Semper Fi - Pie In The Sky

Good Gracious- I'm proud to be an American!

It's the land of freedom and prosperity.

A place where one can forge off on one's own and make a living doing such fun things (like this project) and get actually get paid for it.

Our local Marines recruiting office was recently remodeled by a friend of mine. He also owns the building in which the office is located. I was honored that he thought of me to help him to fulfill the requirements of his tenants- The US Marines!

I must admit, it was a bit of a challenge to acquire the proper paint colors necessary. All I was provided was a PMS color number, which is mainly for inks. Fortunately I had an insider at a local print house who had the PSM color chip book. I was able to borrow it for a few hours so my local Sherwin-Williams could electronically reproduce the two colors. Problem solved. Oddly, the "silver" and "gold" were very similar. Not for me to judge though. I just do what I'm asked to do as well as I can, and I feel satisfied with the outcome- and most importantly- so was the customer!

All in the family

 This project was fun and interesting due to the level of planning and personal association.

The signs were commitioned by my aunt and uncle to represent the family homestead.
I was proud to be considered for this project. They certanly finish the entrance off nicely.

Let's Go Kart

  Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and motors and engines across the state are roaring to life.
The batteries are charging, the oil is getting changed and the cleaning and polishing is at a frantic pace.
I'm witnessing this first hand across the street at Minnehan's Fun Center, where the bats, clubs and most importantly, the go karts are coming out. In the off season, the center bought eight new karts for their circle track. The cars are all painted in an array of solid colors but are nude as a newborn baby. The owners approached me to label them with  NASCAR like branding and their logo. I was happy for the opportunity to do so, but I concocted a way to expand on that idea, and bring in community sponsorship into the mix, thereby taking the financial burden off of their shoulders. I designed a multi-tier order form, offering a sign for the track's fence as well. To my surprise, all the business' that wanted to be involved, took the full sponsor package.
The first of the decorated karts is complete. Only 4 more to go...

A Smartphone Synced a Website

  Thankfully I have a smart IT guy with the clairvoyant four-site that advised me to get on board with the brilliants that is all things Google.
   As I conceived signblazersigns.com I stressed that an "ease-of-update" theory must be a priority. I wanted control over the loading of new photos. That's why we decided to use Picasa as a photo gallery. We skinned over the stock page format to seamlessly blend with my site. I then built category folders within Picasa using the free software provided. All I had to do is load all my photos from my camera to my laptop once a week or so, and they were viewable to the word. Little did I know at the time that the process would get even more streamlined.
   The upshot in the game plan came as I discovered the Android powered Motorla smartphone. This devise allows me fantastic freedom and ease of accessibility beyond any expectations. I carry a handheld pipeline to the heart of my company website (this blog included)!
  The current procedure:
     1. Choose the subject (a sign etc.) and take a photograph.
     2. Tap the screen to expose the menu- choose the "edit" option. At that point I can do some simple alterations such as: crop, brightness/contrast, etc.
     4. Then save and name the pic.
     5. Choose "share" from the menu an select "Picasa", then the desired album and "Upload"
     Vuala-- For the world to see!

   There's also many alternate ways to configure Picasa albums via PC or from the phone. I recommend setting up your albums from the PC in order to take advantage of the broad visual interface. The small screen is very limiting until used in the above described manor. After the initial learning curve, I found the process easy to retain and fluid.
   This has not been an advertisement for Google. What this has been is an illustration of a well executed plan using a free service and a handheld device.
   Happy Picing!

  

A Non-Advertising Advertisment

   I've done plenty interior wall paintings and a few barn sides in my day,  but this old alley brick wall was my first with an uneven surface to contend with. The objective was to produce a simple but effective sign for a jewelery store without infringing upon his allowed sign allotment. Generally, symbols trump words anyway. In this case it's absolutely true...

   To start the project, I rented a 3000 psi pressure washer from my local hardware. It managed to remove most of the loose paint, but also managed to eat into some of the actual brick and mortar. A little less pressure was needed. I then used a gallon of high quality semi-gloss and a 3/4" nap roller to coat out the area in need. The next day I went to work masking the shape out.
   Back at the shop I prepared the stencil using my 40" vinyl cutter and a roll of vinyl paint mask. I was somewhat apprehensive about attempting to use this product on the uneven surface, but it was a nice sunny warm day and the material stretched a bit as I massaged it into the low spots.

This picture (above) shows the first layer stencil applied.

This picture (above) shows the second layer mask applied. A couple pieces were left out, ready to paint!

An odd color pallet for me, but to achieve a translucent quality it was necessary to use pastels.  Wal-Mart had a nice selection of spray paint that day!

  I added some diagonal highlights into all the individual color blocks to indicate a see-through prismatic element.

Back-masking was needed so I didn't contaminate my previous work.

This picture (above) shows a final mask layer allowing me to spray a shaddowing effect. This helps to bring out the light colors off the wall.

All the mask removed. Almost there. Just the freehand highlights and a darker outline to make it pop.

Believe it or not, the further you get away from it, the better it looks. From close up it seems a bit washed out, but from the street it's quite an eye catcher.
Many thanks to David Mann Jewelers of Geneseo for the opportunity to expand my portfolio. I'm certain it will drum up some conversation among the locals.

Long Point Park Project Update

  Well, It's been a hot busy summer with plenty of ups and downs (mostly ups).
I completed a (personal) record number of 18 gym floors decorated and had a blast in the process! We're now approaching  fall, which means a bit of a fall-off in the warm weather which tends to coincide with a fall-off in business. A transition that is sometimes more difficult than the weather to acclimate to. Fortunately it appears that an anticipated project may come to fruition in time to entertain me through my seasonal decline. That project in reference is the Long point Park Sculpture.
   It was nice afternoon for a meeting that took place in close proximity to the future home of said sculpture. The reporter from The Livingston County News sat with the project leader, two artists and myself to discuss the finer and larger points of the concept. We hope to ignite the public interest along with a fund raising campaign by the positive words in the article.
   I intend to start mocking up portions of the sculpture to explore my ideas further very soon. This, in turn, it should help my artistic contributors on their end, by defining the space in which they're sculptures are to be incorporated.
  The meeting was certainly a step in the right direction. Refuelling a low level motivational tank. I'm now looking forward to a fall, fall-off to shift into second gear. With any luck, the public will demand to see more.

A Walk With Gym

   
    From design to fruition- what a divine process. It never ceases to amaze me- with the endless verity of projects I undertake- that there is a never ending spectrum of special ways to handle each conundrum.
   What I set out to understand today was the direct relationship between my paint mask product and the entity installing it. To be blunt- I want his job. Or at least- I want the revenue his position demands. But more importantly- I know I can do it better and more efficiently. And in turn- generate more time for his specialized employees to do what they do best- install hardwood floors.
   What I'm proposing is nothing short of a hostile takeover of a division of the specialized process of painting a basketball court. The elbows are sharpened and I'm ready to employ them. Just give me a chance to prove my hypotheses and (I feel) we will all prosper from the en devour.

Nice work!