The massive mural — or is it a billboard? — being painted on the roof of a downtown building to promote the city’s relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee has generated a lot of discussion in Colorado Springs.
Some people love it.
Some people hate it.
Some people have taken a special interest in the mural.
One person in particular who has experience in painting has been following the project from the very start.
That person, who asked to remain anonymous, says the mural doesn’t match the rendering approved by City Council.
As proof, the person emailed the picture shown in this blog.
What do you think?
In fairness to the artist, who has been working feverishly to complete the mural, the artwork looked pretty nice from the air during filming of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge earlier this week.
City spokesman John Leavitt didn’t seem too concerned when he saw the picture shown in this blog.
“We are thrilled with the way the mural is turning out,” Leavitt said in an email earlier this week.
“We think the muralist has done a marvelous job applying the designer’s concept to a very challenging surface. The bottom line is that the mural communicates our pride in being the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee – that has been the goal all along,” he said.
I’ll have to admit, when I first heard about the project and saw the beginnings of it, I thought it was a waste of money. But, after seeing the project unfold, I think it looks great. The rendering looks great to me and actually in some ways looks better than the approved artwork.
Thanks for weighing in, Matt.
Can you imagine someone taking pictures of the Sistine Chapel while Michaelangelo was painting it, and asking for online, anonymous critiques? No pressure or anything…
Looks good. Your anonymous art critic has too much free time on their hands…
Yeah for all the b*tching and moaning over this project, it’s coming out very nice now. My understanding is the dimensions of the original artwork and the actual roof aren’t quite the same. Perhaps this accounts for the minor inconsisitencies?
On another note – would this “anonymous” artist have also bid on this project?
If the upper section is the actual painting, I must say t hat I prefer the artist’s rendition. Just the humble opinion of someone who has never painted anything smaller than a shed.
Ralph,
The image on top is the actual painting.
Daniel
Wow – the anonymous art critic needs to understand that it is a mural, not a photograph. It is someone’s hand painted art – there will be differences than what the initial sketch was. I am not a fan of the money the City spent on putting up the mural, but for what it is, I think the artist has done an amazing job!
“Anonymous” has too much time on their hands. I think the mural’s turning out nicely, and I can’t even imagine the time, patience, and concentration it took the artist to paint such a gigantic picture on a roof. Not to mention the grueling task of keeping it to scale. Small inconsitencies are to be expected.
I still like all of the colorful graffitti on the wall below the mural better. Couldn’t someone have painted over that so COS doesn’t look like the owner of a marginal mural on top of a whole load of graffitti??? Oh, that’s just what COS is. Nevermind.
It says: Welcome to Tackyopolis
We’re CHEAP!
Seems like a waste of money to me. isn’t there some kind of ordiance on the size of a billboard? This is nothing more than a bill board, if a private business were to paint their logo on that same building, the city would be up in arms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyvp3SB3LeA
Looks like all the billboards/barns around nowhere tourist traps. No more redneck jokes as CS is now a collection of them.
Well, that just seems a bit picky now doesn’t it. Smacks of sour grapes for some reason.
The mural perspective looks accurate enough. Anonymous is wasting his time. That said, however, it looks tacky, stupid, and is a ridiculous waste of our tax dollars. ‘Course that’s no surprise with our city counsel…
Has the city purposely overlooked something here? How ’bout REMOVING that graffiti?
You can create the nicest looking icing, but if the cake tastes bad, no one will eat it.
Just sayin’.
The Mural should have just said “Green Acres”, just like the barn roof at the beginning of the old 60′s comedy show intro.
And welcome to our backwards hillbilly cowtown.
i still thinking the overall image is a joke. no complaining on the execution – they finally got most of it completed and looking ok. but still – a bent over athlete, with his hands on his knees? screams “defeated” to me.
oval itchings…
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