Canvassing the 518 Muralist Kevin Clark

by Alan B. Richer

photos by Lawrence White

A wall generally signals that it’s time to stop and turn around. For Kevin Clark, a wall is a canvas waiting to be painted.

Clark grew up in Niskayuna, New York. As a child, he constantly sketched and doodled, doodling was how he listened. He always knew he wanted to be an artist. “It was enjoyable, it was easy, and I was good at it.”

In his senior year of high school, Clark failed an art class. His teacher explained that he failed him because Kevin was only going through the motions and not trying. This taught Clark an important lesson: “Don’t coast or rest on your laurels.”

He chose Syracuse University over traditional art schools so that he could experience the overall college atmosphere. At Syracuse, he majored in illustration, yet Clark never developed a specific style and categorizes himself as a draftsman who paints what he sees.

After graduating in 1990, Clark returned home to Niskayuna and contemplated how to make a living drawing in Upstate NY. “I started doing murals by accident, but I was not prepared for the real world upon graduation. Fortunately, a friend of mine opened a brewery. He needed stuff painted on the walls and asked me to do a logo, so it was a trial-byfire sort of thing. I never did anything before Brown’s Brewery at 417 River Street in Troy.” The murals at Brown’s include, Toast of the Hudson and Troy Pub & Uncle Sam. “That was my hardest job because I had to go up and down five stories and walk up the street a long way to get a look at it as I painted. I also had to make sure the owner’s wife, who is depicted in the Toast of the Hudson mural, looked good.”

The Brown’s Brewing mural was done all by visual art and required a shift in midstream. Uncle Sam painted in black and white is positioned behind the wheel of a boat. He was supposed to be holding a beer painted in color and toasting Kelly Brown, the wife of the owner of the brewery. Even though the groups that approved the image had not raised any concerns, it was felt this was inappropriate because of the issue of drunk driving. The image was changed to have Uncle Sam tipping his cap to Kelly.

For the Troy Music Hall at 50 Second Street, Clark got a call out of the blue. The client wanted the interior of the Hall represented on a wall next to an adjacent parking lot. Clark did a series of sketches to show the likeness and maximize the space. The mural shows a couple sitting in a sky box overlooking the stage with the pipe organ, the large chandelier, and other sky boxes in the background.

The mural is on an outside wall that measures 35 feet high and 80 feet wide. Clark drew a 3’ by 4’ image of the mural and then gridded it out on a scale whereby each inch on the drawing represented a foot on the wall. After priming the wall, he used a straightedge ruler and chalk to create a checkerboard-like grid. The grid let him know which portion of the painting needed to be painted in each of the various segments. Paint is generally easy to correct. He spent a significant portion of the day observing and correcting. “I had to paint some, then lower the lift and walk back to look at it from a distance like someone walking on the street would. It wasn’t easy working on something this big because it will never be right until you get the little details to show up from a distance.”

After the third day of painting the mural, Clark realized that he had not maintained a ten-foot margin at the bottom to etch the names of some of the major performers. The bones and the frame- work of the painting were already there. He had to shift the balcony, and little by little condense the painting into a smaller space. Twenty-nine names of prominent performers that have graced the stage including Ella Fitzgerald, Yo-Yo Ma, and Pete Seeger are etched under the mural. “Painting on a large scale seems easier for me. I don’t know why, maybe because I see things clearer, like details and contrasts. On a mural you really can’t change things around so easily, so you must make it work, get it done, and move on.”

Every mural job is an application. Some of the murals involve an open call to artists. Some concepts that Clark considered to be surefire ideas were rejected. Clark equates the application process to being a cook without knowing what the customer would like to eat. As an artist, one needs to be able to deal with rejection and disappointment.

Murals always involve time constraints. Lift rentals are normally 30 days. With the Troy Music Hall mural, the owner of the parking lot wanted to use it, and Clark’s equipment was taking up a significant portion. You always need a backup plan for the weather or in case the equipment breaks down. “The Music Hall came out well on time and on budget. It was a good ex perience that got a lot of exposure. My kids were old enough to actually see me work and appreciate what I do. That was rewarding.”

Among his other murals are the Welcome to Troy mural on a white retaining wall at the intersection of Burden Avenue and Mill Street in South Troy depicting the Burden water wheel that you see as you arrive in Troy coming off the Menands Bridge and the more recent River Street Market on the six-story Hedley Building in Troy.

There isn’t sufficient mural work to keep him employed year-round, especially with the winter weather in the Capital Region. “I do about ten murals a year on average. In this area, it’s hard to make a living just doing murals be cause they are not as much of a priority as they are in Florida or larger metropolitan areas. You need to branch out and learn other trades to get by.”

Other avenues of artistic revenue that he pursues include inside work such as faux finish painting, sponging, gold leafing, marbling, and graining (making an object look like the grain of wood). These jobs are tedious but lucrative.

Today Clark works year-round, mostly inside. Much of his work he gets from word-of-mouth or from people who observe his work. He does window paint ings for the holidays. He loves the history of the 1950s and 60s and normally paints vintage Santas. Examples are the Eldorado Bar and Manory’s Restaurant both on 4th Street in Troy. The designs come off easily with hot water and a razor.

Clark has three boys, ages 17, 13, and 7 that tie him to the Capital Region. He does, however, pursue jobs in other locations where the pay is more lucrative. For example, he does jobs on Long Island that take two to three days and subcontracts for someone who has clients in Naples and Boca Raton, Florida. These normally involve larger projects when the owners are up North. They put Clark up in a hotel and fly him home each weekend so that he can spend time with his children.

Working under the name Clark Murals Inc. (ClarkMurals.com), his work can be seen in countless homes, public institutions, and businesses in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Clark has painted logos for Siena College, RPI, and the Barcelona Restaurant in Albany. He has painted temporary billboards in Manhattan. This involves closing a street and having two people posted at each end of the street. Even though vinyl is less expensive and cheaper, hand painting shows up much better on social media. Clark painted a scene of the Vatican on the Grotto Azzura Restaurant in Little Italy in New York City.

Despite the challenges, Clark loves being an artist. He tried having a regular job and hated it. The unpredictability of being an artist and securing jobs to provide for his family gives him highs and lows. “With every project, you survive and accomplish something.”

Clark takes pride in creating something that will live. “When you do a mural like the Troy Music Hall, it lasts for decades. It’s on the shady side of the building which will keep it from fading for a long time. I get a certain satisfaction out of my work that money can’t buy.” https://clarkmurals.com/ https://www.facebook.com/clarkmurals