Cheers, T
What a blast we had at Willow Lake Apartments last week! ABC Paint Party was in full effect. This Resident Paint Party was a packed house and what an enthusiastic bunch of painters. A big shout out to the staff at Willow Lake Apartments for having us and we hope to be back sometime soon! You can also have your very own Paint Party brought to you - We are offering 20% off this month! Email me to find out more.. travis@nealartistry.net Cheers, T
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Man- it has been a great summer! Closing out the official summer season by painting this monster last weekend at the newest location for my buddies at TAXMAN BREWING COMPANY. With this one being so much closer than the other 2, we will be hanging out here often! It is a great downtown spot, right next to the home of my PACERS. So I see some pre and post game hangouts coming this winter and spring, and some time out on the beergarten/patio next summer. I was contacted a couple weeks ago to knock this one out before the weather turns, and of course, I was thrilled to oblige! This was done in one day, like the Fortville location, but this one was a little bigger. Can't wait for this one to open! Pics of progress and the finished piece below- Cheers! T This one is the new CROWN JEWEL of my portfolio! My first really hi-profile mural project, I was awarded the commission back in May by Nickel Plate Arts and Noblesville Parks and Recreation. Initially, the wall was meant to be a piece showing the WHITE RIVER MONSTER (a Loch Ness type serpent creature said to inhabit the White River) and of course, as you know, monsters are my specialty- so I was particularly excited about the project. It was a collaborative effort, as we developed the concept and they suggested tweeks to my design, until we finally arrived at a suitable creature image- not too scary, but not too muppet-like....... aaaaaand the city rejected it. Oh well.. Back to the drawing board. The city officials indicated that they would prefer to focus on the RAILS & TRAILS feel of the city, especially since this wall sits under a formerly active rail line, and a brand new fitness trail. I decided on trains, although admittedly, I know NOTHING about trains (or at least I DIDN"T.. I most certainly do now!) so I looked to the good folks at Nickel Plate Arts for some guidance on the theme. Ailithir McGill was so incredibly helpful in pointing me in the right direction: The Leviathan. Not only did this old-school steam engine have a ton more visual appeal than the modern day trains, but the name was the absolute clincher- it is a short leap from water creature concept to a train called the LEVIATHAN! So I started my research of this train, finding out that it is a replica of the engine that pulled the Lincoln Funeral Train across the country in 1865, and that it ran the same course back in 2015 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the trip, including rolling through downtown Noblesville. Once the subject was decided, I started sketching.. Initially I thought that it would perhaps be best to have the train running parallel to the road, but that angle just did not have the same impact as having the train exiting a tunnel, so that is the way we went. Outside of the train portion of the mural, the rest of the wall was painted to look like a block wall and tunnel- and convincingly so, by Darren Peterson of Nickel Plate Arts. It was definitely nice to have some assistance on this project, freeing me up to focus on the centerpiece of the mural- the train. This one took me 3 1/2 days to complete this beast.. during the hottest stretch of summer weather we've had in Indiana in 15 years.. and I LOVED every minute of it!! This project is turning heads and has gotten a huge reaction- I am ready for the next one...... BRING IT ON! Progress pics of this mural below- Enjoy! T ABC Paint Party was back at Lakeside Apartments of Carmel for another evening of painting & partying! We painted "Day in the Life" at this 2 hour fun-filled event. A big shout out to the staff at Lakeside for including us at their resident event. Check out the awesome artwork - We look forward to the next party! ABC Paint Party can paint & party with you & your friends too... Email me at travis@nealartistry.net to find out more. Cheers, T I'm people who knows people.... I have a buddy that runs 2 of the SCARLET LANE taprooms here in town, and he needed a feature artist for their June First Friday event at the new location just south of downtown Indy.. I've never done one of these before (and I've been wanting to create some new pieces), so I agreed. I was approached by John at Axis Apartments in downtown Indy to dress up their rear entry lobby. This entry point catches everyone that enters from the parking garage- so pretty much all the residents that drive! This is also the point that handles all move-ins and move-outs. LOTS of foot traffic through here every day! I was familiar with the property, because we had one of our ABC PAINT PARTY events there last year... VERY nice place! I didn't even see the inside of any apartments, but the lobby is vast, the people are friendly, the amenities are posh- the definition of upscale downtown living. In our initial meeting, he knew that he definitely wanted their logo on the wall, but beyond that was not sure else to do. This was the perfect situation- Although I do appreciate some guidance to point me in the right direction, I also love being able to immerse myself in the creative process and really come up with something great! Case in point, my skyline concept for this wall! I did have some other ideas for this piece, but the Indy skyline just stuck, so I really concentrated on developing that thought. I came up with some really cool ideas- twists on a skyline (which I will probably revisit on a future project), but this one was ultimately the winner.... Hard, dark, silhouette of the main buildings that define the skyline, with a bright white silhouette of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument inside that main shape. I wanted to avoid the stark and stagnant (read:boring) look of a classic skyline silhouette, so I decided to add some movement and texture to give it some visual interest and depth. The movement in the piece starts with bright rainbow-ordered colors at the base of the monument, spiraling out to fill the space and ultimately becoming gray smoke rising upward, but still contained within the dark outline of the larger buildings. I couldn't be happier with how this came out- EXACTLY as I pictured it! A large version of their full color logo, added above the skyline completed this project. Hitting all the different shades proved to be a fun exercise in color mixing, but mission accomplished... of course :) Included here are the progress pics, from beginning to end on this wall....... Enjoy! T What a fun evening painting and partying with the residents and staff at Artistry Apartments last week! We painted "Taking Indy Sunset" and the finished art pieces turned out incredible - This was an enthusiastic bunch of painters! A big shout out to Artistry for inviting us to be a part of their resident event. ABC Paint Party can bring the Paint Party to you too - email me at travis@nealartistry.net to find out more and hear about our current special. Cheers, T We celebrated the holiday with the residents at North Haven of Carmel last week by painting "Love is in the Air". The wine was flowing and the painters cranked out some beautiful masterpieces. A big shout out to Sherri and Kim at North Haven for having ABC Paint Party once again at their resident event! We can also bring the Paint Party to you - Email me at travis@nealartistry.net to find out more. Cheers, T ABC Paint Party celebrated the Holiday season last week with an enthusiastic group of painters. The featured painting was "Once Around the Sun", which is definitely an appropriate painting with the weather here in Indiana... You never know which season we will be enduring each week. A big thank you to the whole family for having us be a part of your Holiday celebration! Would you like your very own Private Paint Party? Email me at travis@nealartistry.net to find out more. Cheers! T Last week ABC Paint Party was at Bayview Club Apartments painting & partying with the staff and residents. The featured painting was "Taking Indy Sunset" and what a group of a talented painters (check out the artwork below)! Thank you to the staff at Bayview Club and the residents for having us join their community event! If you would like to have your very own Private Paint Party, give me a shout.. We can bring the party to you! Cheers, T |
AuthorTravis Neal is a MURALIST and an ART INSTRUCTOR in Indianapolis, Indiana. Archives
November 2021
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