Bold City Con Artists

One of Old City’s more challenging projects involved painting a mural that depicts characters from The Simpsons for an event in Springfield, OR (according to Simpsons creator and native Oregonian Matt Groening, the legendary animated series was based on that town).
“The characters were so recognizable – and trademarked – that they had to be perfect for FOX and Matt Groening,” Nicolaisen recalled. “The stucco wall that we painted it on was more pitted than we’d expected, and we had to finish a day earlier than planned because city officials planned a press conference and unveiling with 3,000 in attendance.”
He continued, “With our tight schedule, skim-coating the wall wasn’t an option. We compensated for the pitted surface with extra base layers of masonry primer and topcoat to fill in and smooth out the stucco’s peaks and valleys. What would normally require a single brush stroke required several to cover the stucco surface. The team worked hard and won the battle against the stucco, and delivered a beautiful mural on time.”

https://rosamondpress.com/2015/06/04/the-monkey-block-and-queen-calafia/

https://rosamondpress.com/2012/06/21/garth-benton/

https://rosamondpress.com/2012/05/07/garth-benton-is-dead/

Historically, paint has provided the lifeblood for sign graphics. Signpainters of yore plied their trade with curdled milk, animal blood, vegetable dyes and other organic pigments (good luck passing an OSHA inspection with those materials today). During ST’s early years, commercial paints were far less homogenous than they are today. White lead (now banned), linseed oil and other additives were required to give the paint the texture, durability and sheen required to deliver an effective sign or mural. Even today, hardeners, reducers and other additives facilitate the painting process, oracclimate coatings to certain environments. So, using paint does require some knowledge of chemistry. Mixture calculations aside, the right brain drives murals’ creation. They don’t merely present a logo or brand; rather, they artistically express a mood, a place, an idea – whatever the artist wishes to bestow to the public.
Erik Nicolaisen, proprietor of Old City Artists (Portland, OR and Los Angeles), began his traditional signpainters’ education during the mid-’90s – shortly before digital printing gained its dominant foothold. His best friend’s father owned a mural-painting company, and Nicolaisen learned the business’ grunt work.
“I cleaned brushes, carried paint, precoated the wall, made patterns, applied basic lettering – whatever was required,” he said. “After I earned my fine-arts degree, my role within that company evolved. I was fortunate to receive a top-to-bottom education in the tradition of murals.”
In 2010, Nicolaisen founded his own mural-painting company, and is proud to preserve the craft: “With the proliferation of computer-designed and printed graphics, handpainted murals and traditional signage neared extinction – as did the livelihoods of the artists who painted them. We’re proud to support fine artists who don’t have to look outside their area of expertise to pay the bills.”
He continued, “Handpainted murals aren’t the solution for every job, but their vibrancy and versatility is unmatched as a design solution. Public appreciation and support for handpainted murals serves as a real marketing perk. When we’re painting in public, we draw crowds of hundreds. People look on in disbelief that we’re doing our work by hand.”
Although Nicolaisen wishes he could conduct a site survey before every project, he said Old City’s nationwide portfolio often makes it impossible. However, he said paint’s versatility reliably overcomes this hurdle: “We’ve done projects on all kind of rough or uneven surfaces – metal, tile, stone, concrete, deep stucco and others. A coat of premium-quality, industrial-grade primer provides a solid ‘blank canvas’ to which the paint will readily bond.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of people turned out Monday for the festivities as a mural honoring “The Simpsons” was unveiled in Springfield, Oregon.

On hand for the big event was actress Yeardley Smith, the voice of Bart Simpson’s sister, Lisa, on the animated sitcom.

Smith was more than happy to land on both sides of the ongoing controversy: is Oregon’s Springfield the REAL Springfield that provides the setting for “The Simpsons”?

At a news conference prior to the official ceremony, Smith told reporters, “Um, well, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but … it is true that the name Springfield was chosen because it’s the most common name for a town in the United States,” The Register-Guard reported.

Later, as Smith stood in front of the waiting crowd, she declared, “We have always said that Springfield is every town in America. But that is a dirty lie. Springfield is obviously in Oregon.”

By then she was reading from a script, but the crowd was happy.

Series creator Matt Groening grew up in Portland.

The 15-by-30 foot mural was created by artist Julius Preite, who’s been drawing the show for 17 years, and was painted by Old City Artists, the newspaper said.

The city is paying Old City Artists as much as $10,000 for the work, drawing from hotel tax revenues. Twentieth Century Fox, which will own the mural, is not charging the city for the artwork.

It shows Homer Simpson lying in a hammock enjoying a beer. His blue-haired wife, Marge, paints an image of her husband — that shows him with long, wavy hair and a chiseled body.

Above Homer is son Bart, in the process of dropping a water balloon. At bottom right is Lisa, riding her bicycle with baby Maggie on the back.

“This mural is the product of several years of work with our partners at Fox and Matt Groening,” city spokesman Niel Laudati told the crowd.