Sponsored by Shurtape Technologies, LLC. , The United Arts Council. and numerous donors.  The Hickory Museum of Art hosted internationally acclaimed North Carolina resident and artist, Brenda Mauney Councill, for several months while she paints and brings to life a large-scale mural
in the Coe Gallery of the Museum.  Visitors and will have the opportunity to witness the entire progression of Ms. Councill’s unique and intimate idea blossom into a larger-than-life series of images on a canvas approximately twelve feet wide by twenty feet tall. Throughout the process, organized workshops, programs, tours, and casual conversations with the artist will introduce viewers to the fundamentals  and  challenges of painting large-scale murals; drawing and composition, perspective and vantage points, mixing of paint and selection of mural paint, translation of images from miniature to monumental.

“As a proud supporter of Brenda Councill, we are pleased that she will be using our FrogTape® and Shurtape® Blue Painter’s tape to assist in the creation of her upcoming mural. We are honored that after its showcase at the Hickory Museum of Art, the mural’s permanent home will be in our new corporate office.” – Stephen Shuford, CEO Shurtape Technologies, LLC

Closing Event “ A Mural in the Making ”  United Arts Council, Hickory Museum and private sponsor Stephen Shuford, Ceo, Shurtape Technologies, LLC. and Artist Brenda Councill

Shurtape Mural: The site specific commission was originally completed as part of a grant from the United Arts Council within Museum walls. The mural was transported to the Global corporate offices of Shurtape Technologies and was completed on a single piece of prepared muslin and then cut out and polystyrene forms were added to increase the dimensional aspect of the piece.

“The Shurtape line of products inspired the variety of color, pattern and geometrics in this large scale mural. The visual of the actual linear application, (tape adhered to surface) and the circular shape of the tape rolls allowed for an abstract and vividly lively interpretation.  The base blocks of color imitate the trademark colors of the adhesive tapes I personally use in my work, namely Frogtape, and Shur-release Blue.  I chose to render in a highly dimensional framework so the mural would be “released” from the planar surface and engage the viewer.   The brand of Duck Tape is represented with varieties of the expanding retail product designs. The industrial brands are highlighted in neutral grays with light and shadow and “unencumbered” alluding to creative uses of this utilitarian product.  The open and infinite sky is symbolic of the continued research and development  allowing for an expanding and endless product line. “ – Brenda Councill 2012

“I have awarded Brenda Councill several important commissions that will inspire on a grand scale. Visitors to these Great Halls of Learning and higher Education facilities will enjoy her work for many generations to come!” –  Irwin Belk,Philanthropist, State Senator,ret., UN Ambassador

“Education is a timeless constant that distinguishes humankind across all cultures and all countries – it has been pursued throughout history and will be pursued as long as we exist,” explains Ms. Councill.  “My objective is to use the communicative language of symbols to open a conversation with viewers about the value, meaning, and inspiration of gaining knowledge.”

Painting on a ceiling is a unique challenge with little room for error.  It requires considerable and careful planning throughout, from multiple advance sketches to difficult and detailed work done atop scaffolding while standing or lying high above the ground.

“The College of Education is a landmark building for our campus and it deserves a distinctive artistic signature that visitors can enjoy today as well as for generations to come,” says Dr. Charles Duke, dean of the Reich College of Education.  “This ceiling mural certainly adds an important and distinctive dimension to the interior environment.”

Dedication of the Core Laboratory Building and Dome -2010

David H. Murdock commissioned the largest painted dome in the southeast to crown the multi billion dollar building within the North Carolina Research Campus.

Martha Stewart climbed 100 feet to meet the artist and exclaimed “Brenda Councill is Michelle-angelo!”

“I selected Brenda Councill and her team after a world wide search. She exceeded my demanding expectations and visitors to my 80,000.sq ft. Core Laboratory building are immediately awestruck and I am very proud.” – David H. Murdock, owner Dole Foods, Inc. Chairman of the Board, CEO, Castle and Cooke, Inc. – commenting on the largest painted dome in the southeast, Kannapolis, NC

The fruits and vegetables theme befits Murdock, who owns Dole Food Co. and whose campus is focusing on health and nutrition. Councill’s “canvas” stretches 22 feet high, and the total painted surface covers 2,511 feet. She is working with Thibault Tosseram, an Atlanta artist originally from Paris.

Councill said her biggest challenge is pleasing Murdock, a hands-on presence overseeing the work he commissioned.

He didn’t want pictures of sliced fruit. They needed to look like how people would buy them in the market. Murdock also insisted on fruits and vegetables that would be studied by campus scientists. And he approved the final design, which was by architect Arnold Savrann with Murdock’s development company, Castle and Cooke.  Lynne Scott Safrit, the campus project manager, said Murdock wanted the mural to reflect his belief that fruits and vegetables can change people’s lives.

Some of the representations on the mural include a pineapple 23 feet long and blueberries a foot tall, near an 11-foot head of lettuce.  The style is called hyperrealism, in which objects are rendered in a very lifelike, realistic fashion. The perspective had to be changed on some of the drawings, however, to account for the contours in the dome. It’s an optical illusion that will be corrected in the mind’s eye when people look at the mural, Councill said.

See on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 2009

Wit and Wisdom Gallery Talk- Sponsored by The Hickory Museum of Art

The evening opens with refreshments and time of networking/socializing. Then enjoy a program by muralist Brenda Councill, who will discuss her current exhibition, A Mural in the Making, and being a woman artist. Presented by the Women’s Resource Center.