Into The Paint with Phil Alain.

Welcome to Into The Paint with Phil Alain of the Mural Mosaic.  Phil Alain is one of the co-founders of the Mural Mosaic team, which has quickly become an internationally known phenomenon.  Join us for a one on one interview to find out how one small team has created something special for several communities.

(I.M) How did the Mural Mosaic project find it’s beginning?

(P.A) In 1999 Lewis Lavoie created his first ever mural mosaic. He painted over 100 images that when combined together created the face of David from the famous Michelangelo sculpture. The mural was only about 8 feet high and sat looking out over a river in the City of St. Albert Alberta Canada. One day Lewis showed the mural to me in the year of 2003.

I had spent the past 6 years creating art events with large groups of artists, and posed the question to Lewis of possibly creating one of his murals using many different artists? He took the idea one step further and decided to do it where he did not tell the artists what the big picture would be, so he would not lead them in their artistic creation.  He did this so they would have more freedom to paint whatever they wanted. In 2004 we created our first mural using 72 artists over a 24 hour span. The artists set up easels around a giant grid on the floor of one of the world’s largest shopping malls- West Edmonton Mall.

It was like a symphony of art. TV cameras clamored to cover the creation of the mural. After the first 14 hours of painting the mural looked like a failure. We feared we would have “egg on our face” as the TV cameras would see that all we managed to create was a collage of art. Nothing spectacular at all. Then at about the 16 hour mark the mural began to take shape and the excitement grew! The Fiddler came to life!!!

For additional video coverage from CTV click here.

(I.M) How do you implement your Murals into community projects?

(P.A) Our murals are implemented into community projects in various ways, but the beauty of them is that as opposed to most communities who choose one artist to create a mural to represent their community, we are able to truly represent communities by having hundreds from the community combine together to give a true pulse of the artistic network, while also including others in the murals like mayors, local celebrities and others.

(I.M) When working with Lewis Lavoie, do either of you have any idea how your projects will look completed, and how do you determine the planned size of your finished works?

(P.A) All our murals are pre-determined in size before we start, so we know it will fit the venue it will be permanently housed in. We have hopes as to what the mural will look like, but because we have no idea what the artists will paint, it is always a mystery to us how it will turn out in the end. We do have a master image we hope to create though.

(I.M) Currently you are working on a project called King of Kings, can you share anything about the direction and goal?

(P.A) This mural will be a very powerful mural. The mural will showcase many of the world’s leaders that have shaped the world since the beginning of documented time. The mural is controversial in some ways as it will hi-light good leaders and bad leaders.

To avoid the evil rulers of history would be safe but unfortunately many of the world’s most evil rulers caused dramatic shifts in the way the world looked and can not be avoided.

We have received hundreds of letters of support for this project, and have also had emails of anger over who has been painted into the mural, and who may end up in the mural before it is complete. We receive emails daily requesting certain leaders be added. It has been a very exciting project.

(I.M) How many artists collectively does your team work with on any given project?

(P.A) Every mural is different. We have done murals using as many as 270 artists ranging all the way to a mural which lewis painted entirely on his own called Adam click here. We have used artists from small networks like the town of Cochrane and the City of St. Albert and we have created murals using artists from all around the world- Like the mural the HORSE GIFT.

(I.M) As an artist, how long have you been active in visual arts?

(P.A) Lewis and I have been artists since we were kids. We both won awards frequently in high school, and coincidentally met at a street festival where we were both exhibiting our work at the same time. We had been fans of each others work for years and although we lived within 5 minutes of each other had never met. From that day forward in 1999 we began creating art projects together uniting the arts in many unique ways.

(I.M) How many Murals has your team completed so far, and where can they be seen?

(P.A) We have completed 12 official murals as well as many smaller mural projects for schools around our local area. Our most popular mural on the internet thus far seems to be the mural that is in the town of Cochrane Alberta Canada.

Our biggest mural using the most artists is the Buffalo Twins which is in Lloydminster, AB Canada. The mural Heroes – a tribute to war veterans is located in Calgary Alberta Canada. The mural What Inspires a Child is in St. Albert AB Canada. The murals THE HORSE GIFT and ADAM are touring murals.

Earths Treasure Chest – The Wildlife Ark and the Heritage Fiddler were both sold off one square at a time as fundraisers. Our most recent mural KUNAMOKST will be unveiled in 2010.

(I.M) What is the process of collecting and assembling pieces of your Murals?

(P.A) Every project once again is different. Thanks to the internet we are able to locate artists on line, email them instructional videos and then we ship them panels which they in turn paint and ship back to us. However some projects we create with the artists right on site working with us.

(I.M) What is the process of choosing artists to be a part of your projects?

(P.A) Every project varies. Sometimes its region specific, sometimes its theme specific artists it really depends.

(I.M) What can you share about your current project The eye of the whale?

(P.A) This mural is very exciting. It will showcase some of the finest west coasts artists out there. It probably will most likely be the mural which we have the highest profile artists we have ever had involved in one single mural. The Horse Gift would be a close second.

(I.M) How many artists came together to complete your past project Adam?

(P.A) Adam was done completely by Lewis Lavoie. 20 Live paintings done on stage. The video online represents that.

(I.M) You retail How To books on www.MuralMosaic.com, Were these designed and written by your team?

(P.A) The how too books actually let people build our murals much like we do, in their own homes. The books have become a great way to promote the artists in the murals while creating incredibly fun art projects that can be hung in schools, seniors homes, churches, home residences and more.

(I.M) What is the key operation of your ongoing project called Night of Artists www.nightofartists.com ?

(P.A) Night of Artists has been in existence for 13 years and was developed to promote all forms of art through one unified setting. It is a smorgasbord for the senses, and helps musicians, artists, writers, dancers, and more promote their chosen art form to a wider audience.

(I.M) Does your team travel a lot for the creation of Murals?

(P.A) We do travel more and more. Its hard as Lewis has a family, and we have many requirements at home that makes it challenging. Our website averages 20-40 thousand visitors daily though, so we do get request from all around the world to come to their country.

(I.M) How many Murals get completed each year?

(P.A) Probably at best 2 murals can be done in a year. And thats extremely exhausting.

(I.M) Are your projects well received within the many communities you work in?

(P.A) The murals have become tourist attractions in all the communities and the pride in them is HUGE.

(I.M) In 2007 you attended the Leonard Cohen Festival Art Exhibit at the Edmonton City Hall, how was your performance and project received?

(P.A) That was an exhibit put forth through Night of Artists. It was a collaboration of artists painting images based on Leonard Cohen songs. It was very well received to my knowledge.

(I.M) As an artist what got you involved with the visual arts, who do you accredit as your inspirations?

(P.A) My greatest inspiration was my grade 8 teacher who saw I had a talent and encouraged me to continue to paint and enter art contests. My family was also very supportive. Without them I would have never had the strength to overcome the obstacles I have faced as a producer and an artist.

(I.M) Will there be any projects going on in 2010, and if so where?

(P.A) In 2010 we are unveiling our mural KUNAMOKST hopefully in Vancouver while the 2010 Olympics is in progress. Also we are creating a mural to Unite The United States by combining 5 artists from every single state into a powerful FREEDOM project for the state of UTAH, to be unveiled in South Jordan City.

To keep up to date on the Mural Mosaic’s current or future activities, or to sign up for e-news letters visit these websites.

Mural Mosaic www.MuralMosaic.com

Night of Artists www.NightofArtists.com

Phil Alain Art Studio www.philalain.com

Mural Mosaic Blog http://philalain.blogspot.com

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