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So back in 2009 or so, the City of Boston Public Arts Commission came up with an idea (and I don't think they were the first) to paint murals on the electrical boxes that dot our fair city. You know the ones, they are big grey and clunky and manage the traffic lights. At that time, I had submitted a design for "Stripahs".  (you can find the whole thing here: http://thepedigreeartist.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-painting-utility-box-is-gone.html ). However, Stripahs was in the middle of a reconstruction project and has since been removed and hasn't been seen since. :(

Flash forward to a time when I was on Facebook and my friend and fellow Allstonian, Brad Searles,  had posted this picture taken from his back yard:

Brad's got a thing for squirrels, and this one is a riot. I'm sure this squirrel was all over the crust of this pizza...  but what this picture said to me is the way that these critters are adapting to us. Squirrels, birds and a plethora of critters are becoming more dependent on humans as a food source. I don't think the taste for acorns will be replaced by pizza, but like every creature out there, they're not going to pass up an easy meal.  I thought this image would be perfect for a mural in my neighborhood. I do live in the city and we have all sorts of critters that live with us. Rats (obviously), birds of various kinds, squirrels, mice, raccoons, rabbits, opossums and Jason actually saw a fox once.... I think it's just a matter of time before the coyotes show up on our streets.

So, with Brad's permission, I submitted the design (shown above) for the box and was given the electrical box on the corner of Washington and Foster Streets in Brighton MA. Luckily for me I had taken some time off for my birthday and was able to work on this and get it done in less than 3 days! I think this was a personal best!

First, I went to Home Depot and purchased auto primer, which is recommended, and some cheap paint brushes and other supplies. Then I went to the box and primed it up for painting. Fortunately, it wasn't that dirty (it's the artists' responsibility to clean and prime it). Just some bird poop that I had to scrape off.....

The next day, I went and started the painting. I worked for about 3-4 hours on this day... had to quit early to get the boy to lacrosse practice.... but was able to get a lot done...

The next day, I cranked out the rest from about 11am til 6pm. I was covered in paint and sweat, but it was all worth it.

Because I get asked a lot, this was done with Golden acrylic paint and the sealer/varnish is also made by Golden and was created especially for acrylic paintings outside.... http://www.dickblick.com/products/golden-hard-msa-varnish/#itemspecs <- this is the best there is. I managed to get the varnish on before the rain came so it is now sealed, done and loved by all of Brighton!