Da Vinzi Project
Some weeks are busy, the first and second weeks of school are among the busiest. Busy in the tightly schedules days sort of way, not the stressed preparing for exam sort of way. And with the children back in school I was able to really dive into the projects which have been stagnating over the summer. Emails, messages, sketches, preliminary sketches, final drafts. These last one and a half weeks have been diverse. And my studio routine is back. (If you want to have a look at how I manage my projects have a look at this post.) Today, I stepped outside of my studio to do a bit of outdoor painting on location.
The location: VinziDorf
The project: Da Vinzi
In spring of this year an ambitious group of students sent messages to many artists in Graz, inviting them (us) to 'decorate' the containers of VinziDorf with murals and grafitti.
I had of course heard of them but hadn't actually ever been involved in any of their many activities and projects until now. In fact, I didn't actually know where the VinziDorf was and had to google it's exact location.
During the introductory meeting in early summer I visited it for the first time and was impressed with how comfortable, relaxed, and actually cosy it is. There are gardens and trees and the containers are set up in a small maze around a central dining and social area. The office is also open and many of the inhabitants were in and out, chatting with the volunteers.
Fast forward a bit to today- After a convoluted path, which included my preliminary sketches being unavailable due to the unexpected absence of my laptop, a lengthy absence during our trip to Italy, and most recently the fact that I had recorded the dates in my calendar but the lady working there hadn't put them in hers, I arrived with a basket of rags, brushes, and painting clothes. I was met by a very pleasant man who showed me around, plied me with supplies and helped choose the location of the two murals. One of the workers even ran to Obi, our local hardware store, to buy brown paint after I asked if there was any on hand.
Painting outside in the middle of the comings and goings of that relaxed community was fun. Most of the men were nice and said complimentary things about the painting. There was one individual for whom the appearance of my highly offensive motive cued a stream of inner turmoil ever spilling from his lips as he crossed and recrossed my path, marveling each time all the more at the development of the atrocity before him. A meak, little man followed him,saying, 'it's really nice' and things to that effect each time he spoke, probably so that I wouldn't leave. It was rather amusing. I did double check in office however to make sure that the container I was painting didn't belong to the offended tenant. They assured me that it did not and that he was a person not easily pleased so I let it go.
All in all it was a very enjoyable morning. I worked for about two and a half hours and will be working on the second mural, if all goes according to plan, tomorrow morning.
I have included a few of the pictures of my process above. It was my first time painting an exterior and I have to say, it was really fun! There is nothing like a giant paintbrush and a wall as an antidote to so many hours bent over highly detailed pieces.
I think the project was a great idea. What about you? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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I won't link similar posts because there aren't any yet. I am, however, linking the post I wrote last year for Aufsteierern, our local volksfestival. It took place this past weekend, and although I didn't go, I did have a media free weekend, so no post went up:
Tradition in a modern world
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