The Mural Man in Costa Rica
Local artist's mural project spans 73 artworks in 29 countries, uniting global communities.
When I returned home from painting eight murals, over a period of about two and a half months in the Holy Land, one of my friends said that I should be in the news. I replied, "Well, that is possibly true, but I don't know anyone."
"I do!" my friend replied. And so, we did a little networking.
You never know what to expect when you send a random email (packed with all kinds of information and photos) to somebody who gets hundreds or thousands of random email messages on a daily basis. In my experience, most of them get deleted -- most likely never even read. But, much to my surprise, I got a very positive reply from Thomas at Fox 28 in Columbus, Ohio.
It was way more than I could have expected.
His reply is here in blue.
This is great!
We would love to have you on our 9 a.m. hour sometime next month.
I know you do murals, but do you think you could maybe come in and somehow paint something small for us or incorporate some kind of cool painting activity we can do with the anchors?
We just like to try and find ways to make our segments more fun and interactive.
And of course, we will roll the photos and video you provide to us during the segment/ interview.
This would be a live 5-minute on air in-studio interview with our anchors Katie McKee and Phil Kelly.
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Like I said, the reply was more than I could have ever imagined. I've been on television in multiple countries as I painted my murals (Moldova, Albania, the Galapagos Islands, Estonia, and Nauru) but it has always been on location. This was my first invitation to visit a television studio.
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It was so interesting.
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As I was escorted to the basement of the television station, there were two main studio rooms. One room was where the news anchor desk was placed, as well as a location to stand during an interview and a green screen area for the weather forecast. The room where I waited was large enough to have four separate areas set up. There was a couch interview place, a homey office, another interview space, and a kitchen. It was fun to actually see the whole arrangement.
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The interview before mine was with a local Jazz/Funk/Soul singer. She had big blonde hair, a beautiful African gown, and a bubbling personality to match. Prior to her interview, and just before commercial break, she smiled for the camera making all kinds of bubbly expressions. It fit her personality and stage presence. It would not fit me. I seriously hoped they would not ask me to do something similar. The last thing I wanted to do was make a fool of myself on live television.
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Fortunately, I didn't have to bubble on screen.
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There were gaps of time for conversation with the hosts during commercials and as other videos ran. I heard Katie tell the singer, "Your hair is so beautiful, and it looks great on television!" When it was my turn to walk onto the set, I assured the hosts that nobody was going to talk about my hair. But, the same host said that I had on a great hat. I told her that this fedora had followed me and my murals across five continents. It's part of my fashion statement. It's actually my only fashion statement.
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The interview was live. That meant no do-overs, so I had to know what I was talking about. Very fortunately, I'd answered these questions over and over throughout my muraling experiences. I explained how I fell into this. It wasn't my own genius. The murals grew from my clipart that has been used around the world. The first mural was in Namibia where they wanted a mural at a daycare center for Aids orphans. They just didn't expect that I would actually show up in Africa to help with the project. But, that is how my community muraling around the world all started.
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For the rest of the interview, click on this link. Additionally, they included the video of my project with the Office of Palestinian Affairs and a bit about my most visible mural in Columbus, Ohio, at the NNEMAP Food Pantry.
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Click the link to see the video by the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs.
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It took about a week for me to actually see the video. I'd heard from several friends and neighbors that I didn't embarrass myself. One of my friends in Europe said, "I presented myself and what I do very well." Whew!
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The mural was completed in the week following the interview. "Mural 74" is only about 12 by 12 inches. It's a baby mural, but I'm still including it in my mural collection. It took as long to paint as a mural 6 feet by 6 feet, and it is certainly a part of my mural story! On a large mural, it's very easy for me to outline with very little touching up after the other volunteers have painted the colors. With a smaller painting, it takes a lot more precision to get everything perfect. (If you know me, you know that I have to make it perfect.) It's a whole lot of work to outline. For most of the black lines, I had to smooth them up and adjust the width of the lines by painting on both sides with whatever color was adjacent. I use a special lamp with a magnifying glass in order to accomplish that kind of perfection. It took me about three and a half days of television binge-listening. No, I didn't watch television for three and a half days, but I did a lot of listening as I painted.
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Upon completion of the mural, another trip to the Fox 28 station was necessary. I had to deliver the final artwork to my two hosts. Katie and Phil were just as gracious on my second visit, entirely off camera. They promised that there will be a treasured place for it somewhere in the Fox 28 studio. (I wouldn't want it to just be stuffed in some closet, never to be seen again and never appreciated.) Since the painting was going to the station, I also gave both of the hosts one of my children's books for their own keepsake. Hopefully, they'll find someone to read it to. And, who knows? It could lead to a second interview.
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During the live interview, Phil suggested that we paint a mural outside the studio. There was no need to ask in advance since it is always better to ask for permission than forgiveness. I really like the idea. I told them that we could paint it on panels. Then, periodically, other Columbus artists could also paint a mural for the station. Since Phil knows how to spell his name correctly, I'm also hoping he knows how to work his connections. I'd really love to put a paintbrush in his hands again.
Phil and Katie with Mural 74 and the Mural Man