Mural on the side

5/14/2012

Sometimes random projects outside of my own art present themselves.
Here's an interesting one. I was asked to make a 16 x 9ft WPA style mural for a new restaurant. They gave me some original digital artwork by Mark Mcintosh used in their other restaurants to use as the basis for the design. Farmworkers harvesting corn and a triumphant brewer turning it into beer. Being a fan both of the WPA era style, and of working large, I took it on. It's been a fun challenge to work in a more representational style for the first time in a long time.

Now it's complete and installed at BJ's Restaurant in Santa Rosa CA. It looked huge in the studio but much smaller on the massive new wall - a very satisfying project though.

14 Comments

David Buchanan

3/10/2013 04:37:04 am

Beautiful work Martin!

3/21/2014 07:20:10 am

I cannot figure out what this abstract object on this mural represents. Bjs in Austin,Tx. Leave an address and I can attach the picture file I'm talking about

MARK MCINTOSH

9/4/2014 02:36:41 pm

Interesting... Im the guy that does the murals for BJ'S... the one that you are making a copy of. Interesting to say the least.

Martin

9/5/2014 12:03:47 am

Hi - I'm glad you got in touch. I never got a credit for who had done the original digital work! It was an odd approach, but BJ's needed to satisfy the City's public art requirement by having a local artist hand-make something for them, and they chose to take your design and have it painted by me. I'm a big fan of the WPA era murals around San Francisco, so I took your layout which already has a lot of those qualities, and painted it in a 30's style with a bit of my own thing mixed in. Your work is inside the restaurant. Hope you think it works!

Wayland

10/27/2020 07:17:17 pm

Martin,
I find your art very interesting. I have a piece of art from Ray Cliffe. He was a hall of fame basketball coach in Missouri and he did artwork for a Resturant in Missouri. No one else has any of his work but his family. His art looks a lot like yours. How can I find out what it is worth??

rich

3/20/2015 09:46:09 am

how much did you charge for that? i am doing a 10 by 20 and trying to come up with a price

Joe McDaniel

2/25/2015 08:39:30 am

I thought the murals in Frederick, MD were by or derivative of Thomas Hart Benton. I remember seeing lots if his murals in the State Capitol in Jefferson City, MO. I like both (probably because they are so much alike).;

rich

3/20/2015 09:06:25 am

is there anyway to get permission to recreate a bj's mural. a restaraunt wants me to do one by me

Martin

3/21/2015 02:47:32 am

Rich - Rights to the original image are probably the property of BJ's since they hired Mark McIntosh to design it. No problem for them to hire me to do my version of it since they own the image. For you to copy it, I couldn't say. My thought though is that you suggest to your client that you do something along similar lines but make it original and unique to them. That should be more satisfying for them as a client and you as an artist.
I can't share contractual info like price, but my advice is work out your costs and how much time you're going to need. Add in a time allowance for the almost inevitable over-run, then see how those numbers work out for you and the client. Good luck!

rich

3/21/2015 07:29:58 am

thanks....how long did that take you? did you work in oil or acrylic? The workers are harvesting wheat not corn,,,,for making beer

MARK MCINTOSH link

4/7/2015 02:44:16 am

The art belongs to BJ'S, you need to contact them. I would suggest you approach your client with a new concept, but in that style. Let them know you have a idea that is like it but will be unique to them... not a remake of art that is on another restaurant. As far as fee, charge enough so that when you are half way into it you still feel its fair... nothing worse than feeling you are not getting paid enough. And yes, Martin is right, figure out how long it will take then what you should get a hour, then add on 1/3 rd more... you should be close.

Martin

3/23/2015 02:01:52 am

It took about a month - 6 weeks. It's acrylic with a cement compound added (it's a long story, but that's what I usually paint with - it makes a kind of sandable paint), on Hardi siding panels framed out with steel. The whole thing has a UV inhibiting sealer too from Monopole - you can find them online.

Dallas

8/14/2017 06:49:39 pm

I saw this mural at the BJ's in San Antonio, Texas recently. I have to say that upon further reflection, I feel that I was subliminally oppressed into becoming a proletariat who works only for the State's daily beer rations and my love for the Motherland.

Seriously, though -- nice work!

Adrian L link

1/11/2021 05:14:56 am

Good reading thiis post

Mural on the side

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