Extensive Portfolio

Upon entering the large commercial design firm the receptionist greeted me, asked if I was Mickey and proceeded to tell me that they had twenty-six designers on staff. Each designer was required to be present every Monday when factory reps gave presentations of new their products. My presentation was to be fit in on a Monday. This was in March and the first opening they had was in October. Ooooooo, another lesson learned.

 

Never having spoken to a large group of designers this brought up some fears. You know what I mean? On my way home I stopped at a book store and bought three books on speaking, by Dale Carnegie. In the interum I painted lots of residential projects and by the time October came around I had a much larger portfolio to show the twenty-six designers.

Broadmoor Signature Shop Hand Painted Arch

The Signature Shop is in Broadmoor Main. Items which have a Broadmoor Logo can be found there. When I was asked to design and hand paint an arch for the Signature Shop entrance I thought it would be done in the same color scheme as the arches I had painted in the Golf Clubhouse.

When I went to the site and saw the intense color of the carpet and noticed the bright colors in the Gourmet Shop adjacent to The Signature Shop I knew the colors in the arch would need to  be punched up. Below are a few photos of the entrance to the Signature Shop at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs.

Side panel of Signature Shop arch

Close-up of side panel to Signature Shop

Signature Shop Entrance

Broadmoor Arch Golf Pro Shop

After the first of the four arches was installed I was asked hand paint an arch directing guests to the Golf Pro Shop. This arch needed to coordinate to the first one but different enough to keep the room interesting. Two items to be incorporated into the design were the Pro Shop logo and a snake wrapped around a golf club. My first question was, “Do you want the snake to look realistic, cute, cartoonish?” The response, “Realistic.”

The logo was easy, it needed to be the focal point. The golf club with a snake was more challenging, only because a lot of people don’t particularly like snakes. Since this would be in a high-traffic area I wanted to find a snake whose coloring would blend into the design. So off to the library I went. 

The research I do for my projects is one of the things that keeps me interested in painting murals. It seems there is a semi-albino diamondback rattlesnake indigenous to Colorado. I painted this snake wrapped around a golf club like the stylistic club in the logo to tie it all together. The geometrical design in the first arch was then re-designed to fit this arch. They would be similar but not identical. Below are photos of this project. Have you done some interesting research for a project you’ve worked on? Tell me about it in the comment box. Take a voyage on my website for lots more mural projects, fine art, note cards and bookmarks.

Broadmoor Golf Clubhouse Entrance

My thought process in creating the first of  four hand painted archways for the Broadmoor was to create continuity between the original artwork in the Main building, which was painted in 1918, and the newly constructed areas. Many of the artists were brought to Colorado by train from New York to work when the hotel was first built, most of whom had come to the United States from Italy. 

The Dell Robbia-style arch over the elevator door in the Lobby of Main inspired my design. It incorporated the flavor of the Old West in a whimsical sort of way. There were two cherubs, the right wears an Indian headdress and was brandishing a tomahawk.

My plan was to change out the Indian headdress for a golf tam and the tomahawk for a golf club. After all, this was the Golf Clubhouse. When I discussed my plan with the architect he passed the word on and there was some concern that it would be too “cutsie”. My response was that it would be no more “cutsie” than the original and the plan was a “go”.

This arch was considerably larger than the area above the elevator in Main. The new arch was to be fifteen feet high and thirteen feet wide. The painting was done in my studio and consisted of six sections. Here are a few photos of the work in progress and the finished product.

Work in progress, design blocked out and background painted with navy blue faux finish.

Installation before final coats of varnish are applied.

Close-up of detail

Main entrance to Golf Clubhouse Lobby

The Broadmoor Resort has published a beautiful hard-cover book about the history of the Resort written by Elena Bertozzi-Villa. Under a photo of the arch I painted she writes, “The top of one of Mickey Baxter’s arches in the Golf Clubhouse lobby. Her work echoes the original paintings in the Main building while introducing elements from her own fertile imagination.”  Thank you, Elena.

Update that Resume

As a follow-up to an earlier post entitled “Be Fearless”, I did get the commission for the painting in the Birthing Operating rooms in a local hospital. Still, it amazes me the care they give to assure the comfort of their patients and staff. To learn more about this special hospital and its services read the earlier blog posting.

When approached to paint these rooms I was asked to lie on the operating tables so that I could see the areas the patient would be looking at. After doing this I realized the patient would only see the ceiling and about three feet down the walls. With all the lighting and panels on the ceiling a border on the walls seemed to be the best solution.

The design was a real joy to do because I just marked the lowest level to paint to with a few pieces of tape, decided on centers and then painted what came into my head. What a treat. The colors of the design complimented the wall color and the flowing, freehand design was soothing. Birds, bugs, and butterflies added a bit of whimsey. Click on photos to enlarge.

Entry to Operating Room

Close-up of freehand border

Brush stroke Border

Hand Painted Border in Operating Room

Freehand Border

Hand painted walls

Murals to Soothe the Soul

Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs gives such attention to detail when it comes to the comfort of their patients. The oncology area is a special place because of this attention to detail. Each room has a window with wooden blinds and a fabric covered cornice that coordinates to the bedspreads. Each room even has a monogramed pillow. The most impressive detail, to me, was the cabinetry built on each side and over the head of the bed to house most of the equipment needed to care for the critically ill patients. These rooms have the feel of a small elegant hotel room.

Patient room in the oncology unit at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs

Of course the addition of art painted onto the wall above the bed touched my heart. Painting on the wall was preferred over a framed piece of art because it would be easier to clean and less likely to collect dust.

The murals was as much for the visitors as the patients themselves. Something to enter into a conversation about or just to bring a smile to their faces.

There were twelve rooms in this area and each room had either an aspen, scrub oak or pine tree theme with birds, butterflies, dragonflies, squirrels, etc. Even the entry into the oncology area was included in this attention to detail. You can check out addition painting in hospitals on my website. Click on “murals”, then “new work”. One of my note cards was designed after painting this area of Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. You can find it by going to my website, clicking on “Shop”, “Cards”, “Nature”. The card number is 141.

Questions and comments are welcome and encouraged, just click on “comment” above or on one of the photos.

Squirrel playing in an aspen tree

 

Signage over entry to Oncology unit at Memorial Hospital