Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 20th 2007, 11:02pm By queenseyes

After posting an inquiry for ideas regarding possible mural projects in Buffalo, I was contacted by an artist by the name of Jeffrey VIncent (photo with his works of art):

J. Vincent: I love the idea of doing mural work for the beautification of Buffalo, I think it’s a great idea. I am a local artist with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute Of Art and I work in many mediums and styles. I've participated in the M.I.A. live painting demonstrations ('03-'06 ) and Rockin' @ the Knox projects, and have made some indoor murals for private clients.

Jeffrey forwarded some works from his portfolio after corresponding about the coming of winter and the window that would allow for any murals to be completed this year. It was decided that a series of fundraisers would be in order before any of the actual work was to commence. Earlier this evening we met up and hatched a plan to hopefully bring the mural project to fruition. Notes from the meeting included: The use of 'mis-tints' paints to keep the cost of the paints down, researching matching grant programs, securing scaffolding, identifying insurance risks, contacting muralists, scouting out suitable walls (both inside for winter and outside for summer), and allocating funds for continued maintenance (touch-ups).

The original post was also answered by Karen Powell, owner of The Elmwood Village Inn, who expressed an interest in hosting a fundraiser. Of course we were happy to accept her most gracious offer, which left us with the question of identifying walls around the city that are appropriate for the works of art. We are in search of building owners that would be willing to allow a mural to be painted on an exterior or interior wall. The condition for the interior would be a heavy traffic area, while we would be less concerned about traffic for an exterior if the wall met with other conditions. Sometimes an obscure wall can stand out in a bit more of an obscure area.

In the meantime, Jeffrey and I will be setting out Monday morning in search of good homes for the murals. We are also open to hearing from other muralists in the area who would be willing to participate in the project. If you have an interest, please contact the mural committee.