robert dafford's work (robertdaffordmurals.com) takes my breath away. along the levee in vicksburg, mississippi, instead of seeing a huge concrete levee, robert dafford has turned the concrete into huge, detailed murals of the civil war, plus historical depictions of the vicksburg area.
today, i walked down from washington street to the levee below. i had read and heard about the murals since arriving in town last evening from my 85-mile bike ride starting in natchez. they were the only things i wanted to see here. now i know why.
upon reaching the bottom of the stairs leading down to the huge 15 x 20 foot murals, i noticed scaffolding in front of one of them. gallon paint cans on wooden planks sat on the scaffolding. to the side of the scaffolding sat robert dafford and his assistant, working on a mural featuring louis armstrong playing jazz in a bar.
"you have alot of paint," i wisely noted.
"we do murals all over the country. we have a seven-month project to do up north after we finish this one," he replied.
"are there very many muralists who do what you do?" i asked.
"there are five different mural companies who do this type of work. we are the only ones who do historical research, photograph the topic, sketch the exact mural, then paint it," he said.
about this time, i realize i'm dealing with a genius, perhaps the leonardo of murals. now i'm really appreciating them and him. his assistant is working on one section, too.
"how do you decide who gets to paint the big spaces of blue or brown?" i inquired.
"we work as a team. we all have our job," he said. "i'm the detail man."
"are you ever," i exclaim.
thinking i'm wearing out my welcome, plus interfering with the creative process, i said thank you and walked on.
leonardo of the mississippi, robert dafford. little did i realize i would not be able to stop thinking of the murals all day long....well, i guess i didn't think about them while i ate fried green tomatoes and fried pickles at rusty's grill down the street, but then i got right back to them.
1 comment:
I just wrote you a commment and news and it went away...oh my. I loved your comments about the artists, the trip so far! Keep safe and keep blogging when you have a chance! I've been sending you good thoughts. 5 more days w/ kids here, one more bomb threat. Taking Emilia to the Turkey Creek Festival for pony rides this afternoon 5/18. Keep safe! Love, Susie
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