Tuesday, October 28, 2008



It was pretty crazy the last two days so this blog will sum it all up. After the show in Toronto I had to boot it back to Columbus asap to help Paul finish the last day with the mural. So on Sunday I quickly jumped in a cab with Lewis and off to the airport we went. Lewis had to catch a flight back to Edmonton as well so the "air" was full of team Mosaic Sunday afternoon. As Lewis jumped out to get on his plane while I carried on to my terminal I quickly snapped a couple of photos. Silly me though. Lewis has been known to have Paparazzi flashbacks after he painted for Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. I completely forgot and thus I triggered this reaction below. I guess he recovered in time to check in though.( didn't use a flash so that helped)
I got back to Columbus looking forward to talk mural to the masses for the last few hours of Congress but I ARRIVED LATE at 4:30 Ohio time (I was late because my pilot couldn't remember where he had parked his plane and apparently was wandering the airport in Toronto for an hour dangling his his plane keys and pacing aimlessly). Turns out though...the Congress ended at 2 p.m. so it was over before I even got onto my plane. So as it turns out...I arrived in time to began the long task of putting the mural away. So Paul picked me up at the airport and off we went...a long night was ahead.
Here is a little video to commemorate the end of the Ohio tour...It was kind of a day of combined relief and sadness. But a day to treasure great memories...24 days in Columbus....




After we tore down we got back to the hotel late Sunday a.m. and then spent the day Monday running around like mad to get the mural shipped to the next location...LAS VEGAS!!!! Hopefully we will meet the mural there in December. Its always a little nerve racking shipping a giant mural...you know it should be fine but its not replaceable so there is always a knot in the stomach until you see your baby again.
I am here at home now and the process begins to prepare for Las Vegas and our other murals that we are about the begin.

On a final note, I have to say, that as beautiful as the mural is...the most beauty I find in all of this is what is brought to us through the artists. I was flying home last night thinking how fast time actually went. I sat there and recalled the moments...meeting artists like Jennifer Trottier, Anne Dysinger, Pat Getha, Cindy Bryden, Delia Pacheco, Mary Singer and Leslie Zantow and hearing all their stories and making new friends. To me as great as the paintings are its even greater to meet the people behind them and really see the beauty of the project. I am so lucky because I get to meet all these great people. Calgary was an unbelievable testimony to that as well.

Now the new adventure arises in one month. I have already heard that I will be seeing Michelle Grant again (yay!) and Sue Kroll is coming out so I look VERY forward to meeting Sue for the first time. Hopefully we will continue to meet more and more of you and you all get to see the mural at some point.

I'll keep writing if you all want to keep reading even though the tour in Ohio has ended. There is always new things to report so keep checking here. Now back to the grind of the office as we will be shipping artists their prints of the mural over the next week or so now that we are off the road...yikes...no rest for the wicked ha!

TOMORROW...I will have a surprise....memories of Ohio!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Thanks for the pics of taking it back down and packing it up. Assemblies and coordination always ingrigue me more rather than just seeing the final product, I love to see how it is done behind the scenes.

Please continue to write about everything in regards to this mural and other murals as well. Can't wait for the next one (marine)to begin. Will it be travelling after its unveiling or remain in one place?

Let me know if there is anything I may be able to do for Le Cadeau when it arrives in Vegas, I am only 2 hours away.

Sue Kroll, #188

delia said...

Oh my gosh Phil I was so excited seeing you pack my panel (#182)!
amazingly, I designed a crate almost identical, but with wheels...
yes keep on posting and we will keep on reading.
bet you are glad to be home, and hope that the burgler took nothing, eh? I know the feeling...
My hubby wants to go to Vegas...we will see.