lacin/christophel

Do What You Love For Life!

2012-01-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

We are so pleased to be a part of this blog, written by Beth Nicholls of Yorkshire England, because it's all about doing what you love. We certainly love what we do and love sharing our story, so take a look at Beth's fabulous blog here!

Check us out on Rob on the Road

2012-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here we are back at one of our favorite murals (for Capital Area Development Authority) talking with Rob Stewart from KVIE about why we have chosen mural painting and design as a career.

Watch Mural Makers on PBS. See more from Rob on the Road.

Check Out Sofia in Midtown Monthly

2012-01-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Sofia is currently featured in Midtown Monthly in the "Small/Medium/Large" section (an article describing cheap, mid-range, and pricy things about town). Although her abstract paintings fall into the "large" category in the article, trust me, her work is very reasonably priced for the phenomenal quality.

Press Conference in SF!

2011-12-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a press conference in San Francisco with Assembly Woman Fiona Ma. As you can see we were talking about the three paintings Sofia and I created for the 2011 State Fair San Francisco county exhibit. The cool thing about the State Fair murals is that they are on movable panels, so they've been traveling around San Francisco since the fair. The conference was to help promote the artwork and get people excited about the possibility of displaying the panels in different locations. Right now they are looking beautiful hanging in the Civic Center. I can't wait to see where the are displayed next!

Yoga Shala

2011-12-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since Yoga Shala moved in to the beautiful space on H and 21st streets (right next to Weatherstone), they've had Sofia's stunning hand-painted sign displayed over the front door. Now finally they've been able to put up a larger sign on the side of the building, also hand crafted by the one and only Sofia. I got to watch these signs unfold as she painted them in the studio. They are an exploration in texture and pattern and are so lovely in person. There is of course a third sign on the inside of the building, but to see that beauty you have to take a class at Yoga Shala.

Three new murals for the Citrus Town Center!

2011-12-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

These three murals were inspired by old fruit crate labels, each is about 9' x 27.' We painted these right after finishing the water tank, I mean, there wasn't so much as a day between the projects. It was so much fun painting realistic subjects after that 14,000 sq. ft. abstract. And I have to say, I never thought three 9' x 37' murals could seem so small and easy.

Happy Holidays from L/C Mural & Design!

2011-12-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

Charlie Brown Christmas

2011-11-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

For any hardware needs in the month of December I highly recommend visiting the most charming hardware store in Sac, East Sac Hardware to be exact. While there you can take a look at our custom Christmas decorations throughout the store and this year's window display theme, Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Water Tank is Finished!

2011-11-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Charlie Brown Christmas at East Sac Hardware

2011-10-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Look for our Christmas display at East Sac Hardware,
going up just before Thanksgiving.

2011-09-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

For a sneak peak inside our home and some fashion inspiration a la Sofia, check out the profile of Sofia on the most fabulous local blog- bows and sparrows

CA State Fair Counties Exhibit: San Francisco

2011-08-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

This year we were asked to design three panels to be displayed in the state fair counties exhibit, celebrating San Francisco. The three topics we were given are: America's Cup returning to SF in 2013, the Giants world series victory, and the 70th anniversary of the Bay Bridge. On a personal note, my dad couldn't be prouder that I designed a mural for the Giants. Anyway, although the panels are being taken down in the next couple of days, their glory will live on as they will be installed in locations throughout San Francisco.

Our New Shady Lady Swirls, Now Professionally Photographed

2011-07-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sactown Sighting!

2011-06-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, we were excited to find this picture of us at a fashion show in Sactown Magazine for two reasons. For one, we were in good company on the page, and second, the caption says "artists Hennessy Christophel and Sofia Lacin." Emphasis on the word "artists."

Our Attempt at Giants Baseball

2011-06-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

We are working on a few paintings for the state fair county exhibit for San Francisco. How could we possibly represent San Francisco without making a painting commemorating the Giants and their world series victory. So to gather some source imagery we found ourselves at Big 5 trying on baseball uniforms and posing for pictures. I know it's a stretch to think we could make Sofie look like Brian Wilson, but at least this gave us a place to start.

Making it Rain Gold at Shady Lady

2011-05-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Since we were invited back for more muraling at Shady Lady, we took the opportunity to add a little more glitz to our original ceiling swirls by adding a few touches of gold leaf. If you've never worked with gold leaf before, it's kind of like painting with butterfly wings. You can't really breathe in the presence of gold leaf because the slightest breeze will send it floating delicately away. Basically how you use it is to first apply an adhesive to the surface you want to glamorize, then you place thinner-than-paper sheets of metal on the sticky surface and brush away any excess. Doing this on a ceiling is interesting because you get little flecs of shimmering gold fluttering down all over, everywhere. It's a beautiful process, but one best done with lots of tarps and as we learned, protective goggles.

2011-05-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

I kind of feel like we've come full circle, because Shady Lady was one of our very first gigs as a muraling team. The first time around we had to work in the middle of the night, craning our necks up to paint delicate swirls on the ceiling over a blown-glass chandelier and a bar fully stocked with premium booze. As one of our very first jobs this was...challenging. So now, about two and a half years later we got to come in during the light of day to paint a more elaborate golden swirling design on the outer soffit. And by outer soffit I mean a vertical plane, no neck craning this time.

Sofia is too modest, so I'll have to brag for her

2011-04-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Is this not the most chic/gorgeous lobby you've ever seen? In addition to the commission to paint a huge custom piece for the conference room at Radoslovich/Krogh, Sofia also sold 5 paintings to their office. Her paintings look amazing in that space; they are the perfect final touch to bring everything together.

Radoslovich/Krogh Unvieling

2011-04-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last week we moved our 19 x 6 foot painting, title "Collective," to it's new home: the main conference room at the newly remodeled law firm, Radoslovich/Krogh. These guys completely redid this space, clean white walls and super sleek, modern design.

We had to rent a 24 ft. truck to move the painting, an unnerving experience. But we got the painting there in one piece, wrapped in white paper with a gold bow. Usually we are painting in the field where everyone can see our progress and there is no sense of drama and surprise by the time we are finished. This was a different experience. This was more like, "Ta-da, I hope you like it, it's huge and orange and installed on your wall!" Honestly I expected to be nervous, but Sofia and I felt so good about the painting we really weren't worried. And it was a warm reception; everyone seemed to really enjoy the work. The size, the placement, the colors, and the energy of the painting seem to fit right in that space like it was meant to be.

Burgers & Brew in Folsom = Time for Blonde

2011-04-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

We took a little field trip this morning to Folsom to visit the site that will become the new Burgers & Brew. The site was formerly a landscaping showroom, complete with water features and a stunning garden. Can you imagine a better spot to turn into a restaurant? After visiting today I don't think I can. To capitalize on all that beautiful garden space, you can expect to find tons of outdoor seating on the patio. The interior is gorgeous too, with elegant arched doorways and windows everywhere. The plan is to bring in some stained glass and details through artwork that will convey the feeling of being in an old monastery, working with the connection between monks and brewing.

I get so excited about painting for Burgers & Brew because it means we get to paint a new version of our classic beer maiden mural. It's cliche I know, but there just isn't anything more fun to paint than a beautiful woman. So this means we are on the lookout for our latest beer maiden model, we are thinking blond this time. So far in the three existing B&B locations we have a brunette, strawberry blond, and brunette again. I think it's definitely time for blond.

Mark Your TV Calendars

2011-04-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

May 9th at 7pm Pacific Time. That's when you can see Sofia and I on the DIY network, painting a mural for an episode of Turf War. Our team was given two days, a lackluster backyard, and the goal of outdoing the neighbors. So keep an eye out for our episode, with the catchy title: Streambed That Flows vs. Vegas Fire Bowls (FYI we are on the "stream team"). Here we are with Terrence Martin, also featured in our Turf War episode, who happens to be the metal sculptor working with us on the Davis water tank project.

Urban Hive Show in 3D!

2011-04-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite moments at the Urban Hive show last Saturday was when this guy came in with 3D glasses. We passed them around and all got to experience the "trippy" effect they had on the paintings when you viewed them close up. I imagine it's something like what Sofia's paintings look like on drugs.

Diagram

2011-04-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

My grandpa used to have this dog that would run in a circle around his property until eventually the dog had created a deep groove in the dirt, his own little track. Sometimes I feel like if Sacramento had dirt roads, there would be a groove going from my house to the studio to Sofie's parents house, back to our house. On the day Sofie and I installed her work at the Urban Hive, we had to pick up the van, pick up the painting, drop off the paintings, get back to the studio, walk over the big painting...and so on. Being visual people we of course had to draw a diagram.

Sneak Peak!

2011-04-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite paintings, "Zillion," in all of its glory,
hanging at the Urban Hive gallery.

"I love it when a plan comes together"

2011-04-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went with Sofie over to the Urban Hive gallery to help hang her show for 2nd Saturday. We took a truck load of paintings over but there was this one painting that wouldn't fit in the truck. As we arranged all the paintings around the space, we started realizing that the painting that wouldn't fit was the most ideal painting to go on the big white wall that everyone will see right when they walk in the gallery. I mean, prime gallery-wall real estate. The studio is only about a mile away from the gallery so we decided to walk the painting over. It was a sunny day after all, so we walked it. We got a lot of smiles and thumbs up, but my favorite reaction was a homeless man on a bicycle to rode by and said, "I love it when a plan comes together." It just seemed to make so much sense at the time.

Sofia Lacin Showing Work in "Trifecta" Show

2011-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sofia will be showing a selection of her paintings in an upcoming show at the Urban Hive Gallery, located at 1931 H Street. The show is all about "THE TRIFECTA"-the Visual, Literary and Performing Arts. Sofia will be there amping up the visual side of things. She will be showing some super fresh paintings, and I mean not just new but "fresh." Opening Reception is on Thursday, May 7th, 6pm-8pm, or visit for 2nd Saturday, April 9th.

New Rendering of the Water Tank Design

2011-03-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Our Finished Painting for Radoslovich/Krogh

2011-03-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was really curious when Sofia came up with this design how we would go about replicating it and how it would turn out. This is the first piece we've done together that is almost purely abstract. It took many sessions of painting to get enough paint on the canvas to create interesting textures, and enough layers of paint to get the depth we were looking for. The lawyers asked for something bold; I think this heavy dose of orange ought to do the trick. I highly recommend clicking on this one for a larger view!

Getting Close

2011-03-01T09:14:00.001-08:00

3rd Phase

2011-03-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

2nd Phase of Painting: Layer by Layer

2011-03-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

We made the design for this painting using layers of abstract imagery and sort of a collage of transparent faces and shapes that we extracted from old propaganda posters. To replicate our design and achieve maximum depth, we are going in layer by layer, and building up slowly with thin, transparent coats of paint.

Huge New Piece for Law Office

2011-03-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Our latest project is a 19' x 6' canvas that will be going in a very chic, newly remodeled office. We designed the piece the way we always do, by using keywords provided by the client that describe the kind of feeling they want from the painting. The key word we used as inspiration for this piece? Stalin-esk. Stalin isn't usually who I look to for inspiration, but it is always good to work with new material. Here's a picture of our first phase of painting.

Happy Tails Mural in the News

2011-02-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Inside East Sac

The Sac Bee Online

The Sacramento Bee

Watch Our Time Lapse Video: The Making of "A Cat For Every Lap"

2011-01-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

Watch us paint the Happy Tails mural in about a minute here.

Water Tank Blog

2011-01-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

For anyone who just can't get enough info about the East Area Water Tank project, you're in luck. I have put together a whole new blog that has lots of pictures and background information about the work, I will be updating it as we move along in our process.

A Day at the Heliodon

2011-01-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

We just took our model of the water tank to experiment with it in a heliodon (device used to show you how sun will fall on a 3D object through the day/year). So cool. Our sculpture shapes need to be smoothed out a bit but we were delighted to see that our shadows drop nicely in to place in the summer months. Here's an image of how our tank will look in the summer at around 11am.

Water Tank in Action

2011-01-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a rough video of how the shadows will cast down onto the painting over the course of a day.

Happy Tails Mural is Finally Here!

2011-01-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

After months of interruptions and tracking down distinctively different people with distinctively different cats, we got together enough time and source material and spent the holidays painting. It was so much fun to paint this piece. Some days I fantasize about painting nothing but cat portraits for the rest of my life. It's a long skinny mural, so if you'd like to see the full painting you'll have to look at our website, or go to Happy Tails to adopt a pet!

Davis Trader Joe's

2010-11-30T13:06:00.001-08:00

We also recently completed all of the murals for the new Trader Joe's in Davis. You can see all seven of them by looking up Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design on facebook.

Okay, you probably think we fell of the face of the Earth by now...

2010-11-30T13:05:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time since my last post, but the fact is we've been too busy! We submitted a proposal for a public art project in Davis, and GOT IT! So now we get to paint our design on a 4 million gallon water tank, wow I know, that's a lot of painting. Our concept is all about the sun, there will be metal structures that will cast shadows onto the tank and complete the phrase SOL OMNIBUS LUCET, or in English, The Sun Shines Upon Us All.

Water Tank!!!

2010-11-30T12:52:00.001-08:00

Here's a flattened image of the water tank design. Just try to imagine it wrapped around 14,000 square feet of concrete.

Inside East Sac...again

2010-08-31T16:55:00.001-07:00

This month in Inside East Sacramento you can find a nice little article about us, check it out!

Final CADA Images

2010-07-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

We finally got a chance to get some nice finished images of our CADA mural. This one is our largest mural to date, not so easy to capture in a photograph, so I'm posting the mural in sections. The concept here is a map of Sacramento that's being brought to life with illustrations. The shadow of a hand on the leftmost section suggests the presence of the individual showing the influence one person can have, and the power of imagination.

2010-07-27T12:53:00.002-07:00

The right panel

2010-07-27T12:53:00.001-07:00

The left panel

2010-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Another view of the full mural, I just had to throw this one in because it's such a lovely shot.

Sacramento Press

2010-07-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Check out our article about the CADA mural at Sac Press

Taste of East Sacramento

2010-07-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last night Sofia showed her stuff (paintings) and our stuff (murals) at the 'Taste of East Sacramento Event'- a lovely wine and food tasting event in McKinley Park.
Her review: "I live in the best community, full of the warmest people and some of the most talented chefs! Many thanks for all of your interest in my creative practice."
What a fun way to celebrate these Sacramento summer nights.

For all the kitties out there...

2010-06-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

We've started the designing process for a new mural that will be going up at the Happy Tails Folsom Blvd location. Happy Tails is a no-kill animal shelter dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of homeless and abused animals in the Sacramento area. Sofia and I think Happy Tails is providing such a marvelous service and are so thrilled to make this our 2nd donated piece.

CADA in process

2010-06-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

CADA aka Capitol Area Development Authority

2010-06-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

So our latest project and also our largest to date, is a mural for CADA. It started as a huge beige concrete building, really a no frills kind of place. Three smooth walls, a rectangle and two perfect squares, it's the kind of blankness we dream about as muralists. They wanted a mural conveying themes very familiar to us, Sacramento community, city life, sustainability, and so on. The real challenge for us was to work with these ideas that we have to consider all the time, and create something that seems interesting and fresh.

Just a little update

2010-06-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of work that goes into making a living as self-employed artists. I thought I'd share a little tidbit about what we've been doing lately to broaden our outreach. This past week we attended a business fair in Tahoe, partly because we think it could be a good market for us, and partly because I'll find any excuse to go to Tahoe. We had some large images of our murals printed by our good friend Adam and they came out so beautifully, they really made our display.

Sac365

2010-06-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

The next time you find yourself mindlessly browsing the internet, consider stopping by Sac365, Sofie and I are the featured local artists for the month of June.

Inside East Sac and Pops in the Park

2010-06-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you remember the image we created for this summer's Pops in the Park concert series. Well if you don't, fine, just take a look at this month's cover of Inside East Sac, maybe that will jog your memory.

Yellow Cab...Finished!

2010-05-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

2010-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

For Our Latest Endeavor

2010-05-11T09:30:00.001-07:00

We've recently been working for Yellow Cab Co. of Sacramento. I never thought about the fact that these cabs go back somewhere, back to Yellow Cab headquarters. You probably never would have noticed this place even if you drove by, partly because it's made of a couple of old dreary looking buildings, and also because it's across the street from a hot pink building with neon lights. Well anyways, things have changed for Yellow Cab, they've got a whole new look with fresh murals. So next time you drive down Richards Blvd. and you see that hot pink building, try to look across the street instead.

2010-05-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a full shot of the wall in process

Chico, Now 100% Complete

2010-04-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Chico. We went to take some nice photos and to put a coating of sealant on our paintings there in Burgers & Brew and Top This. Now this is very satisfying part of the process because the sealant adds a glossy lusciousness to the paint that makes the colors look like wow, yum. Especially when you are working with a subject like chocolate fudge and caramel swirls, you really need that extra shine.

2010-04-12T10:37:00.002-07:00

Hennessy, sealing Top This

2010-04-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

2010-04-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Final Look at Cuffs

2010-03-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

After the live painting event we came back and took another look at the Cuffs mural in the light of day. Our concept, which I hope should be obvious at this point, is an interesting fabric swatch, embroidered with the Cuffs logo, pinned to the wall. During the earlier stages of the painting process we got a lot of comments about eyelashes and venus fly traps or, "Is it a blanket?" These are the kinds of questions and comments that can be troubling, but we worked through them and I hope sufficiently conveyed our message in the end.

Cuffs Live Mural Painting

2010-03-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us at our first ever live mural painting, we had a lot of fun painting and socializing (way more of the latter). I wish we could paint alongside a DJ more often, and the fact that we were bake-sale adjacent wasn't too bad either. We hope we can do an event like this again someday, I think a hot summer night would be ideal.

2010-03-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friend Barry for stopping by and taking a few photos, including this one.

LIVE PAINTING PERFORMANCE!

2010-03-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

Can you tell I'm excited about this? This is a first for us, so please come out and support us as Sofia and I paint a mural on the side of Cuffs Urban Apparel (2523 J st. Really cute boutique!) for 2nd Saturday this month, that's March 13th. If you're not already convinced, consider that there will be a dj spinning, a bake sale going on, and also artwork from a local artist displayed inside. 2nd Saturday goings on usually start around 6pm, we may be there a little earlier to set up so come by and say hello.

Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design...now on Facebook

2010-02-24T17:02:00.000-08:00

If you just can't get enough Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design, consider becoming a fan on Facebook. I can't tell you exactly why this is a good idea, as I'm new to the concept of having a business page on Facebook, but let's take this leap of faith together, and trust that it's the right thing to do.

Pops in the Park Website

2010-02-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

I noticed the other day that the Pops in the Park website has been updated for 2010, now displaying the image we created. If you've been wondering what kind of wholesome summer fun is in store for you this June, definitely check out this site http://eastsacpopsinthepark.com/#

Top This in Chico

2010-02-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

We'll be going back soon to get professional pictures, but for the time being, here's a snapshot we took of the Top This mural we recently painted in Chico. It's darker than our first Top This painting, because it has to meld with the color palette in Burgers & Brew, as the two restaurants are connected.

Sacramento Magazine Cover

2010-02-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

She's beautiful, she's talented, she's on the cover of the "People to Watch" edition of Sacramento Magazine, she's my business partner, Sofia Lacin. You can read about Sofia's life as an artist and as my partner in our mural business in Sacramento Magazine this month, pick up a copy or check out sacmag.com.

2010-02-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

The picture that runs with Sofia's article...that's me in the background, don't you just love my pants?

Me, working on the finishing details of the Burgers & Brew mural.

2010-02-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

We are back from Chico with two more murals under our belts

2010-02-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

You know what they say, practice makes perfect. That's part of the reason why painting a mural for the third Burgers & Brew location in Chico was so much fun. What I mean is, we have had the opportunity to paint three different versions now of the Burgers & Brew 'signature mural' and it's really been a fun challenge trying to top ourselves each time.

Just in case you didn't notice...

2010-02-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

...we have our new website up and running, designed and constructed by Sofia. So if you ever feel the need to see our portfolio in the form of a super classy/professional web experience, just go to http://www.lcmuralanddesign.com.

Two New Murals in Chico!

2010-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to leave for Chico this Saturday to start two new paintings in familiar territory. Anyone remember our first mural at Burgers & Brew in Sacramento? The owners are opening a new Burgers & Brew and Top This frozen yogurt (the site of our second mural in Sac) and invited us to come along to help shnaz up the place with our paintings. Last time we used a digitally enhanced picture of myself as the model for the painting, so this time we decided, to be fair, that my partner Sofia should be the face of Burgers & Brew, Chico. We will be painting these murals at lightening speed so the owners can get the place open, so we'll be posting pictures soon.

Bannon St. Shelter mural for Volunteers of America

2010-01-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

and because I love it so much, a close up of my favorite part

2010-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

Our 2009 Christmas card. Sofia's hand is the Christmas tree, outside of the shoot she looked like she had some kind of cheerful holiday skin disease. Oh and by the way those are all tiny handmade ornaments. Unwrapping the presents wasn't too fun though, since there are just little wood blocks inside, but maybe forget I said that, I don't want to ruin the magic.

See The Finished Volunteers of America Mural in Our Interview with KCRA

2009-12-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

Volunteers of America in process

2009-12-20T21:41:00.001-08:00

We've Got the Christmas Spirit with Volunteers of America

2009-12-20T21:28:00.001-08:00

Earlier this month Sofia and I got wind that a Volunteers of America shelter here in town is in the process of transitioning from an adult facility into a shelter for families. What could be better than a mural to cheer up the place and make it a lot more child friendly? Oh, and how perfect it would be, we thought, if we could get it finished just in time for Christmas. So with the help of paint donations from University Art and Sherwin Williams, we started painting last week and are well on our way.

Trader Joe's 5000 Folsom Blvd

2009-11-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

Sofia and I are so excited to have completed this mural for the East Sacramento Trader Joe's! This was definately the hardest mural to design since the space is long (78 ft.) and is broken up by 10 ft. windows, not to mention the fact that it has by far the largest audience we've dealt with so far. Painting it was amazing though, we really got this thing up at hyper-speed, section by section. We worked all night for 6 nights, kept awake by the adrenaline caused by the knowledge that hundreds of people would be analyzing it the next day.

A closer look at out Trader Joe's mural

2009-11-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

East Sacramento Hardware 50's Mural

2009-09-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

We've finished the 1950's inspired mural at East Sac Hardware. Sofia and I studied 50's era advertisements and tried to bring in some design elements that we saw repeated over and over. For instance we used a wide variety of fonts, some hand written and some typed. We also noticed in 50's ads a lot of washy, loose areas of paint interrupted by clean lines. With this in mind we decided to indicate a road with a single black line over a wash of dusty brown.

50's Mural Closeup

2009-09-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

The 'Hardware Lady'

2009-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sheree, one of the owners of East Sac Hardware, wanted a caraciture of herself as the 'hardware lady' to use for her newsletter. We started with a pencil drawing and filled her in with color on the computer. Isn't she cute?

Back to East Sacramento Hardware

2009-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sofia and I have been invited back to East Sac Hardware to paint a mural on the long blank wall that faces 48th st. Because the store was established in 1951, the owners asked for a 1950's themed mural and gave us a few vintage copies of Life magazine for inspiration. The old advertisements were easy to be inspired by because, unlike today's photographic/typed ads, just about everything was painted and many had really expressive hand written text. The design we came up with features a 1957 thunderbird and a chevy pickup that has been identified as being from sometime between 1951 and 1953, both loaded up with goods from the store. The tag line reads, "Find everything you need and more at East Sac Hardware, your local hardware store."

Roma's Pizzeria II

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You can find Roma's Pizzeria II at 8491 Folsom Blvd., and inside you can find two walls painted by Yes Murals. This scene is what you'll see just as you walk inside. The owners asked for a mural that would be warm and inviting and really highlight the magic of Italian food. Setting up the photo shoot to gather source images for this painting was really amazing. We set a table with a beautifully styled Italian feast underneath Sofia's parent's grape arbor and invited over some friends.

Me Working

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Here you can see how the two sides of this mural wrap around and work together.

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The side wall in Roma's depicts an Italian village in the area of Puglia. This particular town we painted is called Carlantino, it's the home town of Maria, the owner of the restaurant. By the way, I highly recommend visiting this mural in person because Roma's has some of the best pizza I've ever had.

East Sacramento Hardware Garden Center

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We completed this mural for East Sac Hardware's new garden center in June. Summer was the perfect time to paint a colorful flower mural because there were tons of bright blooms all over town to choose from. We chose red poppies which we liked not only for their color but for their whimsical drooping buds, and paired with them hot pink geraniums.

Sofia at work

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Garden Center Mural Continued

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Here's the garden center mural continued onto the back side of the building. We brought in more red poppies like we have on the front, and filled out the rest with one of my favorites, zinnias.

Shady Lady Finished

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Painting Shady Lady

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While we were working on Burgers and Brew and Top This, a bar down the street, also at 1409 R st, commissioned us to paint the soffit over the bar. The bar, called Shady Lady, has a 1920's style with lots of intricate details so we decided to paint this swirling golden design. The bar was already open when we started painting so we had to work between 2am and 9am when we would be out of the way. Not only did we have to work through the night but we had to work on ladders, painting above our heads, trying to avoid the massive blown glass chandelier and the full bar of expensive exotic liquors below.

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Here's the sign we designed for Top This.

Top This Frozen Yogurt

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Next door to Burgers and Brew is this frozen yogurt shop, Top This. Sofia and I took all of our own pictures for this mural which was a really a delicious experience.

Grapevine Jungle

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This mural we did for the wine section of Burgers and Brew, also at the 1409 R st location. We were a little concerned taking on the subject of grapes, a subject that has been done to death and become kind of a cliche. Our strategy was to create a scene that has a lot of movement, kind of a grapevine jungle.

Burgers and Brew, our first mural

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We completed this mural in January 2009, the first one we did in Sacramento. It's located on 1409 R st inside Burgers and Brew. When we gather images to work from we try to take as many of our own pictures as possible. I posed for the beer girl picture, and after some serious digital enhancing we came up with the image we painted from.