And so it begins!

Here are some photos of my line drawings which will eventually be traced with paint. You can see the grid which took my dad and I a few days to complete. Each line needs to be level and precise to 12" squares. Even the tiniest mistake could be catastrophic for the drawing stage. It's all good and thank goodness for dads.

Davinci would drool!

Here's the scaffold - my second home for the next few months! It's over 30 feet high with three levels. I would like to thank Michael and Vladimir. They tailored these monkey bars to my fear of heights.

We're set to begin the mural on January 12!

This is the grid that I plan to use to transfer the composition on to the new plastered wall at St. Rose of Lima. You will notice that I have included more columns to accommodate the exact proportions of the wall (24.5x36 feet). The trinity and the existing crucifix are also included. The mural will sit over an eight foot tall faux stone wall.   

Mary of Nazareth - small colour study

This is where we have netted out on how our Mary should look like. I pray that I do her justice. Now you will notice that the Mary in the original painting looks different. Fr. Freddie and Deacon Anthony felt that her face could use a refresh since the original version seemed a little out of focus and lacking of detail even though she was the focal point of the original painting. I think this is an improvement I like to believe that Mr. Restout thinks so as well :)

What did She look like?

One of the small changes to be made to the original painting includes changing Mary's face. We wanted her facial features and expression to appear more prominent. These are just a few of the sketches – the last one was chosen for the direction we will be moving forward with.

Milan here I come!

I had the pleasure and fortune to visit my family in Italy last summer and scope out the possibility to paint a mural in Milan. My wife and I have an uncle who is a missionary priest now in Milan and head of his own parish - Sant' Angela Merici. Father Vittorio came to Canada 18 years ago to marry us and since then has become a special friend. 

I will be painting an original "Last Supper" in an eastern European iconic style - a style Vittorio has always been fond of. It will be 65 feet long by 13 feet high on canvas. It's a very simple church unlike the ornate churches found in a city like Milan. It's giant in and under with it's own theatre, soccer (football) field, recreation rooms and dormitory. Check it out http://www.americisss.it/

Unfortunately, I will not be painting it in Milan. It's impossible to get that kind of time off to paint a 3 month mural. So I will attempt to do it here at home in smaller panels of canvas which will be shipped to Milan and assembled and installed in the later part of 2015 by myself and some local assistance. My wife can't wait to join me. I mean, how can I go to Milan of all places and leave my wife at home? I don't shop but I do enjoy a great wine spritz and the fine Italian cuisine. 

Stay tuned!

Mural for St. Rose of Lima - Scarborough set to begin in January 2015!

After almost a year of preparation by the parish at St. Rose of Lima, I am set to begin a new mural with great anticipation. My previous adventure with Fr. Borean at St. Clare of Assisi parish in Woodbridge has produced fruit! Last year I had the pleasure to meet Deacon Anthony Teresi from SRofL who had seen the mural at St. Clare and was very excited to involve me in his plans to renovate and revitalize the interior of SRofL with a depiction of the Pentecost. The moment I met with him and his wife I realized how important this was not only for the community but for Anthony who had been member of the church for over 30 years. During those years he witnessed many changes aesthetically and culturally. The time had come to clean house... I mean "church".

This time around I will be painting a copy or shall we say pay tribute to an artist who I think has painted the most dramatic interpretation of the feast at Pentecost. His name is Jean II Restout (1692 - 1768) and I don't really know much more than the fact that he was of the rococo art period. A period in which painting, sculpture and architecture captured elegance, graceful movement and asymmetrical designs.

Its' going to big! I don't have exact measurements yet but it's around the 35x60 feet mark. Here is the painting that will tower behind the altar... it is called Pentecost, an oil on canvas painted in 1732.