News - April '23
It’s not often that an artist gets to meet their heroes, much less to work with them. Those familiar with my work know that mural painting is one of my passions. I was absolutely thrilled, then, when the opportunity to work alongside John Pugh came up.
"Siete Punto Uno" by John Pugh, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58317421
American muralist John Pugh is a master of trompe l’oeil, the art of creating mind-bending visual spectacles that trick the eye to believing it’s seeing something it’s not. More impressive yet is the scale with which he employs these masterful 3D deceptions – usually covering the entire front or side of a building – and the humanistic, culturally narrative nature of his subjects. He’s received over 250 public and private commissions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, Japan, Taiwan, and New Zealand – each one boasting locally significant symbols, some form of architectural or structural element, and often imagery derived from nature, like greenery, water, wildlife, and of course, people.
As for me, I’ve so far only created “smaller” murals – most recently one of a vivid and colorful wasp that won the inaugural Roll By Goodyear mural competition at the 2022 Jacksonville Fair. Till then, my murals have been simpler in palette, mainly grayscale depictions of sea creatures like octopuses and flying fish. I also recall the neck-ache I got from embellishing a ceiling with floral motifs in the grand salon of a private home, which I paired with a very satisfying trellis pattern on the walls.
You can imagine my excitement, then, when I walked into John’s studio.
Immediately I was hit by the enormity of the space, and the clear evidence that it was an active, working studio. Three large murals, each over a hundred feet wide and 70’ tall, stood in various stages of completion amidst towering scaffolds. Between these, sets of long tables served as oversized palettes, each one littered with open cans and multi-gallon bottles of paint. Rolling stools were parked in front of areas recently worked on, while large brushes and other implements were gathered neatly together.
I tried to take it all in with a deep breath of familiar paint fumes. Three weeks to hone my skills, to deepen my knowledge about trompe l’oeil, and to leave a lasting mark on some John Pugh murals – it all seemed so short all of a sudden. Unreal, too. Best to dive right in… and that we sure did.
Illusion is hard work. John and us interns often worked late into the wee hours of the morning. A typical work day with John started with practicing and refining our painting skills – line work, blends and fades, life drawing. To create effective three-dimensional illusions, we had to perfect the skills of perspective and shading. I learned painting techniques I haven’t used before – techniques I was already considering how to incorporate in my own work.
Each day, we reviewed the content of these staggering murals. Some of the murals in progress were destined for the Denver Zoo; some for Washington D.C., where it will be displayed near the Capitol Building, and some for the Capital of Oregon. Simply learning to prepare these giant canvases was a thrill, and then to think these canvases will come together to complete an even larger mural! The sheer scale boggled my mind and far exceeded what I thought was possible for one artist to create!
What I didn’t expect, either, was to be incorporated (potentially) in the D.C. mural. I stood between a canvas and a camera, posing as if in wonder of the Statue of Liberty, while images of me were taken and then mapped onto the mural. What better way to create realistic images, by using an actual model! Not sure I’ve made the cut, but I’ll let you know if I do!
At this point you might be wondering how I landed this internship. Like any other internship, I applied in response to a call for artists. I submitted, nervously, samples of my work to John and his team, and later had a series of conversations. We talked about what we each do as artists, my qualifications and education, and our approaches to creating our pieces. The conversation flowed naturally, and I was notified later of being accepted.
Sure, he could use help completing these giant projects. Yet, through our initial chats and later working with him, it’s his undeniable passion for mentoring that truly shines through. John works with seven to ten interns each year, with many of whom he continues to have painting relationships. He also mentors young artists in his local community. Working alongside me this time, for example, were Ariel Young and Asia Lieberman, both wonderful young artists with great futures ahead of them.
I think this is where John’s work ethic really stands out. Not only is he skilled at creating illusions, hard work as it is – he is such an expert in capturing and creating images that reflect and respect local communities and their traditions. He manages to create authentic and impactful cultural imagery because he takes the time to interview indigenous peoples and incorporate their vision. He immerses himself locally, researching present and past to identify, for example, what residences looked like in a certain locality. He then puts pencil to paper, relentlessly perfecting his sketches to his own satisfaction, and also that of his patrons. It’s little wonder his work often receives the blessing of local communities.
While preparing and painting these murals, he’s also working on new mural proposals, hosting life drawing classes in his studio, and speaking in his local community. Being in a creative environment with him and other young, newer artists was not only a learning opportunity, but a great way to hatch ideas, see how others approach art and technique, and be inspired by the experiences we each have had. I feel more confident to go bigger and more detailed in my murals, and start engaging in public art. I also hope to continue working with and learning from John, as much as I can.
More to come!
x
Tracie
