Constructing the First Mural

January 18, 1998

This is an image of me installing the biggest artwork I have ever attempted to complete. The original template measured twenty one by ten feet. I always make my cartoon approximately 20 percent larger than the installation site. The site is 19.4 X 9 feet. The story accompanying this work will make even a seasoned artist wince. I created a drawing in July of 1998 of three dolphins. The drawing was given a green light by the Harbor Commission and by both of my graduate professors. The next step was to paint a cartoon on a sheet of plywood constructed to be site specific, 21 X 10 feet. My professors made comments about the foreshortening of the third dolphin in the cartoon when I was finished but did not say anything conclusive about the composition, so I went ahead with the project.

Michel Peterson The Ventura Harbor Village Ceramic Mural Project is a collaboration on a grand scale and has to date surpassed all expectations of success. The most important factor is that the visitors who come to the harbor enjoy the artwork, perhaps, much in the same way as the early Greeks who strolled through their city centers surrounded by picturesque mosaics. On the surface of things it might appear as if ceramic tile mosaics lack a deep intellectual context, however, a deeper study of this ceramic mural project will show that just the act of public art itself could never occur without abundant intellectual preparation. Public artwork has deep and fibrous roots and no part of the organism is separate and autonomous not even the "Artist" who, like the blossom of a plant, takes the credit at the end. In some aspects working in a public forum is a sort of artistic death because the process supercedes the initial artistic inspiration. It is only when art survives process and when process takes on the guise of art that the artwork takes on a life of its own. This pilot studio art project has the potential to open up a new forum for graduates to access and work within the public sector. The City of Ventura is keeping a very close eye on the development and future possibilities of this project. On a personal level I can honestly say that this project has given me, for the first time in my career, the possibility of working within a social context. This is undoubtedly the most significant aspect of the whole experience. My work has meaning for other people, and I just cannot describe how that feels.

I made the cartoon into a ceramic mural after doing twenty individual tests on a new series of crystal glazes. Each test required some 36 hours to complete. The mural took about eight weeks of continuous work and cost me personally over two thousand dollars to complete. That does not include an hourly wage. To cut this story short, Tom McMillin, the head of my graduate committee and I both had major problems with the mural so it was scrapped on December 12. I immediately started the process over. I created another cartoon because the entire composition had to be recreated. For another eight weeks I slaved over the remake of the dolphin mural with only two dolphins. On a rainy day in mid January Tom McMillin and David Elder gave me the okay to mount the two dolphins. I was over two thousand dollars in debt and completely devastated by the workload. My nerves were and are shot. I have been installing the tile for the last five weeks and am at this time remaking about a hundred new tiles to replace broken and irregular tiles

On a lighter note the visitors absolutely love these dolphins. I had a woman in tears the other day, she was so moved by the process of the mural creation. Had I been constructing this in the public sector I would have failed to meet deadlines and additional costs. I am certainly not experienced enough to take on extensive jobs of this nature without the support of the CSUN art department.

February 13, 1999

This is a close up of one of the dolphins mentioned on the two previous pages. This dolphin has a playful turn to it and is a quarter of an inch higher than the surrounding tile. Originally I was going to place the dolphin tiles on additional wonder board one and a half inches above the surrounding tile, however, after all the other problems I decided to stay within a format I understood. I hope to finish this mural within the next thirty days.

February 16, 1999

This is an image of the present state of my dolphin mural. I have remade the missing tiles. Because I am in truth a novice I found myself with numerous gaps in the mural. Also I had quite a few tiles which did not survive the high fire. I think that I have partially understood my mistakes. I think that I have to slow down and take more time at the many critical junctures of this process. However, the movement and color fill me with a sense of accomplishment. This site is the most prominent in the entire village so the stress to complete it is upon me. The wall was sandblasted last Thanksgiving so the site looked awful over the Christmas holidays, but the Village personal are very understanding about it. However, I am sure they will all feel a tremendous sense of relief when the mural is finally cleaned and sealed.