

An early concept for the room was to base the landscape on the paintings of the Hudson River School, a style of painting notable for it's luminous light and drama.  The image above was an early sample, but it was fast apparent that the approach wasn't going to work for this room.  The images were often too dramatic, and when doing landscape murals in a residential setting like this, you want the mural to be a secondary character, not the focus of attention.  You want to enjoy the beauty the artwork brings to a room and have guests enjoy it, but the mural's role should be clearly subservient - it sets a tone of beauty and elegance and than fades to the background.  Given this, we knew we needed to try a new approach. (Click thumbnails for enlarged photos)

We did continue to use some Hudson River Valley scenes as a compositional foundation, but ultimately we went with a much lighter 'spring' look, and eliminated some of the more overly dramatic elements we had at first considered. The picture on the left showed an early sample of this new approach.  In addition to changing the palette significantly, we also used an 'alla prima' technique, where colors are applied directly to the substrate, skipping the traditional 'underpainting' technique we usually use to  get the drawing and structure of a mural into place.

The switch in palette and technique brought a great sense of lightness and space to the mural, but their was still something missing.

Studying some of Gustav Klimpt's landscapes, our lead artist was inspired to add some metallic pigment powders into the paints - golds, silvers, and coppers - and it was these subtle metallic effects that really brought the mural into the finished state. You don't notice the metallics in the room at a quick viewing of it, but when lit by the flickering flames of a candle, the metallics catch the light and make it sparkle in a very subtle way as you move around the room.

In addition to painting the mural on the walls, we also did a sky that also incorporated subtle warm golden glazes.

This project was a lot of work, and took a lot of time, but the end result was quite stunning - a project that both our clients and us are proud of!

Following are a few "before and after photos" so you can see more of the room as it was transformed by our enchanted forest scene.

 

Calm Waters

 

Up here in New York, we plan to end our summer with one last weekend at a beach like the one we painted in the mural above.  But it's hard to look at such a lovely calm image today, as the destructive scope of Hurricane Katrina becomes more and more clear.

As a company, we'll be contributing to the Red Cross, and one of our artists has organized a benefit for artists and musicians in New Orleans.

In the meantime, here are some links if you are looking, as we are, for ways to help in this time of great need for New Orleans and the surrounding areas:

The Red Cross....Providing Shelter, Food, Water, and Critical Need Assistance

Americares....Providing Basics such as Cleaning Supplies and Personal Hygiene Products

America's Second Harvest...Providing Hunger Relief to Hurricane Victims

Hurricane Mural

With Hurricane Katrina pounding New Orleans and Mississippi all day today, I couldn't help but be reminded of this unique mural we created for a store at the DFS Galleria Mall in Saipan.

It was a surf shop, and they wanted a big mural of a hurricane, which was certainly an unusual subject - even more odd is that they wanted it painted on the floor.

But with Silver Hill Atelier, we paint the murals our clients ask for. 

Norvel, the Silver Hill's owner and chief artist airbrushed the mural based on a satellite reference photo of a hurricane we had been given by the client.

We paint cloud murals all the time, but they are usually more of the calm and bucolic variety.  I think Norvel took a particular interest in the challenges of painting the dramatic power of the clouds that make up these vast (and vastly destructive) storm systems.

Hotels And Greek Goddesses

In terms of color and ethereal composition, one of our favorite murals was created was for a boutique hotel in New York called The Muse Hotel.

The Muses, of course, are the Greek Goddesses who inspire those who excel in the arts and sciences, and as such they are definitely influences in our work here at Silver Hill. 

The Muse Hotel wanted to create a unique and luxurious environment in New York that would offer its guests dreamy inspiration during their stay in this most inspiring of cities....And to reach that goal, the designers were inspired to include a luminous ceiling mural over the main axis of the hotel lobby.

The original concept for the mural, shown in our maquette above, was to make an abstract depiction of the Greek Muses soaring throughout a celestial sky.

In style, we were partly influenced by the artworks of Francis Picabia - particularly the way his painting often included figural pen and ink outlines that would be placed over colorful backgrounds.

In the final mural, there were a couple of changes from our maquette; the leaf-like foliage on the sides was eliminated, and (as often happens on 'commercial' projects) the rather tame nudity of the abstracted figures was deemed too provocative or potentially offensive - in the finished mural, the Muses were given flowing white nightgowns for a much more modest appearance.

As installed, the mural was quite lovely.  We were pleased, and our clients were very pleased - In fact, if you visit the Muse Hotel's website, you will see that they use our mural as an integral part of their image branding.

Whether or not explicitly intended, like the Muse Hotel's web identity strategy, the beauty and unique appearance of a mural can communicate a variety of positive brand attributes to the clientele.  For example, to guests at the Muse hotel, our mural might suggest luxury, refinement, taste, uniqueness, play, relaxation, and warmth.

In essence, a mural can help to successfully 'tell the story' of a brand or business to the customers and clients in a way that is both beautiful and unforgettable - an obvious competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace!

Stormy Day

It's a stormy day today in New York - but at least we are not affected by Hurricane Dennis, a storm that is poised to hit the Everglades in the next few hours.  When I think of the Everglades, I think of this mural that we painted for the West Palm Beach Marriott - It's a peaceful Everglades, but there is drama in the sky, and the palm trees do seem to be blowing - perhaps a hurricane is on its way...

This mural was actually a three panel artwork, and this is the center artwork of the triptych.

Blackboard Jungle

A little while back we got the opportunity to create artwork that decorated walls and ceilings at the the Paramount Bar at the Paramount Hotel in New York (at the time part of Ian Schrager's hotel empire, and now joining the Hard Rock Hotel empire).

The concept was that the walls and ceilings were one giant chalkboard - and we set about writing random sayings, and drawing pictures over every surface.

The first step, like on all projects, was to figure out how we were going to get the look of blackboard on all walls without the client having to install slate everywhere.

It turns out that Benjamin Moore makes an excellent chalkboard paint - you just roll it onto any smooth surface like a normal latex paint and it creates a chalkboard-like surface that really works.  (Two coats for best results).

We tried a patch on our studio wall, and we decorated it with different color chalks, and also some oil sticks of different colors.

The goal was not so much to create a real blackboard, that can be erased and changed, but just to create the "look" of a spontaneously created blackboard.

The installation and our artwork was intended to be permanent - they didn't want patrons erasing anything or adding their own "artistic" sayings.  So, things like the oil stick worked well for creating a chalkboard "look" that could not be easily erased.

Further, we found an excellent "sealer" to apply over all the finished work to ensure it's durability and 'cleanability' - a necessity for art installed in high traffic/high spill locations such as bars or restaurants.

Once the process had been established, the designer, Suzanne Couture of Ian Shrager Hotels, provided us with a wealth of source materials that we could choose from in creating the artwork, which we mixed in with a pool of references we had provided.

The renovation of the bar was on a very fast pace.  While we were working with the designer to come up with enough usable material to cover all the surfaces with the density she was looking for, contractors were busy at the hotel painting all the surfaces with the chalkboard paint we had specified.

Ultimately, we only had about 4 working days at the jobsite to do the application.  David Newcomb, our art director, led the effort, and we had a crew of about 4-5 artists.

In addition to the crew we had applying artwork, the owners of the bar had their hipster / celebrity friends come and add even another layer to the mix.

The project was a big success - the place looked very cool when complete, and was definitely a unique and provocative addition to the pantheon of Manhattan hipster hangouts.

In fact, we like the idea so much that when we were renovating our new offices, we built a wall (which I discussed earlier here) that we decided to do a similar blackboard finish on. 

We use it more as a real chalkboard, and draw a giant calender on it so we can see just what's going on...

It's our little version of an idea that worked so well for the Paramount Bar!

No Job Too Small!

Recently we were contacted by the Intrepid Museum in New York City.  For those not familiar with the Intrepid, it's a decommissioned aircraft carrier permanently ported in New York.  It's an Essex Class ship, which were the largest carriers in the fleet.  The Intrepid has a flight deck that is NINE football fields in length!

Now, you'd think with structure that ABSOLUTELY GINORMOUS, it would have no problem getting noticed.  But this is New York City, and you gotta go the extra mile if you want to make your mark here.  Particularly if you're not allowed to fire your 1000 round per minute 50 caliber machine guns.

So the museum contacted Silver Hill Atelier to see about getting the name "Intrepid" painted on the stern of the ship - the part of the ship that is visible to thousands of drivers and passerbyes on the West Side Highway.

"We're supposed to dangle 50' over the Hudson River, and paint the word 'Intrepid?  Sure.  No problem..."

For a step by step on how we did it, click below to keep reading...

The first step for a project like this is planning in the studio.  We were given a digital file of the logo, and we blew this file up to full 1:1, and printed it out on our large format digital printer.  This printed version on paper would serve as our template / layout for the project.

The next step was planning for safety.  Getting to the spot where they wanted the logo would require a special hanging scaffold platform setup.  We used a company we have worked with before - Colgate Scaffold.  These guys scaffold everything in New York City.

Unfortunately, as the Stern of the ship curves outward, the hanging platform would have to be installed in place prior to our getting on it.  That meant we would have to rappell down to the platform to even START painting.  Great!  Well, luckily our crew, including the owner of Silver Hill, Norvel, are all adventurous types, and already had the mountineering  skills to get to the platform.  That's right.  Mountineering.  We'll look for it on your resume.

The day of the job, we arrived at the ship, and began by laying out the logo on the deck.  CLICK THUMBNAILS FOR ENLARGED VIEWS!

Each of the letters was printed individually so that we could get the ideal spacing accurate to the surface of the ship.

After laying out the letters, and taping them together in a pleasing manner, it was time to go over the edge of the ship.

Norvel volunteered to go over first, after reassuring the crew, "Look, I got us into this thing, but I promise I'll get us out too!"

So Over the Edge he went!

I think Michael followed him down...

Once everyone had gotten down to the hanging platform, the relatively easy job of painting the logo began.

The first step was to tape the logo into place.  You know when you're hanging a painting on the wall at home, and you have your wife step back and tell you if it's level and centered?  We had a guy a quarter mile away doing the same thing for us.   And of course we double-checked things through measurements and our trusty speed level!

The next step was to "pounce" the design onto the ship.  Back in the studio, we had taken the digital printout of the logo, and "pounced" along the outlines of the letters.  To pounce something, your use a pounce wheel.  A pounce wheel looks a lot like a circular pizza cutting blade, but much smaller, on the end of a hand-held instrument that looks a little like a dentist's tools look.  It creates small little perforations in the paper.  Then, when you are at the site, and the paper is taped up to the ship as shown in the picture above, you take chalk dust and rub it along the perforated areas of the paper.  The chalk travels through the tiny perforations, and transfers a line drawing directly onto the underlying surface, in this case, the ship.

After pouncing the logo, we peeled away the digital print to reveal the transferred white line drawing underneath.

The next step was to mask the outlines of the letters with blue tape to prepare for painting.

Once the letters were taped, you can imagine that the actual painting part was the easiest part of the whole business!

Then we just had to wait for the paint to dry, and then pull the tape off.

A Job Well Done....

And a happy crew - another adventure in the arts!

Design For Living

Several years back, Stadtlanders Pharmacy hired us to produce these murals for a retail outlet they had opened in New York City on 8th Avenue in Chelsea.  Stadtlanders pharmacies focus on providing care to patients with chronic medical conditons such as HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, hepatitis, etc.

With that focus, they are a care provider that specializes in managing conditions so that patients can reduce the impact of their medical condition and focus more on living life.

I think the inclusion of murals at this store, along with the rest of the design which is warm and contemporary, really helps to communicate their message.

These days, most pharmacies are fairly impersonal places at the back of large consumer drugstore chains such as Rite-Aid or Duane Reade.

The murals we created help to make Stadtlanders a place that is noticably different - a place that shows it cares about the health of the people who pass through its doors, and a place that suggests our individual health can be affected by the bigger picture - society at large, and the communities we live in.

While I certainly can't comment about Stadtlanders business as a whole, I definitely applaud the integration of design into Stadtlanders mission as exemplified at this store, and only wish the whole healthcare industry could see that design can help make an increasingly profit driven and impersonal business into an industry that is, once again, about people first.

The inclusion of art suggests the kind of outside factors that can influence our day to day wellness!

A Good Night's Sleep

It's Monday here at Silver Hill, and as usual on Mondays, I wish I had gotten more sleep last night.  Well, if I didn't sleep like a prince, at least I can rest well knowing one of our clients slept like a princess.  The above picture show a ceiling mural of a sky through a rose trellis we did for one room in a client's home.  With the lovely furnishings, the mural completes the room to create a perfectly romantic atmosphere.  Who wouldn't sleep well in such a "dreamy" room?

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Click picture to enlarge....

Today in New York was cold, wet, and grey.

But artists can fix things like that...

You want happy?  Try this one for happy....

This is a mural we created for the fashion label 'Moschino'.  It was painted for their New York City showroom, and it always gives me a smile to look at.  Moschino was a really fun client (we did work for their store as well).  Always pushing the boundries - always doing something unexpected and unusual.  Clients like these can be challenging, but you often do your best work for them.

This mural was a hand-painted rendering of a sunflower, and the 'smile face' was gold leaf on top of the paint (you can see the smile more clearly in the reflection in the mirror to the right of the mural)

Spring seems so so far away.......