THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508130098
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
SINCE JULY 24, artists Clayton Singleton and Danny Brown have spent most of their time on a ladder in the sweltering sun painting barefoot musicians wading in cool, cool water.
The two volunteered their labors to make Hope House Foundation Thrift Shop at 1800 Monticello Ave. in Norfolk a more vibrant spot. As it has developed over three weeks, the mural scrolls across the facade along Monticello and turns a corner onto 18th Street.
Brown painted the ocean and sky and sea creatures. Singleton - whose art goes on view today at Alive Art Studio in downtown Norfolk - painted all the figures, including a pianist, cellist, drummer (based on Brown), saxman, harpist and trumpeter.
Brown, 27, was accustomed to painting before an audience. Since 1990, he has made murals for friends' homes and businesses in Virginia Beach. He also works as a cook at The Happy Clam, a Virginia Beach restaurant.
For Singleton, 25, it was a new deal. The attention from the media and from passers-by was strange to him. ``It's a weird thing - isn't it, Danny? I could not be a superstar. That would warp me. I'd be toast.''
Early on, when a television crew arrived to interview the painters, people waiting at a nearby bus stop broke out in applause. People in cars waved and yelled and honked as they passed.
They'd holler ``Lookin' good!'' and give the thumbs-up sign.
``Folks really came out and, for some reason, seemed so proud that we were out there doing it,'' said Singleton, mildly perplexed.
It became a community event. An employee at a fast-food restaurant across the street came over one day with a pressing issue: ``Are you going to put any birds up there?''
Then, every day she'd come by, asking about birds. So Brown painted in a lone bird sailing over the waves, just for her.
Singleton's not really so shy. As an art teacher at the Norfolk elementary schools of Bowling Park and Ingleside, the Norfolk native who grew up in Park Place is appreciated for his outgoing, upbeat ways.
No matter how gregarious the artist, the artmaking process is primarily a private act.
The way Singleton approached his figures was akin to his development as a painter: He started with a plan and a sketch, then abandoned it in favor of spontaneity.
``We just kinda winged it,'' Singleton said, humorously. ``Every day we'd just sit back and decide which figures to put where. Then we just kinda drew 'em up there. We were comfortable doing our particular thing.
``We wanted it to have a flow. Whatever happens, happens.''
``Yes,'' said Brown, whose manner is serene, ``it should be free.''
The scale change wasn't so hard for Singleton. ``It was the brick that got on my nerves.'' The porous texture of the brick surface made it real hard to make a smooth brush stroke. When it finally came to putting in the shadows and highlights, Singleton let the brush float over the top, creating a textural line rather than a clean one.
For durability, the duo used a latex exterior house paint, donated by Norfolk Paint Company. The latex paint is thinner and runnier than acrylic paint made for art; it also dries quickly, which sometimes was a problem.
Just try blending latex paint to create skin tones.
Singleton remembers being perched high on the ladder with two small cans of paint in the crook of his left arm - one full of red paint, the other with white. Going back and forth between the two cans, he was trying to paint the saxman's red shirt with white highlights.
It was right out of a Charlie Chaplin routine. He'd lay down some red, then dip his brush into the white paint to blend in. But the red would already be dry. So he'd have to add some more red.
Then there were the times they painted upside down. Because their ladder wasn't tall enough, they had to climb on the roof and paint the sky, well, from upside down.
So, why did they mix the ocean and music?
For Singleton, who studied cello as a youngster, ``music is a constant thing. It's just a part of me. And it's like the ocean.
``I don't care who you are, or where you're from, I haven't met one person who has gone to a coast and not gotten into the water. Music is the same way. Every culture has music. It's just a part of being human.
``And I'm a humanist.''
Singleton's paintings on canvas are featured in a show opening today at Alive Art Studio, 737 Granby St., Norfolk. The artist will attend the free, public reception, from 3 to 6 p.m. He shares the gallery with Norfolk artist Jerome White, who shows paintings and drawings.
Singleton will exhibit works from his recent series, ``My Family, My Life,'' based on family snapshots, plus a few new self-portraits.
Singleton has taken a unique approach. ``I always feel a portrait is not a picture of someone's face, but what they're about.''
The Alive Art show continues through Aug. 31. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. 622-7645. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
The painting of a mural at the Hope House Foundation Thrift Shop by
Clayton Singleton and Danny Brown became a community event.
by CNB