Dragonfly mural is progressing,...

Dragonfly mural is progressing,... am thinking more greenery in background and adding another little guy in upper right corner. Do you agree?

The white strip at left and black strip at right are for testing purposes. Helping to decide about what kind of border to paint around it. I am thinking to make it half as wide as shown, and either in white, or matching a brown of the branch. The room in which this will live, there is some dark brown wood paneling; there is also white walls, so I could go with either. It's a matter of deciding which one will look best.

Opinions? Suggestions? Please comment below!

Dragonfly Mural - Night Work

Dragonfly-1

Had a nice Easter dinner with my sibs, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and aunts. Most of my days are packed full of  so much to do. It was nice to relax for a change... Now I can't sleep! (It probably wasn't a smart decision to have coffee after dinner even if it was only half a cup!) So what to do? Why, paint, of course! I'm currently working on a dragonfly mural project for a soon-to-born baby boy's bedroom.. Tonight I have been working out the 2nd revised small-scale painting. Then I will reproduce it onto a piece of 30x40" Masonite which will be installed on the wall. (The client liked the idea of having the mural painted onto a removable surface so they could take it with them if/when they ever moved.)

Image is from the first draft paintings. Strange-looking lil' buggers ain't they?!
What insect would you like me to paint on your wall?! (The revised version will include a butterfly and a couple ladybugs too!)

Image; (c) 2011 Jeanne Guerin-Daley

Philadelphia Folk Festival Mural Creation Has Begun!

This past weekend I was painting up at the folkfest site, working on this year's murals for the main gate. The theme this year is Philadelphia.

Here's a sneak peak at what awaits you if you plan to go!



The left part of this set of 4x8' panels shows a giant newspaper (the Philadelphia Daily News) on which the ticket prices will be hand-lettered. Then, to the right of that, we'll feature animals for the Philadelphia Zoo. Past that, will be a view of the Schuylkill River and some crew rowers.
Should be a good fest this year. Are you planning to come?
http://folkfest.org

Narberth Beach Mural

Mural-making today. It was a long but productive day.

I had been working on the design for this small mural and today was the day I got to pick up a paint-loaded brush and attack the wall!
It is an interior mural in my client's apartment located in Narberth so I decided to call it "Narberth Beach"
What you see here is a combination of real and painted images. The white window trim around the perimeter of the image is actually, physically there. The closed and open windows, each with 6 panes of glass, are painted.

Within that outside trim framework, are two wooden, sliding pocket door panels that slide inside the wall when opened. When shut, they meet in the middle and now boast this scene. It is a window opening between the kitchen and living room in a Narberth apartment. 

This second photo shows what I mean. I slid open the windows partially to show the kitchen. Neat idea, huh?! My client had a carpenter create the doors and decided that when the doors were shut, they might as well be decorated.

It wasn't a large mural, but it was a complex enough design to keep me busy working on it. As usual, I had fun doing it!

I used acrylic paints for most of it; the white faux window is painted using the same white paint as the perimeter trim, tinting them with warm highlights and cool shadows.

Thoughts? Reactions are welcomed. Please leave a comment below.

Open Your Eyes, See the Sunrise.

"Open Your eyes, See the Sunrise."   - Steve Powers, Artist

That was the first one I saw last night while traveling on the El heading toward center city Philadelphia. Then just as I was about to pass it, I saw the simple blue and yellow depiction of a rising sun, on the wall below the words.

I am referring to one of Philadelphia's newest murals, one of the many "Love Letters" that are being painted on the walls of the buildings along the route of the Market-Frankford El. I had read about the project some months ago, but since I don't ride the El all that often, I hadn't seen it yet and had forgotten. What a nice little surprise treat it was for me to find them as I looked out the window at the rooftops. Searching for the next one became a bit of a game that ended sadly when the train descended to the underground section of track.

But until then, I caught glimpses of bright yellows, reds, blues, and greens, dotting the usually grey-brown colors of city buildings. The short little messages made me smile and wonder.

I found a link to a newspaper article about the project and posted it on my face book wall. Click here to check it out.

I found another article about it too. This one (Click here to read it) has a lot of quotes from the artist and tells a little more of the story.