Triple Entendre is a public art / mural practice. Below are two of the most recent works by the team that I volunteer for.

Triple Entendre

  • Triple Entendre team, Karolina Piorko, Maya Kamaeva

  • Volunteer designer, researcher and painter

Rounding Long Point

Our process began with an open brainstorming session discussing landmarks, concepts and iconography the client had in mind for the general direction of the mural. Tom, who is extremely involved and attached to the Ithaca community and landscape, had a list of ideas that we helped him sift through by priority and by message in a workshop

The next stage was to dive into archives to find photo references of Ithaca and its identity. These photos became a library of ideas for drawing and developing the design.

To create a few design options for Tom, we used a design charette (a short timed exercise) to produce composition ideas quickly and efficiently, each of us choosing a different direction to explore.

Coloring is the next stage, often a very subjective and complex process. Our strategy was to use art references we thought would fit with the context (the original burgundy color of the house, the trees and the sky), extract color palettes from them and then create color passes for the composition we had in mind. These color passes were discussed in detail with Tom and a final was chosen, going for a soft approach.

To transfer the mural on the wall we relied on three methods, a projector, plotted 1:1 sheets and grids. Since the wall is unconventionally shaped, a mixture of these strategies proved to be the best way forward. For the detail, we relied on our ability to freehand.

Color matching to paint is again, very difficult as different brands, finishes and even mixing machines produce varying results. With a swatch selection process, matching to pantone colors, we collected our paint colors in two sizes for the mural.

For painting, after sanding and priming the wall, we began by blocking out major colors. To paint efficiently, the strategy was to avoid mixing at all, making sure our paint selection covered all our shades. After blocking out major areas, we start layering details and the second wash of color, to preserve longevity of the paint.

Thriving futures

Inspired by scenic locations in Ithaca, the mural depicts fantasy creatures with their own personalities taking over the landscape in soft ways, creating bonds with the community that lives together with them. We hope that this mural inspires us to think of nature as our companion rather than a force to contend with.