Nick Scrimenti – Muralist

Erin Dickerson’s Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Though this year has been tough, and our holidays will look different, Lord, we have so much to be thankful for.  We are thankful for technology and the ability to still meet with our friends and family.  We are thankful for a slower pace of life and time to connect with those near us.  We are thankful for roofs over our heads and food to nourish our bodies.  Above all Lord, we are thankful for You and this life you have blessed us with. 

Amen.

Gary Hansen was today’s host

Debe Dockins was unable to be at today’s meeting. President-Elect Gary Hansen stepped in to run today’s meeting and he did a fine job.

Announcements

Gary Hansen reported on behalf of Christy Gariety about the 2020 Adopt-a-Family program. The program was very successful. We have collected more than 40 $50 gift cards to help children in need in our schools. Thanks to all that donated to this annual fundraiser.

Kristen Marks, Essay Contest Chair, announced that there have been two essay submissions so far. She will reach out to the teachers in the schools again to get more kids interested. The winner of the essay contest receives a scholarship. The essays are due in February. Way to go becoming a committee chair Kristen! She was inducted into CNO 2/18/2020 and is already making a difference!

Social Events

The annual Holiday Party will be virtual this year. It will be on Friday, December 11, 2020 at 6:30PM. Everyone is invited and there is no cost to attend. Christian D. Larsen Awards for lifetime achievement will be awarded to members of CNO. The ugly holiday sweater contest will begin at 6:30 with prizes for originality. At 7 PM will be the Award Presentation. At 7:30, there will be a Holiday Trivia contest.

Nick Scrimenti, Muralist

Greg Griffin introduced Nick Scrimenti, an artist and muralist originally from Dayton, Ohio and now residing in Cincinnati. He holds a bachelor’s in fine arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Cincinnati.

As a classically trained painter, visual artist, and experienced muralist, Nick has significant experience translating drawn or painted imagery into large-scale public art, as well as teaching.

Nick has been an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton, Miami University, and the University of Cincinnati. He is also one of a select few artists who are part of the Winsor & Newton Artist Outreach Program. The Artists Outreach Program travels to universities and art academies, demonstrating Winsor & Newtons paints, mediums, and techniques.

Scrimenti has many notable high-profile murals he worked on including the Kroger Corporate Headquarters Mural, the Samuel Adams Brewery Mural and many more. His personal work has been exhibited throughout the country and he’s been invited as a visiting artist to many well-known art schools including The Ohio State University, Michigan University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Herron College of Art and Design, Kansas City Art Institute, University of Wisconsin, The Art Academy of Cincinnati and many others.

For the last 11 years Scrimenti has made his living by creating large scale art and teaching.

His mural and sign painting website is here. There are dozens of pictures on this site of his work.

The slide deck has a lot of great pictures of finished and in process murals. You can view the slide deck here.   

Nick credits his mural career to and continues to work with Art Works Cincinnati, a nonprofit that transforms people and places through investments in creativity. The organization provides youth, ages 14-21, with the majority from underserved households, with competitive 21st century career readiness skills through mentorship by professional artists. He instructs apprentices and they get paid.

Besides murals he also paints old fashioned style signs that are hung in front of businesses. This type of art was almost extinct, but recently has seen a resurgence. Conventional plastic and vinyl signs do not offer the human look that hand painted signs have.

Nick really likes painting large scale murals. It can be challenging since painting an 8-foot orange is very different than a 3-inch orange.

There are several steps to go from mural design to the wall. He first starts with a grid over the design and the wall. He factors in the proportions available on the target wall. His grid system usually is 4’ x 4’ squares and occasionally 2’ x 2’ squares. The initial painting is filled in with large areas of blocked color, like a coloring book.

Notable Mural Projects

• Kroger Corporate Headquarters
• Samuel Adams Brewery
• Rhinegiest Brewery
• Kenner Toy Mural
• Miami Beach Art Basel
• Aurora Indiana Mural River Stage Mural
• Hamilton, Ohio Mural
• Cobblers Apprentice Mural
• Dayton Mall (inside the mall)

Nick’s Hamilton mural was featured in the movie “Dark Waters,” and he was listed in the end credits. The movie stars Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman.

Scrimenti said, “The Kroger Mural was like his baby. It took a long time to create, but it came out great. It looks 3D and might be the largest still life ever painted.”

Scrimenti mixes his own paint out of special acrylic outdoor paint that holds up to the effects of the sun so it doesn’t fade.

Question and Answer

Q. How do you begin to price a project?

A. He starts with the square footage of the wall and then combines that with the time it has taken in the past per square foot.

Q. How long will your murals last on the side of a building?

A. If it is clean, primed, and uses the right paint, Nova Color products, it will last at least 20 years. He puts a clear coat on top of it that will extend that time and make it easier to clean. His first project was done 11 years ago, and he can’t see any changes in the color for that project.

Q. How do you apply the paint?

A. He prefers to use a brush. If there is a large giant area, he will use spray. Sometimes he can roll a large area, but most of the buildings are old and beat up, so you end up using a brush anyway.

Q. What project took the longest?

A. The Kenner Toy Mural took from June to November. The Art Works organization finds a lot of donors that give generously to allow these projects to happen.

Q. How does the weather affect your work?

A. The weather is a concern. They paint projects from the top to bottom so if it does rain, it doesn’t mess up parts that are finished. There have been some mistakes made by interns that have cost a lot of time because of rain.

Q. Do you have safety concerns?

A. Workers overheating is the primary concern. If the project is not shaded it is very uncomfortable, especially while wearing the required hard hat. Nick can easily drink 2 gallons of water in a day. He typically loses 15 pounds per summer. The scaffolding and height do not bother him.

Q. Do college students help you and receive college credit?

A. In a way. Students don’t get credit necessarily, but the job can count as a required internship.

Thank you, Nick Scrimenti, for joining the CNO meeting today to show us your work and give us a perspective of how challenging creating murals on a large scale is.

New Member Readings and Inductions

Happy Bucks

Birthdays

CNO Donations 2013 through October 2020

Click this link to see a summary of the donations our club has made.

Over the past 53 years, we donated over $2,000,000 to our youth community. In the past 6 years, we have donated nearly $712,000.

Sergeants at Arms

No Sergeants this week.

Welcome Guests!

Casey Dixon – Guest of Jeff Umbreit – WELCOME Casey!

Zoom Meeting This Week

We had another meeting using Zoom. We will continue our weekly meetings via computer, cell phone or tablet for at least the next several weeks. Please join us and keep inviting guests.

Who can Attend Zoom Meetings?

Any member of any type of Centerville Noon Optimist can attend Zoom meetings. CNO 2.0, St Leonard’s and CNO full members or CNO monthly members can ALL attend.

Guests are also welcome. Please invite guests and introduce them if you like. Just share the Zoom link with them for that week.

COVID-19 UPDATE

In keeping with social distancing requirements – our CNO Meetings have transitioned temporarily to a online format using ZOOM.

Club Member Joe Madden was inspired to rewrite The Optimist Creed – so we give you now – The Corona Creed -with apologies to Christian D. Larson, Author of The Optimist Creed.

Meeting Links

• A Replay of the ZOOM Meeting is Here
• The Meeting PowerPoint Slide Deck is Here
• Meeting Podcast (Audio Only) is Here