Canandaigua's Common's Park Mural: Spotlight on Artist Meredith Mallwitz
Sincere gratitude to guest blogger and superb marketing strategist Debbie Smith of Intuit Marketing for Interviewing Meredith for this post!
Most of us have had the opportunity to feast our eyes on the exquisite spectacle of visual arts. Typically, we see artistic expression in its finished form and the "behind the studio doors" perspective is veiled from public view. Every artist has their own repertoire of techniques they use to set the stage for creative process, and it's interesting to get a glimpse of what factors fuel their inspiration.
A mural, especially one that is to be painted in the artist's own studio and then transported to its final destination where it will be applied to an outdoor wall, can present a unique set of challenges. Five local artists, however, explore new creative territory as they take part in this collaborative venture and contribute five separate components to the Coach Street Mural, which will soon debut in Downtown Canandaigua.
Our third feature in our Commons Park Mural (formerly referred to as Coach Street Mural) Artist Spotlight Series is Meredith Mallwitz, who is painting Jesse Hawley & the conceptualization of the Erie Canal system. Meredith gives us an inside peek at how she creates an environment for her best work and collaborating on this community project.
How did you feel when you first discovered you had been chosen to work on this project?
Meredith: I was thrilled! Working on a project that will be exhibited in the community that I live in is an honor.
How was the process painting your part of the mural differ from how you typically work?
Meredith: I'm used to working on large scale art installations, but not large scale paintings. I had to come up with a system where I essentially created a 8'x12' surface to paint on. This wasn't even large enough for my canvas, but I was able to work on it in sections.
What helps to set the tone for your best work?
Meredith: Good lighting, good air flow and good music.
Did you reach out to touch base with any of the artists for support while during this process?
Meredith: Yes, we all shared progress photos during the entire process.
Did you have a unique routine that helped to put you into a creative mindset before you worked?
Meredith: I worked on the mural mostly on the weekends. By 8am Saturday's & Sunday's I'd head to my studio with a coffee in hand, get the music going, and get right to it.
Were you able to make any creative suggestions or changes to the original sketch to make your part of the mural look more like your own style? If so, how did you do this?
Meredith: Yes, Amy and the committee were very flexible. As long as I covered the big ideas representing Jesse Hawley, his writings, New York State & the Erie Canal, I was free to arrange the composition the way I felt worked best.
How has this project influenced you?
Meredith: I regularly collaborate with other artists through my job with Anthropologie, but working on a project locally with artists from my community has been the most enjoyable & influential part of this project. My hope is that this is a stepping stone for more to come. Canandaigua and the Finger Lakes are full of incredible artists, I would love to continue collaborating.
Meredith Mallwitz is a resident of Canandaigua, an artist, and Senior Art Display Coordinator for international retailer Anthropologie, where she designs and creates interior and window displays and installations including murals. Her paintings are shown regularly in galleries around the Finger Lakes and Rochester. During the spring semester of 2011, she taught painting as an Adjunct Art Instructor at FLCC. Meredith holds an Associates Degree in Graphic Arts from FLCC, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Art Institute of Boston (AIB). While at AIB, she participated in the Mobility and Exchange Student Programs, studying art for one year at the California College of the Arts and the Scuola Lorenzo De Medici Art Institute of Florence, Italy.