Evolution of a mural

When I first started in this business I strictly did murals, hence my business name, Natalie Gorden Murals.  After many wonderful classes with some very talented folks in the business, I branched out to include decorative (faux) finishes in my repertoire. Over the last few years, it seems, I've done mostly faux and fewer murals, so when I get a call for a mural I get very excited because I love to do them not only as a change of pace but creatively, they are very satisfying.

Previous school mural

 Last spring I was contacted by the principal of a local middle school who, thankfully, found me and my work through a google search. (Glad to know that still works). Scott told me he wanted a mural done in the school gymnasium to replace a mural that was already there.  The school's mascot is "magic" and the previous mural was done in a theme that he and many teachers and parents felt was no longer relevant to the school and the image he wanted to project. He wanted something that depicted unity and diversity.  Upon our first meeting he showed me an image of a mural done by a very talented artist in Colorado. It was exactly what he wanted. Using another artist's design poses a problem for copyright issues and I would not do so if I didn't have the express permission of that artist. Upon browsing the artist's website, www.markclinedesign.com, I read that he was happy to share the image with other artists. Whew! That was a relief. So the remaining challenge of this mural was that it was really two murals in one. The first mural was to be the image of  two hands intertwined in a round shape with a globe superimposed on top. You can see Mark's mural here. Such a great image it's no wonder our principal wanted to use it.

The hands image was to be painted on a moveable wall consisting of 13 four-foot panels that slide to either the cafeteria or the gymnasium and needed to stand on its own.  The second mural was to be painted on the concrete border surrounding the stage area of the gym, therefore ultimately tying into the hand mural.  It was nice that the first mural was already designed for me, although I'd love to design something original, I truly like the image chosen and Scott's mind was already set on this image.

My version of the global hands, wall is on the cafeteria side.

The next challenge was to design the rest of the mural in such a way to incorporate the first mural and depict images fit for a sports gymnasium. The P. E. teachers had their opinions which is understandable because they spend more time in the gym than anybody. It seems that the previous mural which I was to cover, was never approved or even run by them so I wanted to make something they'd enjoy as well. It took us a few tries to nail down the design but we finally came up with something to please everybody and THAT is a feat in and of itself.

 Having a background in Graphic Design, I tend to create a lot of my designs on the computer. For this mural, that was very helpful because I wanted a very simple yet impactive design. Depicting "magic" is not easy.  I could see the direction the previous murals was going, but it was not what the staff wanted. The school's uniforms and logo have stars in them, so we went with that and as the P.E. teachers requested, kept the original "Magic Kingdome" theme for the gym.  A few sports silhouettes chosen by the teachers were all we needed for our gym tie in. The crown and stars help with the "magic" theme in a subtle way. 

This mural was my third middle school in Washoe County School District and I'm very honored to have been chosen to execute it.

Because every day is a good day when you paint

Many years ago, fresh out of Graphic Design school, I got a job that I didn't realize I was going to hate when I got it.  Lets just say that a little grey cube, a computer, and boredom are not a combination my restless, artistic soul can handle very well.  Throw a little corporate attitude on top of that and Natalie only lasts a year at a job.  It's experiences like these, however, that make us all realize what it is we don't want to do, which therefore helps us realize what we do want to do.  I've been a decorative artist ever since I left that job, and although its been many a struggle, I've loved what I do for a living and am grateful that I had that job to lead me to this one.  What a great stepping stone in my life that was. That job was also where I met one of my favorite friends, Mike Callahan. Seven years later, I still talk to him weekly and find his opinions helpful and his accomplishments as an artist inspiring. 
 
Mike paints beautiful landscapes in oils and has recently realized a dream of his own and opened a studio here in Reno.  He had graciously allowed me to take a class with him and been patient with this flaky artist as I've missed several classes due to my ..........oh look a squirrel!  

This class happens to be a landscape class and meets weekly.  I think I've actually made it to only half the classes and I had to reflect as to why I had such a poor record of attending.  I think that some of it may be that I paint ALL the time and after a long day, week, month of painting, it's a little difficult to make myself go to a painting class.  After much thought, however,  I realized that it's my lack of confidence and concern for producing something so terrible that I'd be embarrassed.  Now mind you, I paint for a living!  You see, I've never really dabbled in oil paint and I think I've been afraid that oils were too good for me.  Let me tell you though, that after attending class with Mike, I'm feeling so confident.  Once I got the feel for how the paint behaves, (it's so different than acrylics) I'm really excited about finishing my Lake Tahoe painting.

During the three hour class, there is ample painting time. On our last class Mike took about ten minutes to give us a very enlightening demonstration on painting water, what gets reflected and how rocks and such can be indicated below the water. (Mike has a great knack for painting water. Check out his fabulous Lake Tahoe paintings here.) What I thought was a very intimidating subject became suddenly simple.  I'm really thrilled with what I'm learning and I can't wait to share it with you when I'm finished.   I'm thrilled that I'm finally getting to paint something that is just for me, it actually makes me enjoy painting that much more!

If you live in Reno and have any interest in painting, please give High Sierra Art Academy a look.  It's a very relaxed atmosphere with a great instructor who's not only knowledgeable, but pretty entertaining too.

Ok, ok, here's my painting so far, mind you I painted all the water in one three hour session.  It's not completely finished yet, but I'm confident that I'm on the right track.

My fabulous friend and colleague

I'm so excited to be heading off to Portland next week to the IDAL (International Decorative Artisan's League) conference! It's a place where I get to hang with others who do what I do, which unfortunately, I don't get to do a lot of here.

Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend convention in San Francisco. It was a fabulous time and I took some fun classes and created some great new sample boards. The most valuable thing that came out of that convention, however, was the friendship created with Diane Williams, an artist from Mechanicsville Virginia. We happened to have a class or two together and immediately became soul sisters. We have so much in common it's scary! We call each other at least three times a week to sometimes collaborate on a finish or just to tell what's going on in our lives.

Well, Diane is going to be in Portland for convention and I am so excited to see her. Her parents live there and have invited me to stay with them. I am incredibly blessed for that. So I dedicate this blog post to my friend Diane, the fabulous artist and wonderful friend!
Here's some of her amazing work..........enjoy!

Relationship building

Being self employed is like having a million jobs......I am the office worker (a crappy one) the salesperson, accountant, and artist. Like any other sales job, landing a sale depends not only on the quality of your product, but also on the character and presence of the salesperson. I am blessed with the gift of being able to make friends easily and that is what I tend to do with many of my clients. Being asked into someone's home to create a finish or mural where there was nothing is an honor and a pleasure. It is wonderful for me to make a friendship that will at the very least be a building block to more business, but many times those friendships turn into long lasting ones and for that I am grateful.

I was recently hired by a wonderful woman who was remodeling her home after a very devastating blow-the foundation was sinking. I am happy to say that a local tile and stone place referred me and that I was not the only finisher to bid the job. There were many contractors before me, all doing much more important work than I. The foundation had to be stabilized, floors redone, cracks filled and trim replaced. I was called in after all of this to put a simple glaze on the walls in the kitchen and family room. A great wall finish is like icing on a cake-if it wasn't there, it wouldn't be as sweet. Even the most simple glaze can make such a difference and my homeowner couldn't stop telling me how much she enjoyed the subtlety of the finish.
Once we had the walls done, we decided the new hood over the stove needed a little something special as well. Taking a plain box and turning it into something that looks like weathered copper with rivets is the epitome of a faux finish. It's a small project with a big impact. It went very well the the light fixtures that she chose and her craftsman style. Here are the finished products. I am very proud of the work I do and feel so blessed to be able to do it. More than that though, I'm thrilled to have made a new friend in the process of creating warmth in her home.

Style in a recession

Let's face it, starting a business right now takes some cajoneys! When you've got advertising costs and equipment, employees, franchise fees etc., you may think the last thing you have the budget for is hiring an artist to do the painting. You may be surprised, however, how little paint can cost and yet what a big difference it can make in how your business feels.
I have some friends who recently opened a combination storefront with a Wireless Toys franchise and a coffee shop. They have a great location off the highway and near the university. The Wireless Toys side was easy to decorate - it's all decided corporately. The coffee shop, on the other hand, was plain white with a BIG, RED counter that these frugal owners picked up second hand. What they needed was a little interest. We sat down, crunched numbers and were able to work within their budget to create a great design with little money and a few good helpers.
The name of this cute little coffee place is Java Connect, which is very apropos considering it's within a cell phone distributor. I wanted to create a fun atmosphere that would be comfortable for those who want to sip their skinny-soy-green tea-no whip latte while perusing the internet on their laptop. There were two challenges with this room: 1. The BIG, RED counter top 2. The oddly shaped space with a 30 foot long wall. We chose soothing colors that would be mellow and feel technologically modern. The grayish green palette went well with the gray tables, yet was neutral enough to be used with a pop of red. I broke up the long wall with a swooping transition of color. By repeating circles in a color pattern, we created the "connect" to the techno side of the Wireless Toys store and it gives a nod to "connect the dots". By adding one random red dot in our circle pattern, we were also able to connect to the counter which we toned down by painting the front of it in the darkest gray.
This budget friendly design is very versatile in that items can be added later. For example we installed some very fun and flirty stencils this week to add a little bit of the unexpected. More red accents will be added as the notion hits, or the budget allows. Part of my idea with this design was that it can be done in stages if the owners choose. Let's face it, paint is cheap, if you have a flair for design, put something on paper and get it up on that wall! If you don't have that artistic touch, call a professional. You'll be glad you did.
If you've got a taste for a great coffee and need a new cell phone at the same time, head down to N.Sierra Street and stop into Java Connect and Wireless Toys and check out the 175 dots on the wall.

Awesome talent

Looks like I need to get some spray paint! These are truly talented artists

El Mac, Retna & Kofie: JUSTICE Mural for Manifest Equality- Time lapse: from Augustine Kofie on Vimeo.

New Color Trends

I had an opportunity recently to listen to a webinar (seminar on the web, for you non computer people) called Color Pulse 2011 by the paint manufacturer, Benjamin Moore. I find it fascinating to see what the color trends will be for the next few years. I'm sure many of you may be thinking "who cares what the trends are?" Well, paint companies do, that's how they sell paint, by updating and changing the palettes every once in a while.
Interestingly, these paint colors are not chosen randomly. The major influences in color for your walls come from fashion and industrial design and even nature. This webinar was quite informative about the trends coming in the next few years. They talked about Farm influence: where the whites will be more creamy and the yellows will be cheesy. The Urban and domestic farming influence will include soil rich naturals (like brown), with a splash of tomato green and orange for a pop of color.
The creation of Order will be seen in rooms with a black, white and grey color scheme where a random punch of vibrant purple or royal blue like this image from livingpod.com will bring whimsy. Red and black will make a return as a pair in decor with geometric shapes.
Patterning like the photo of the graphic green shapes from the fox hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark, will be key while fractal designs and irregular, almost 70's stripes will make retro modern again. Metallics are staying in style with entire rooms done in metallic leaf or just a few accents in furniture and fabrics. This photo is from Jeffrey Bilhuber Interior Design and shows fabulous all-over wall treatment in various metal leafs.
My favorite category talked about in this webinar was the Escape. These colors will be femine and translucent. A pale pearl or cosmetic pink will be done in light metallics, giving one a dreamy, and relaxed feel. These colors were actually inspired by the designs of Armani found on the runways of New York and Paris. Walls will be given a pearlized effect with crystals for drama.
If you're ready for a change in your decor, look to nature or even the runway for your inspiration this year and you'll be right on trend.