The Outdoor Challenge
I enjoyed tackling this Bulldog on the side of a stadium for two challenging reasons, first it was about 100 degrees outside, my sweat was sweating... second reason, while 80% done a huge storm came rolling in quickly, while I was dangling over the side the raindrops started to fall, I never painted so fast. I completed it successfully amidst the trials of being outdoors in a South Dakota summer. I earned my paycheck on this one.
The Iconic Image Challenge
I am a history buff (ask my wife). I am one of those guys who will drive two hours out of my way to experience a moment in history - to stand in the spot where "such" and "such" happened. These images were created from famous iconic images of Martin Luther King, Susan B. Anthony (remember the coinage), Teddy Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Einstein and Abraham Lincoln, they were for a school that wanted them posted on certain named hallways. It was fun to do these portraits but the challenge was to do them so that everyone would know who they are instantly.
The Simplicity Challenge
Sometimes simplicity is always the best and I think that is why the look and style of this image I created for a school that wanted a movable cutout mural worked well. I especially like the way the cub is looking at you - my daughter wanted me to buy her one after I painted this.
The "Too Scary" Challenge
On the flip side I love how this guy looks menacing and ferocious. I remember telling the principal of the elementary school when I designed it that I thought it may scare the younger ones and I should tone it down some - make it a little more cuddly. She didn't want that. So we went with the prowling panther. The black and purple really jumped on this image and with the rest of the colors in the gym brought the blank wall space to life.
The Weird Wall Challenge
I really like to do murals in out of the way places. This one was tucked nicely into a little sitting area that needed some energy. I also remember the wall was a coarse brick, very weird texture, and getting the image on was challenging. The lines kept squiggling here and there.