Got an update from the Miami client and it looks like it'll be about two weeks before they're ready for me.
I'm spending a lot of time on facebook looking for groups to join, ways to get my name out there and network with others.
30.8.09
The Good Start Has Stalled :-(
Well, I finished up the bit of work at the restaurant, and I did my first house cleaning gig on Friday. No new painting opportunities have surfaced and the cleaning gig that was going to be every Friday became every 'other' Friday........one step forward, two steps back......sigh.
I'm waiting to hear when the warehouse mural job is ready for me to start, and I'm hoping its before my rent is due in two weeks. The client decided he didn't want to send a deposit until he was closer to the job starting, so what I thought was going to help this to be a stress free month.........won't. I'm trying to stay positive and continuing to look for work......I can not stand being idle........make that idle and broke.
I'm waiting to hear when the warehouse mural job is ready for me to start, and I'm hoping its before my rent is due in two weeks. The client decided he didn't want to send a deposit until he was closer to the job starting, so what I thought was going to help this to be a stress free month.........won't. I'm trying to stay positive and continuing to look for work......I can not stand being idle........make that idle and broke.
22.8.09
We're off to a good start
I'm back in Sunny Florida! Things are starting off well. I contacted a few people that I have done work for in the past and was able to scare up a little work right away. Tomorrow I'll be going back to the Old Key Lime House restaurant to do basically some touch up painting on some of my work there. Its where I painted this guy....
And these guys.....
I also visited the restaurant next door that I had done some work in..Tackey Joe's, now the Kono Bay Cafe.
This is the restaurant where I painted local businesses logos and information on the ceiling beams, as well as little messages from the locals. They'd collect a few and call me to come in and paint them. So that could be starting up again. The new owners said they've gotten a lot of requests from folks, so thats another possibility.
I also got my first major commission for several murals (all one client) from a gentleman who is creating a very cool lunchroom/showroom for his employees. Wait until you see the pictures of this one! In this lunchroom will be several vintage cars, eleven all together....mint condition and all run. He also collects vintage gas pumps, signs, he has an old jukebox, several children's pedal cars....its amazing. You'll have to watch this one evolve. Not sure when I'm getting in there, there's some wall prep to do first. I'll be painting buildings, like an old Texaco station, some road scenes with buildings, old cars, people, and some window scenes. Part of this room will be as if you were out doors, and part will be the interior of a 'building'. Should be a really fun project....its down in Miami......long commute, but worth it.
I also got my first cleaning client today......very nice girl, Angela....she's a teacher/wife/mom with a busy household....its nice to be needed :-) I'd still like to find one or two more homeowners who need help, so that I'll have some security when mural work is not available.
I'm in my new apartment now. Its a bit sparse....no furniture to speak of, but there is a bed! I spent my last bit of money on a mattress set. A friend had loaned me a blow up mattress to use, but at a little after midnight that first night, I woke up very achy.....it took me a moment to realize the mattress had deflated....lol. Didn't want to try that again.
Thats the update. I'm going to really try getting back to posting more often.
And these guys.....
I also visited the restaurant next door that I had done some work in..Tackey Joe's, now the Kono Bay Cafe.
This is the restaurant where I painted local businesses logos and information on the ceiling beams, as well as little messages from the locals. They'd collect a few and call me to come in and paint them. So that could be starting up again. The new owners said they've gotten a lot of requests from folks, so thats another possibility.I also got my first major commission for several murals (all one client) from a gentleman who is creating a very cool lunchroom/showroom for his employees. Wait until you see the pictures of this one! In this lunchroom will be several vintage cars, eleven all together....mint condition and all run. He also collects vintage gas pumps, signs, he has an old jukebox, several children's pedal cars....its amazing. You'll have to watch this one evolve. Not sure when I'm getting in there, there's some wall prep to do first. I'll be painting buildings, like an old Texaco station, some road scenes with buildings, old cars, people, and some window scenes. Part of this room will be as if you were out doors, and part will be the interior of a 'building'. Should be a really fun project....its down in Miami......long commute, but worth it.
I also got my first cleaning client today......very nice girl, Angela....she's a teacher/wife/mom with a busy household....its nice to be needed :-) I'd still like to find one or two more homeowners who need help, so that I'll have some security when mural work is not available.
I'm in my new apartment now. Its a bit sparse....no furniture to speak of, but there is a bed! I spent my last bit of money on a mattress set. A friend had loaned me a blow up mattress to use, but at a little after midnight that first night, I woke up very achy.....it took me a moment to realize the mattress had deflated....lol. Didn't want to try that again.
Thats the update. I'm going to really try getting back to posting more often.
12.8.09
Finally have a picture of the mural I was working on last week. Some of the perspective looks off from this angle.....hard to take good pictures in a tiny powder room.
I'm leaving for Florida on Saturday. Sorry to leave Narberth, it really is a sweet little town. Once I get settled in my new apartment in Lake Worth I hope to be posting more regularly.
I'm leaving for Florida on Saturday. Sorry to leave Narberth, it really is a sweet little town. Once I get settled in my new apartment in Lake Worth I hope to be posting more regularly.
30.7.09
Its been a while since I posted......life's been busy, and now I'm about to move back to Florida! Can't believe it but I got a one bedroom apartment on the intracoastal for almost $300 less than I'm paying here for just a studio apartment. I'm so into reducing the stress I've had for the last few years. My truck will be paid off in a little over a month and now a low rent, I feel like I can breath again.
I'll be posting some new pictures next week.....I've got another mural to do...Lake Como in a powder room, I can't wait to start it. I love doing kids rooms but I really miss doing the more sophisticated stuff.
I'm also back at the Hospital of The University of Pennsylvania putting the long overdue final touches on the mural I did in the pediatric intensive care unit. Remember this one done down both sides of that loooooog hallway? I've now gone through some double doors and continuing the artwork down another hallway! I'll finish up there this weekend and start the Lake Como mural on Monday.
I'll be posting some new pictures next week.....I've got another mural to do...Lake Como in a powder room, I can't wait to start it. I love doing kids rooms but I really miss doing the more sophisticated stuff.
I'm also back at the Hospital of The University of Pennsylvania putting the long overdue final touches on the mural I did in the pediatric intensive care unit. Remember this one done down both sides of that loooooog hallway? I've now gone through some double doors and continuing the artwork down another hallway! I'll finish up there this weekend and start the Lake Como mural on Monday.
21.7.09
A few more tweaks til done
Just a few more little touches to do and this one will be finished. I just want to point out that I lowered the horizon line in this work on purpose, an example of one of the times you might want to do this. I wanted this to be more kid friendly and was more interested in how they would view the mural.
They decided to hang swinging doors in the arched entrance to the 'playhouse'...the kind you see on saloons in old westerns :-)....and I have them with me to do a distressed, weathered, louvered treatment on them and will take them back later this week and add a few more elements to the mural work while I'm there. The archway is now the entrance to the 'Showers'.
Here are the two sketches I had given them when bidding on this job. Part of their request was to have the arched opening be the entrance to the shack, with the windows being part of the structure ...... I couldn't figure out how to do that without turning that whole side wall into a building and I didn't want to do that so I went a different route and created a trompe l'oeil door to the 'shack'. Turned out they didn't want that wall to the right painted, so that was the first thing that altered the design, but they wanted to see more beach/water, so the left side of the shack changed from foliage/vines to more beach. And I had given them the option of distressed wood or bamboo, and they choose bamboo, so that was another change. They didn't want the 'sign' to go all the way up to the ceiling, and I confess to borrowing heavily for the new design. There was a last minute request for a waterfall, so that had to be squeezed in there somewhere.
You can see how sometimes things can change when working with your clients. And I have to tell you, this was a charming young couple, blessed with twin girls (God bless em ...lol), and they were a joy to work with.
They decided to hang swinging doors in the arched entrance to the 'playhouse'...the kind you see on saloons in old westerns :-)....and I have them with me to do a distressed, weathered, louvered treatment on them and will take them back later this week and add a few more elements to the mural work while I'm there. The archway is now the entrance to the 'Showers'.
Here are the two sketches I had given them when bidding on this job. Part of their request was to have the arched opening be the entrance to the shack, with the windows being part of the structure ...... I couldn't figure out how to do that without turning that whole side wall into a building and I didn't want to do that so I went a different route and created a trompe l'oeil door to the 'shack'. Turned out they didn't want that wall to the right painted, so that was the first thing that altered the design, but they wanted to see more beach/water, so the left side of the shack changed from foliage/vines to more beach. And I had given them the option of distressed wood or bamboo, and they choose bamboo, so that was another change. They didn't want the 'sign' to go all the way up to the ceiling, and I confess to borrowing heavily for the new design. There was a last minute request for a waterfall, so that had to be squeezed in there somewhere.
You can see how sometimes things can change when working with your clients. And I have to tell you, this was a charming young couple, blessed with twin girls (God bless em ...lol), and they were a joy to work with.
19.7.09
FINALLY A MURAL GIG
Started yesterday working on a children's mural in a finished basement playroom. The client sent photos of the area to be done.
Under the stairs is a little playhouse area. You can see the windows built into the wall for them to peek through and in the very left of the picture above you can just see the arched doorway entrance into the play area. Below is another shot of the entrance.
The theme they requested was Hawaiian tropical and they had specific elements they wanted incorporated.
Here we are after two days. The first area is only an hour or two from finished and then tomorrow I will be attempting to begin and complete the second area around the entrance.
IT FEELS GREAT TO BE PAINTING AGAIN!!!!!!!!
Under the stairs is a little playhouse area. You can see the windows built into the wall for them to peek through and in the very left of the picture above you can just see the arched doorway entrance into the play area. Below is another shot of the entrance.
The theme they requested was Hawaiian tropical and they had specific elements they wanted incorporated.Here we are after two days. The first area is only an hour or two from finished and then tomorrow I will be attempting to begin and complete the second area around the entrance.
IT FEELS GREAT TO BE PAINTING AGAIN!!!!!!!!
12.7.09
Spent most of the day working on the dog and cat site, looking for products to create. I've gotten two inquiries about mural work this past week.....one looking to have Lake Como done around his powder room walls and another looking for a beach theme for their twins room. I've sent pictures and a quote to the first and haven't heard back yet. I receive photos of the room from the second one, but couldn't open the attachment so I'm waiting hoping they will send them in a different format.
10.7.09
7.7.09
6.7.09
4.7.09
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