Thankfully, four months ago it was recommended to me by a friend to get in touch with Sara Margaret, owner of Chicago Truborn Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. A few emails back and forth later, we agreed to meet when I was due in Chicago early April. After we met, it was clear we had compatible styles and needed to work together. She had a few ideas on what to do with a female muralist that works large scale and strictly with a paint brush (me!). The project that seemed best fit was an 800 sq. ft. exterior wall located in The West Town neighborhood of Chicago at The Windy City Cafe. With the help of The West Town Chamber of Commerce, we decided that after my Boston detour, I would come back to Chicago to attack this beautiful exterior brick wall.
Middle May I started the Windy City Cafe Mural. Some mural projects I work on are already prepped and primed and ready to go... Others I start completely from the beginning. The Windy City exterior wall needed prime and prep which usually takes a day or two depending on the size. This wall is 800 sq. ft. and hasd some very hard to get to/unusual/difficult platforms to work on. It was a split level job; half on ground level and half on a rooftop level. A combination of ladders and a scissor lift were used for this job. Prime and prep took one day while the actual art took 5 days. 800 sq. ft. in 5 days was definitely a record for me in terms of speed and completion. It was a great project to work on overcoming many obstacles. I learned a lot form this job. The physical work on alone was a workout! It's a good thing the nice people at Windy City Cafe fed me everyday. A big thanks to The West Town Chamber of Commerce for including me in their public arts program and an even bigger thanks to Chicago Truborn for representing me and helping me in so many ways. An awesome relationship that will, no doubt, continue over the years.
TOP OF THE WINDY CITY EXTERIOR WALL BEFORE PRIME AND PREP.
ROLLING THAT MUCH PAINT IS A GREAT WORKOUT!
THE PAINTING STARTS... I AM ON THE ROOFTOP LEVEL.
YOU CAN SEE HOW AWKWARD THIS SPACE IS. A SCISSOR LIFT WAS NEEDED FOR THIS JOB.
THE SCISSOR LIFT WAS A HUGE HELP.
ME ON THE LIFT PAINTING AWAY.
MORE THAN HALF WAY DONE.
HIGH UP ON THE LIFT WITH MY GOPRO FILMING AWAY.
ONE MORE DAY LEFT...
YOU CAN SEE I GOT CREATIVE WITH THE HARD TO GET TO SPOTS!
I ALWAYS LOVE SNAPPING THE FINAL SHOT.
A PANORAMIC VIEW. YOU CAN SEE THE SEARS TOWER TO THE LEFT AND THE MURAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS SHOT.