Summer lovin’, happened so fast… Quirk Gallery continues their Lawn Chair Movie Series this Saturday, September 27 with an outdoor screening of Grease, but this month there’s an exciting addition—-the movie will be shown on the gallery’s new mural.
Summer lovin’, happened so fast… Quirk Gallery continues their Lawn Chair Movie Series this Saturday, September 27 with an outdoor screening of Grease, but this month there’s an exciting addition—-the movie will be shown on the gallery’s new mural.
Local artists Hamilton Glass, Ed Trask, Mickael Broth, Matt Lively, Chris Milk, and Andre Shank completed this large-scale outdoor painting with the help of Newport News artist Hampton Boyer and corporate volunteers with Hands On Greater Richmond. The mural was painted as part of this month’s Fall Line Fest.
The artwork itself is a huge, lively depiction of a wide assortment of animals, done mostly in shades of blue. Artist Hamilton Glass said, “The common theme was animals that are indigenous to Virginia.” He laughs. “And then it kind of went off on a tangent.” The piece is replete with delightful, albeit unrealistic, details—a mouse riding a bicycle, a pink polka dotted bird, a stylized crab.
Glass says that although each artist involved with the project has his own distinct style, per Quirk’s request, they did not paint seven individual murals. He explains, “That whole alley is an event space for Quirk…so we, the artists, wanted to make sure [the artwork] was seamless.” Glass says the muralists worked together to make sure the different stylistic elements complemented each other and produced a unified whole.
He says, “It became like a paint session—things going over one another and overlapping, kind of like a wallpaper, where we had to talk to each other to make sure everything was filled in and make sure everything was fluid.”
With the Lawn Chair Movie Series taken into consideration, the new mural incorporates a large rectangle painted white—an outdoor movie screen.
Saturday’s showing of Grease will occur in this newly completed space with doors opening at 7 pm. Quirk’s Adam Dorland says, “[The Lawn Chair Movie Series] is designed to bring people down to Broad Street to hang out in this area outside of a First Friday.”
Moviegoers are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Attendees are also encouraged to dress in Grease-themed costumes (Gents, time to bust out that hair gel!) and Verdalina is providing the prize for the best or most creative costume.
Music and entertainment will be provided by Black Iris and Steady Sounds, and snacks and refreshments will be available courtesy of 1708 Gallery and Lift Coffee. In the case of inclement weather, the movie will be shown inside Quirk. The last Lawn Chair Movie Series event will be held on October 25, when the gallery will show the film Clue.
