Primary Colors

An Evanston apprentice begins to paint with bold colors and shapes

Though different in almost every respect, including size, shape, and colors being used, the Covington and Evanston Murals have both made progress in a very exciting way—they’ve begun adding color to their murals as of July 2^nd.

Muted grays, tans, and blues are emerging from the creamy background of Covington’s wall in the shapes of trees with complicated ridges of leaves, flittering blue birds, and people with large noses and wide eyes. A whimsical mural, the subdued palette being used will help to emphasize the antics of the many colorful animals that will roam throughout the mural’s panels, leading the viewer on a virtual tour of Covington and its landmarks.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Evanston mural. Big, bright, and bold, its large geometric shapes and intense colors immediately catch the eye of passersby, who stop to stare for moments on end before moving on their way. On such dim, cool days as the ones we’ve been having this week just before the 4^th of July, the paints that Evanston is working with seem almost to jump from their buckets and into the surrounding air, warming the landscape of Evanston with pale pink, rich blue, and vibrant orange.

So a colorful congratulations to those murals who’ve broken into their paint buckets: Covington and Evanston to be sure, but also Columbia Tusculum, Northside, and Clifton Heights. Not just a promise of the great things these murals are bringing to both the apprentices working on them and the communities of Greater Cincinnati, there’s also the simple fact that these colorful new visions are, in the words of one Evanston apprentice, “Really pretty.”

Presenting...Presentations!

Northside apprentices present at their 6/19 presentation

Apprentice Ihsan looks at part of the Northside mural design

Since the Northside mural presentation last Friday, it’s been all presentations all the time for the ArtWorks documentary team. Besides getting the privilege of seeing all of the stunning mural designs, we also learned a little bit about each neighborhood, saw the apprentices dressed in their best, and sampled plenty of delicious food. I know I’m supposed to be a journalistic superhero, but it would be impossible to do each mural full justice here. Instead, I’ll just give some highlights.

Northside mural’s presentation in the Visionaries and Voices gallery was a fabulous way to kick off the summer. With a full audience and a practiced and effortless presentation, everyone in the room was utterly transported from the warm blue room and into a completely new land—one of circus tents and thunderbolts shining in the sky, both motifs that figured prominently in Northside’s mural. Designed by Antonio Adams in honor of Raymond Thundersky, the mural was eagerly accepted by the community and is sure to remain both an inspiring work of art and a profound memorial to a local artist for many years.

Columbia Tusculum’s presentation was transporting as well, sending each visitor into a different era as soon as they entered the studio. With soft classical music playing in the background and a smorgasbord of delicate sandwiches, delicious cookies, and whimsical teacups filled with sweet tea looking tempting against one wall, Columbia Tusculum outdid themselves in creating a very convincing Victorian High Tea for visitors to enjoy.

And then there was our own presentation, which, though we might be a little biased, we thought was wonderful. Presented to the ArtWorks staff at our headquarters on Race Street, Alex and I asked questions and answered questions, pitched our ideas for the three different documentaries we hope to complete, and showed off our lovely schedule for planning, filming, and editing. Inspired by all of the accomplished presentations we’ve been visiting lately, we also threw in a brief history of ArtWorks—just in case anyone didn’t know. 

Painted Ladies

Columbia Tusculum apprentices sketching the local architecture

After a brief hike through the colorful—and hilly—streets of Columbia Tusculum, the Documentary Crew caught up with the Columbia Tusculum Mural project, gathered at the top of the hill, sketchbooks out and pencils brandished. Looking more like a class of DAAP students than a group of teen Apprentices, Columbia Tusculum was spending the morning sketching architecture drawn from the beautiful houses that surround their project. Fondly termed “Painted Ladies” these Victorian houses are decked out with intricate details and stunning coats of paint in rich and surprising shades. Zigzags of purple, pink and yellow are not uncommon on these houses, which, though often almost one hundred and fifty years old, are anything but sedate.

Project Manager Pam Kravetz told me that apprentices were drawing on the neighborhood’s treasure trove of color and design for inspiration to create borders that will later surround the panels of the murals they’ll be painting. Judging by the fact that even I was itching to sketch the beautiful architecture of the Painted Ladies, this mural’s in for some beautiful borders.