Presidents' Day weekend 2015 found me migrating north--despite the imminent record-setting blizzard--to Boston to jazz up a wall at Industry Lab, the co-working space that is home to my friend's company Ashton Instruments (and a number of other tech and creative ventures). Coming up with the design was difficult: I wanted to do something tech-ish but that wasn't just a reproduction of some gadget or component. Plus, I wanted to incorporate something personal, alluding to my friend's company, but not so specific that others in the space felt excluded or not "in on the joke." By the previous Wednesday, I had a basic layout, and by the time painting began, it (fortunately) just came together. The general motif shows the "traces" (lines) and "vias" (dots) of a printed circuit board. The larger blue section includes a map of a section of Cambridge where Ashton's co-founders met and started the company. (Sweet, right?)
This mural is one of the largest paintings I've ever done (13' x 5'). The scale of the project and the short time horizon made it impossible for me to go it alone. So, for the first time ever, I had help painting! My beloved "minions" (like these guys, but taller) kept spirits high--there's no way this project could've gotten done without them. Thanks Bill, Claire, and Emily! (Also, thank you Punjabi Dhaba, purveyor of delicious Indian food in Inman Square, for miraculously being open during a literal blizzard. Without your saag paneer, this vision may not have come to fruition.)
Photo credit: Claire Mahler
