Last week saw the culmination of a six-month project for me and my staff. We finally saw the installation of the 3-D pop art mural NY IS….THE WIND BENEATH OUR WINGS in the American Airlines Terminal at JFK International Airport. What a process! It all started more than a year ago when I unveiled my first artwork for the Terminal, a 40” x 50” original of the poster artwork I created called American Airlines: A Legacy of Service to New York City. I was at the unveiling with my good friend Joann Camuti and we started talking about other ways my work could be utilized to decorate the terminal. Well, admittedly, I’ve gone a little bit wild since then, installing six more pieces and I have a few more on the way. But the centerpiece of the project was this 13’ x 11’ mural we installed last week.
This was, by far, the largest work I’ve ever completed and at first, I was stumped about how I was going to pull it off. My staff and I spent weeks brainstorming the project, figuring out all of the details of how we were going to create this massive 3-D work. It ended up being done in 3 separate panels, each one cut, assembled, and embellished by hand in my new working art studio. Each cut out piece had to be molded, coated, cut, and fit to size. Then we applied all of the Swarovski Crystals and built the mobile elements out of paper and hanging wire.
The installation itself was quite a project…a cherry picker, three installers, and two artists. I can’t say enough “thank you’s” to Joe Daley, Elizabeth Arena and their staff!! Because of the way the panels were situated, we actually had to apply some of the 3-D elements while the panels were being installed so we could position them properly to cover the creases between them. The installation took two full days to complete. We are currently putting a video together to show you the process in more detail. I hope to have that ready to post next week. In the meantime, if you happen to be flying American Airlines through JFK International Airport, take a look for my mural…..and let me know what you think. It’s above the stairs going down to the baggage claim area! Enjoy!
–Charles
