The brief for this project involved creating a mural that beautifully incorporated an excerpt from a poem penned by a distinguished Racine poet. In the beginning, the mural was designed for a different building. I really thought about history of that building and the owner and used that in my design. The poem about the arts spoke to me, and I wanted to show the power of the arts using imagery inspired by constructivist poster art. We were limited to four colors, so I went with reds, and shades of black and aged white.
research
After meeting with the client, I knew I wanted to incorporate the history of the building, and the owner’s history. The building was the site of the first African American blacksmithing company. The current owner was the fifth generation of plumbers that owned the building.
The poem made me think of power, and I had an image of a fist with a hammer in hand.
initial design
revised and final design
After meeting with the mural committee and the client to go over my design, I received feedback on my design and made revisions to my design. Pretty typical of the process. I also asked friends for feedback and then I chose to change the color palette from red to blue. Some people looked at the red as being influenced by communism and that’s not a message I wanted to come from my mural. The building was owned by a plumber so blue for water made more sense.
final final design
I received positive feedback on my design, and it sounded like it might be chosen. It wasn’t until about a year later that I found out my design was chosen, but the initial building wouldn’t be where the mural was being installed.
I would have to revise my design for a different building, and a different client and I would be handling the contact on my own, which I enjoyed. It was interesting to go back to my design that I had not looked at in a year, and take what I had learned and apply it to my design.
This time I wasn’t provided with the elevation like I was on the first design, so I needed to do that with only measurements provided from the owner. That was a learning experience. I took out the plumber’s wrench and added a paintbrush.
It was a rewarding experience to see my design come to life.
Vistit the artroot website for more information on the Wall Poems of Racine:
