In October 2010 I began working as an assistant to muralist Art Mortimer, on a project he was commissioned for by the city of Alhambra (located in the San Gabriel valley.) Art has painted over one hundred murals throughout his forty-year career and I would like to thank him for his patience, and the knowledge he has lent me throughout the process- about painting, color mixing, creating illusions, working with clients and the history of California. Now in January, we are entering our final week and my love of mural painting is growing... working outdoors, painting for hours on end, and talking to on-lookers and admirers that stop by the site with questions.. it seems to be a form of performance art. Thank you also to the many city workers who kept us brightly visible to oncoming traffic with road blocks and safety vests, and Kwan Yu for being such a positive and enthusiastic person to work side by side with each and every day. Your work ethic and eagerness to learn is so commendable. The mural is located on Mission Road near Garfield.
Archway = 16.5 ft tall x 40 ft wide.
San Gabriel Mission.
32 trees total. 16 on either side of the archway.
Kwan Yu!
Landscape painted in glazes before top coat of paint.
Discussing our progress while avoiding the traffic.
up top.
The back of the wall faces railroad tracks. We see the Tropicana train every day.
Nine shades of "brown" for the archway and lettering.
Art's concept drawing.
Turning the graphite drawing into a black and white painting.
Mt. Baldy in the background.
Weather conditions are not always pleasant.
Day 1 : a blank canvas.
