Other than on my website, I truly hope you will NEVER have the opportunity to see my recent efforts at Children's National Medical Center. The DREAM CLINIC is complete and it will serve to help hundreds and hundreds of children and their families as they grapple with their struggle against cancer and blood disorders. I hope you'll never see the tiger in the waiting room. I hope you'll never have the chance to find the hidden objects in the eight different treatment rooms where children go for hours to receive their chemotherapy. I hope those who are there find solace in the rainbow that hovers endlessly over the cascading waterfall in the waiting room. I hope the kids can imagine the path of the butterflies that adorn the walls. I hope that my paint, my brushes and my imagination and efforts can transport them away from the treatment and the situation - if only for a little while... Those are my hopes.
Glover Park Mural Of Charles Carroll Glover
Do YOU know your neighborhood's namesake? Now everyone in Glover Park is aware of Charles Carroll Glover thanks to this mural celebrating his efforts to help make DC the livable city that we've all come to love. Been to the Nat'l Zoo? Glover helped make it a reality. Ever seen the splendor of the National Cathedral? The first meeting to discuss such a concept was in his living room! Think Rock Creek Park is a treasure? Well, Glover lobbied congress to set aside this land for all to enjoy. Pretty incredible guy and I thought his merits should be shared with all. The mural, made possible with a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, also describes the neighborhood's vibrancy and flavor with a kid and his dog - both of which you'll see plenty of as you walk the streets of Glover Park!
God Save the Loo!
Blank walls? Check.
Cool idea? Check.
Brit reference materials? Check.
Paints? (plenty of red) Check.
Brushes? Check.
Time to Create!
Our favorite jobs have sprung from ideas originally dreamed up by the client and this one is a PRIME example. Due to the size of this powder room, the couple thought it would be fun to transform this loo into a British phone booth. Just imagine, doing your business whilst looking out on the iconic British landscape — under the supervision of a guard from Buckingham Palace, Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare (doing graffiti), and John Cleese.
Photos can't capture the sensation but, trust me, the results are fun and the client was tickled with the results. ENJOY!
"To improve the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." ~ Thoreau
And what a time it was...
Pearson's Wine and Liquor... A family owned business established in 1933 when "Doc" Eisenberg bought Pearson's Pharmacy on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, DC. At the time, alcohol was sold only by PRESCRIPTION because it was during prohibition. When booze became legal again (whew) liquor sales overtook the small neighborhood pharmacy. So Doc, and his wife Sarah, opened Pearson's Liquor Annex - the Pearson's we know of today. The drugstore is now a gas station!
Steve Silver, and his wife Rae (daughter of "Doc"), began running the store when Doc retired. I knew Doc as his caretaker would bring him by in the mornings for a short time. He could barely walk and I never heard him speak. He must have felt at home there.
One day Steve showed me a page from a magazine, he had carried it around for a while, and wondered if I could "replicate" the look of this advertisement on the facade of Pearson's. It was a challenge indeed. A large wall for me to do my thing - public art. The year was 2001. We all remember where we were on September 11, 2001... It was a beautiful morning and I was on the scaffold just doing my thing when Rae came out and thought it best that I go home. Little did I know at that time that this day would forever change all of our lives forever.
Pearson's
There was much work and planning to be done. Old signs and marques had to be removed with a crane, prime and paint the entire facade before I even got to lay a brush on the surface. Days went by and I worked on occasionally being summoned down to discuss the work at hand. I loved speaking with passersby, many my neighbors, and it enriched the entire experience. Of course, Steve and Rae were great to work with day in and day out. I got to know them so well, good, honest people running a family business - it doesn't get more real than that.
Well, here we are 13 years later, and it still stands as one of my favorite pieces that I have created. Thanks go to Steve and Rae for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do. Enjoy.
To improve the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. ~ Thoreau
Griffith Stadium Comes Back to DC!
New mural soon to be displayed on the south wall of Circle Liquors in Chevy Chase, DC.
In the late 50's Richie Cohen was a kid who loved baseball. He and his buddies would get on a streetcar in Silver Spring and ride it along Georgia Avenue to Griffith Stadium to see the Senators (who moved to Minnesota in 1961) play ball. These were days of joy. We hope to capture those memories in our new six panel mural, soon to be installed on the south side wall of Circle Liquors in Chevy Chase. We like to think that so many others will relate their own great experiences to that of Mr. Cohen's as they pass by this new landmark.
The panels are putting to use both age old hand painting as well as modern technology. After painting the six small paintings in the studio (one of which was shown on the video), they will be scanned, enlarged and then installed. We hope to keep you informed as the installation process begins.
Children's National Medical Center Circus Mural
Hospitals can be scary for adults... For kids? Really scary.My mission is to distract children while they are awaiting certain procedures. Here, at Children's National Medical Center, they can enjoy "THE BIG TOP"! They even have the ability to control the lights with a remote. My hope is to be able to say ~ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
