PREPARING THE WALL

Before the mural is painted, the wall needs to be prepared. I buy paint and rent a tall ladder. With the help of my brother Nick at the wall, I take down the old advertisements, signs, and stickers so the wall can be sanded, washed, and painted with a coat of primer. We close off the sidewalk, set up two ladders, pull out our paint rollers and extender poles, and get to painting.






    


Some people stop and ask questions, lend a hand, or offer an opinion. Lawrence Battle, a professional painter, stops by and seems to approve. Nick stays busy taking photos, painting the wall, and offering opinions.



Finally the wall has been prepared for painting. It is wonderfully clean with a bright white coat of primer. Next the wall needs to be painted with a base color.



I choose a yellow paint that matches the houses nearby and begin to paint when Lawrence Battle, a.k.a. "LB", reappears. Although he was just driving by, he decides to lend his expertise and paints the entire wall in an hour! What luck! How generous! Amazing! If anyone needs a painter, this is your guy. In fact, you can reach him at 617-365-4478. Thanks again LB!



With all the help from LB, the day goes quickly and the base color is applied. I paint the website address on the wall and plan to come back with a ladder for that upper right hand corner!