76’ mtl — Montreal, QC
1976 Montreal olympics mural
This project allowed me to fully stretch my draftsmanship muscles in ways that I very rarely do. Rendering the human form with such detail and precision is an atypical approach than the one I normally take with mural projects.
Ceiling jobs are tough. If you have any doubts, please rest assured that those neck and back muscles get a good stretch. Working inverted — primarily on small scaffolding — is a grueling task.
This is an unnamed and invisible-to-the-public corporate office commission in the heart of Montreal. I was asked to thematically reflect on the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, minus the tired cliche(s) that are generally employed when depicting the subject.
DESIGN
This poster of the games got my design juices flowing in a big way. These gently curving colored noodles provided the perfect visual thread, weaving together a multi-surfaced composition with pleasing soft tonal transitions.
With the spine of the composition established, I began to dig deep into various online photo archives of the games, looking especially for those great black and white newspaper images still popular in the era. Naturally, there were a ton to be found of athletes doing what they do best. To the keen observer, some of these may be very familiar faces.
In finalizing the mockups for this project, the rest was a matter of time in digital rendering until we were collectively satisfied with the results. Clients rarely understand that the conceptualization aspect of a mural can be — by far — the hardest part of the process, often taking more energy and time than the painting itself.
LONG DAYS
Spread out over nearly three weeks of VERY long days of work, this project was a delight for its extended production window.
In my career, it has been only within the last couple years that I’ve started to choose projects carefully, ensuring I have the sufficient time needed / wanted to fully realize these big works. The longer process pays off, resulting in a far better product and a more deeply satisfied artist.
This mural project had some very positive outcomes, much like the summer games, including the construction of new sports venues and infrastructure that brought great benefit to Montreal in the long run.
I’m very pleased with the outcome of this wall, and the opportunity to pour my heart into something of this scale. However, the financial burden and controversies surrounding the Games — like this project — will perhaps leave a lasting impact.
