Art Murals Paint

Moved to Wordpress

2014-05-17T09:16:00.000-04:00

Packing and moving are always a chore.

From now on www.kimsenior.com will be where I'll be posting. All the old posts from this old blog have been copied over to it. My site and blog are now consolidated, and wordpress seemed the best way to do it.
If you have a feed reader, you'll need to add kimsenior.com to begin receiving updates.

I'll leave this https://kimsenior.blogspot.com (Art Murals Paint) up for a few more months, and then deactivate it. If you have subscribed to this rss feed, this will be the last post.

Exhibit of Screens Innovation Center

2013-12-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

Five folding screens are on exhibit on the first floor at the Innovation Center for the next 3 months.

http://www.innovationcenterofvt.com/
128 Lakeside Avenue
Burlington VT

New Paintings for 2013 Art Hop

2013-08-28T06:23:00.001-04:00

"Poppies with Old Fountain" 24 x 36" acrylic on paper.

I will be showing 6 new works at the Maltex building, 431 Pine Street, from Sept 6 -30. ; 5 acrylics and one oils.

Part the upcoming Art Hop, organised by SEABA.

Ornamental Fence with Poppies

2008-12-14T21:14:00.007-05:00

I walk past this garden and fence several times a week; it is a familiar feature in our neighbourhood. I often take photos of the flowers; its always well tended with perennials blooming from spring to fall.

From left to right and in order,
the photo I worked from, showing the fence masked with low-tack tape; painting the background over the mask; the mask removed, then the development of the shadows and highlights of the cast iron.
"... a grape vine pattern in a rinceau motif. Examples of this fence design are found in front of several Second Empire homes in Spruce Hill.

By the 1840's the abundant amount of anthracite coal from the fields of Northeastern Pennsylvania flowing to Philadelphia down Pennsylvania's river and canal systems provided an ample source of fuel for the industrial cast iron foundries. Cast iron, an alloy high in carbon, is more brittle than wrought iron but also more weather resistant. In addition, it pours readily, making mass production of ornamental iron possible. "

quote from the University City Historical Society

Alice's Garden Painting at Home

2008-11-23T10:13:00.005-05:00

The garden in winter. (click images to see larger)

We travelled out to Delaware County yesterday with the painting. I helped install it, used Z clips, my favorite, since the art will stay level, and its so easy to just lift it in place, and set on the clips.

To celebrate, my client took us for a fantastic meal at Umbria in Mt.Airy. I have to say it was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in years.

Garden Portrait in Oils, done.

2008-11-21T14:04:00.003-05:00

Completed garden portrait. click image to see larger. Earlier stages here. Got our first little snowfall today, had to wait till the flakes stopped to take the painting outside to photograph.

Garden Portrait in Oils

2008-11-16T13:23:00.009-05:00

Almost finished, the final details are yet to be done. This is a commission to memorialize a wonderful gardener. The perennials are her favorites, not a literal depiction. Shown at their peak, oakleaf hydrangea, hydrangea macrophylla, crepe myrtle, rhododendron, peonies, astilbe, rubrum lilies, mary todd lilies, and beech trees at the rear.

de Forest Brush Indian Paintings

2008-09-14T11:48:00.010-04:00

from National Gallery of Art website

The White Swan

1885

Russell and Michelle Ball Collection

Oil on Panel

We have had a book called George de Forest Brush:; Recollections of a Joyous Painter, on our bookshelf for 25 years. I hadn't looked at it for quite a while, the illustrations are in black and white.
de Forest Brush (1854/1855–1941) was an American artist who trained with Gérôme in Paris, and travelled extensively in the American West.

I hope to get down to DC to see the just opened exhibit at the National Gallery of his Indian Paintings. In the meantime there is a great online slideshow of images from the exhibit. So wonderful to compare the color images with the b & w ones in our book.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Revenge (The Escape)

Made in United States

1882

Oil on canvas

16 x 19 1/2 inches (40.6 x 49.5 cm)

George de Forest Brush;: Recollections of a joyous painter by Nancy Douglas Bowditch
Noone House 1970 , ISBN-13: 978-0872330085

//update. visit artblogbybob's post on Brush

Bob always writes interesting reflections and reviews on shows, catalogues and books.

Storm approaches at Jersey Shore

2008-08-11T14:01:00.007-04:00

Clouds and interesting light, North Wildwood NJ. The bottom two photos are stitched panoramas, handheld.

Son of Coal Miner Mural continued

2008-08-07T16:52:00.008-04:00

Kim working on final detailing on scarf and lamp.

Lausanne painting the mine structure.

The completed mural.

The coal mine depicted is a now *retired* Belgian coal mine called le Bois du Cazier, and the miner's portrait is that of the client's father. The mural is a testament to his fortitude and sacrifice for his family.

The miners of that time wore their safety lamps hung onto their scarves. Their helmets were made of leather. The hill behind him was created by a cart on a track which would trundle up and dump the tailings; the nearby residents, including my client when he was a boy, would climb the hill and pick through the tailings for scrap bits of coal, to sell or take home. The miners were called les gueules noires, derogatory slang translating loosely as black faces.

Son of Coal Miner Mural

2008-08-07T16:31:00.007-04:00

Astounding space, under construction.

Showing Lausanne transferring the drawing though to the wall, similar to using carbon paper.

Progress midway.

Worked on this latest mural on location at a private residence near Lynchburg Virginia.

More than ably assisting me, was Lausanne Davis Carpenter, a fine decorative painter (and scenic designer)from Mathews VA.

We blazed through the project in a little over a week (not including preparations I did in Philly) The mural measures 20 feet by 12.5 feet. In studio, I made large drawings to final scale of the mine head (the structure on the left, and the miner's bust. Once taped in place on location, we transferred the outlines of the drawing quickly onto the wall.

Painted Panoramas

2008-07-07T09:18:00.010-04:00

click image to see large, and again, to see original 4100 x 2050 pixels.
link to flickr page, with comments

A highlight of my visit to the Hague a couple years ago, was seeing the wonderful Mesdag Panorama.

From the website, its " a cylindrical painting, more than 14 meters high and 120 meters in circumference. The vista of the sea, the dunes and Scheveningen village was painted by one of the most famous painters of the Hague School, Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It is the oldest 19th century panorama in the world in its original site, and a unique cultural heritage."

You enter the giant cylinder through a passageway to stand in the center, in a special viewing platform, which controls your 360 degree view of the huge scene. I was not permitted to take photos, but have found a great image (above) on flickr by Aldo. which is a great shot *outside* of the illusion.

I was reminded of this, by seeing this morning's Times piece on the Gettysburg panorama, lots of great photos, and will be on my must visit list when it reopens this September. Paul Philippoteaux was the creator of this amazing work.

New York Times Article link

Bernard Comment, Panorama. Reaktion Books 1999 ISBN:1861891237 link to it on Google books; some photos and excerpts. Excellent, thanks Pascal for reminding me of it

Stephan Oettermann, The panorama: history of a mass medium. New York: Zone Books, 1997. Trans. by Deborah Lucas Schneider . ISBN 0-942299-83-3 review
Excellent web article about history of painted panoramas with links http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/PANORAMA.html

Aldo's blog link

Mural Topped

2008-06-17T16:00:00.005-04:00

Tom and Chris attaching the cleats.

Top panel is resting on its cleat, needs to be nudged into alignment.

Lots of Muscle

2008-06-16T19:49:00.010-04:00

Installation of my mural in the atrium of the Independent Hotel, Philadelphia.

Some pics of the construction team of Tom, Chris and Alex in all kinds of baroque poses as they struggle to hoist the awkward canvases by hand UP the scaffold, in a tight space.

©Kim Senior Murals 2008

Chic Upscale Boutique Hotel Opens

2008-06-13T10:38:00.006-04:00

link

press release excerpt .......... "The Independent's design reflects a charming sophistication that is consistent with the building's architecture and the local area of Midtown Village. Interior Designer, Robert Moskowitz of Rittenhouse Interior Design Group, has redefined the four-story building's interior, bringing a chic- refined aesthetic to the warm and inviting hotel. The hotel's lobby is accented by a crystal chandelier and features a 30-foot by 8-foot, hand-painted work of art created by local muralist, Kim Senior. Senior is an accomplished Philadelphia artist whose mural and screen paintings can be seen around the city in both classical and contemporary styles. For The Independent, she has created a vibrant image of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, which spans three stories, rising from the hotel's lobby. Moskowitz's design paired with Senior's vivid piece de resistance offers guests a tailored, soothing feel amidst a rich color palette."

Independent Mural Painted Sideways

2008-06-13T09:43:00.007-04:00

Its a 40 foot tall wall starting from the reception area on the 2nd floor, and looking up to the skylight windows. The elongated, stylized and gilded design of the tower of Independence Hall, using a vivid color palette, will be a focal point.

above; a digitally composed *sketch* to show how the mural will look when installed in the lobby.

The computer was indispensable for painting sideways. I gridded the sketch and canvas, and drew the image freehand... referring to a landscape or sideways view of the sketch on my laptop, taped to the top of a ladder.As I progressed with the painting, I took photographs of the work in progress, and was then able to flip them right side up on the computer to see how it would look.

Independent, 13th and Locust

2008-06-13T09:06:00.010-04:00

I have been so busy painting lately, no time to blog properly. I just finished a 3 section 30 x 8 foot mural for a new boutique hotel called the Independent.
Its in a historic center city neighborhood recently renamed midcity village, more popularly known at the gayborhood. The immediate area was pretty seedy when I first saw it in the early 80s; a now deceased notorious speculator had purchase many of the buildings, and left them to unmaintained. That changed when he passed away; lots of condos and small businesses have revitalized and refreshed this area, and the Independent is part of that. The Independent is owned and operated by Hersha Hospitality Trust.

Mural across the street from the hotel, called Philadelphia Muses, by artist Meg Saligman, and some lovely details on bulidings nearby.

SInce I don't have a 30 foot tall (or long) wall in my studio, and because the renovations at the hotel would prevent me painting directly on the wall, we decided on painting it in 3 sections on canvas, in my studio. It meant I would again be painting sideways.

applying comp gold leaf to the mural

Wisteria After the Bus Drove Through the Stop

2008-05-03T07:57:00.005-04:00

One of those days; a morning spent in a dentist's chair, then a longish walk carrying art supplies and groceries, and the Septa bus drove right by without stopping; the killer was it was not rush hour and not full of passengers.

Walking several blocks to blow off steam, I spied these wisteria, and was mollified. Another lesson to always have my camera. Taken near the one of the #57 bus stops in Society Hill.

After Tiepolo

2008-04-03T20:21:00.006-04:00

click images to view larger

A quick study of a detail taken from the Banquet of Cleopatra by G.B. Tiepolo for fun.
the original is a fresco, mine is acrylics on canvas. measures about 12 x 16 inches.
champagne and pearls, perhaps she is about enjoy some oysters

Before and After

2008-03-20T20:30:00.016-04:00

Before and after photos are the most powerful way to present a potential mural project. I have many examples in my portfolio.

I came across an intriguing blog article called "Before and After Gardens of Humphry"; about Repton's *Red Books*.
"Long before cable TV popularized instant makeovers of houses, gardens, wardrobes, bodies and souls, Humphrey Repton knew the power of the 'before' and 'after'. His famous Red Books were presentation sketches for his potential clients; lovingly detailed watercolors with flaps that lifted or swept to the side to show in turn the existing landscape and how he proposed to improve it."
The University of Wisconsin has a marvelous digital library of decorative arts materials, and you can see the entire Repton sketchbook online.

Jane Austen mentions Repton in Mansfield Park; she and Repton were contemporaries, though she was 24 years younger, they died a year apart.

“I wish you could see Compton,” said he; “it is the most complete thing! I never saw a place so altered in my life. I told Smith I did not know where I was. The approach now, is one of the finest things in the country: you see the house in the most surprising manner. I declare, when I got back to Sotherton yesterday, it looked like a prison— quite a dismal old prison.”

“Oh, for shame!” cried Mrs. Norris. “A prison indeed? Sotherton Court is the noblest old place in the world.”

“It wants improvement, ma’am, beyond anything. I never saw a place that wanted so much improvement in my life; and it is so forlorn that I do not know what can be done with it.”

“No wonder that Mr. Rushworth should think so at present,” said Mrs. Grant to Mrs. Norris, with a smile; “but depend upon it, Sotherton will have _every_ improvement in time which his heart can desire.”

“I must try to do something with it,” said Mr. Rushworth, “but I do not know what. I hope I shall have some good friend to help me.”

“Your best friend upon such an occasion,” said Miss Bertram calmly, “would be Mr. Repton, I imagine

That is what I was thinking of. As he has done so well by Smith, I think I had better have him at once. His terms are five guineas a day.”*

*comparing todays currency to 1815, a factor of about 60 is appropriate; so Mr. Repton's terms would be £300 a day. A guinea was the same as a pound; "You paid tradesmen, such as a carpenter, in pounds but gentlemen, such as an artist, in guineas. It was a tradition in the legal profession that a barrister was paid in guineas but kept only the pounds, giving his clerk the shillings (they were all men then)."
link to book review "Jane Austen and the English Landscape" by Mavis Batey

link to article on Repton, landscape plans forHanslope Park; illustrations.

link to Independant article by Anna Pavord "Landscapes of Scents and Sensibility"

link to what is a guinea?

Buddhist Mural Process

2008-02-23T08:51:00.010-05:00

Some pics of the stages of the work of the Buddhist Garden Mural.
As the design calls for soft, flowing areas of paint, using acrylics rather than oils involves practice to avoid ugly *lap-lines* where the paint starts to dry before blending is finished.
Once I begin painting an area, taking into account the dryness of the air, I plan how much I can cover before the paint will become unworkable. Once it reaches this stage, I need to stop working it, let it dry before painting another layer.
The bamboo was to be painted as it would be hit by sprackly uneven light; I *oil in* ( using an acrylic glaze medium) a slippery layer over stalks that I have laid in with a base color; then I work quickly to soften the patches of different colors into it. Once this dries, I paint the more linear shadows and highlights with the aid of a mahl stick.

Buddhist Garden Mural

2008-02-22T21:36:00.008-05:00

Been working on this mural for a couple weeks; its almost done. My client is wonderful, she wanted something calm and restorative for this renovated attic room, all she said was "do something soft, with greens and blues, and maybe some bamboo." The goal was to expand this little space and create a distance.
I came up with the idea of an asian water garden, and she provided me with the perfect focal point reference, a photo of a statue of Kuan Yin, (also spelt Guan Yin) which she had taken about 10 years ago, on a visit to China, and some of the mountains.

click on photos to see larger
Buddhist mural work in progress link

Puvis de Chavannes at Rodin Museum

2008-02-20T21:54:00.011-05:00

A while ago I saw this small mural by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes 1824-1898, at the Rodin Museum in Philly. (click to view larger)

Legendary Saints of France
Reduced version of the frieze above 'The Childhood of Saint Geneviève', church of Saint Geneviève [The Panthéon], Paris
c. 1879
Oil on canvas
Left canvas: 30 1/4 x 32 1/2 inches (76.8 x 82.5 cm); center canvas: 30 1/4 x 35 inches (76.8 x 88.9 cm); right canvas: 30 1/4 x 32 inches (76.8 x 81.3 cm)

I knew Chavannes was a renowned muralist, and hadn't been aware of this piece.

Found this wonderful article on Chavanne's methods; it describes in detail his media and the background of his mural works; how he strove to get the feeling of fresco in the way he prepared his canvas, and how the marouflage was done;

"...The final step in the preparatory process was the creation of a full-scale painted cartoon combining many of the earlier studies. According to Puvis's student and collaborator Paul Baudouin, the cartoons Puvis produced for his mural projects “were very precise and studied works, in which all of the values were expressed” (Baudouin 1935, 300). Baudouin also noted that Puvis used either paper or canevas (a French word describing a coarse, light-colored cloth used for tapestry making) as a support for his large-scale cartoons. Notations on a photograph taken while the cartoon for the Inspiring Muses was on exhibit in the Salon of 1920, in the files of the Musée d'Orsay, indicate that the cartoon was painted in gouache on paper. The present whereabouts of the cartoon are unknown; its last location was in the attic of the Comic Opera, Paris (d'Argencourt et al. 1977, 231).

Puvis executed the Boston murals on a plainweave linen canvas, typical of the type he generally chose for his monumental wall decorations. In the library murals the coarseness of the canvas is evident in many thinly or dryly painted passages. Puvis had access to immense canvases. Only two pieces of linen were used for The Inspiring Muses, each one measuring 4.88 m (16 ft.) high with the left half 8.81 m (28 ft. 11 in.) long and the right half 6.60 m (21 ft. 8 in.) long. If seams were necessary in his large mural projects, Puvis did his best to camouflage or hide them. In the huge Sorbonne mural, The Sacred Grove (1886–89), for example, the two seams coincide with vertical tree trunks... continued... link *

*PUVIS DE CHAVANNES'S ALLEGORICAL MURALS IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY: HISTORY, TECHNIQUE, AND CONSERVATION
TERI HENSICK, KATE OLIVIER, & GIANFRANCO POCOBENE

I hope to sometime visit his and Sargent's murals at the Boston Public Library.
photo via Gruenemann on flickr, and this one too. Another reason to visit BPL; this amazing amount of siena marble!!http://www.comitepierrepuvisdechavannes.com/english.html
"More than 60 descendants of Edouard, Marie-Antoinette and Joséphine Puvis de Chavannes, brothers and sisters of the artist, are members of this Committee."

Hidden art could be revealed by new terahertz device

2008-02-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

"Like X-rays let doctors see the bones beneath our skin, "T-rays" could let art historians see murals hidden beneath coats of plaster or paint in centuries-old buildings, University of Michigan engineering researchers say."
link to illustrated article
"The paper is called "Terahertz imaging for non-destructive evaluation of mural paintings."
via Technorati

Topolski Action Drawings

2008-02-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

I have an old issue of Marg magazine, with no cover; going to the Marg-Art website archives, and searching by keyword dates it 1957 September.
It has some action drawings by Feliks Topolski, illustrating an article on Classical Dance of India by Ram Gopal, who was the leading exponent of that form for many years.
I've scanned some drawings, (click to see larger) and linking to a photo of Ram Gopal from that time on another mag cover. One of the most challenging things to draw is a moving figure; Topolski sketched from life, and had a seemingly effortless facility, honed by constant practice.

A good example of the ability to draw, without labor, freeing the artist dash in colors and shapes. watercolour, gouache and silkscreen on paper, circa 1972
93 1/4 in. x 39 7/8 in. (2368 mm x 1012 mm)
Lent by through Pamela Cullen, Pandit Ram Gopal, 2002
National Portrait Gallery
bottom photos via http://www.salidaa.org.uk
link to more sketches and illustrations
link to images by Topolski at the Tate
link to my post on Topolski's 600 foot long mural
link to Wikipedia article on Topolski
link to Wikipedia article on Ram Gopal