by Tracy Ostroff
Associate Editor

Summary: Artist Eric Grohe partners with architects, designers, art commissions, and community representatives to create large-scale three-dimensional mural art that transforms façades into vivid three-dimensional environments. Grohe says he creates his art to “involve, challenge, and inspire the viewer; not simply adorn, but integrate with its architectural surroundings.”

The murals also present communities with the opportunity for renewal and revitalization. “Maybe by the third or fourth project it was clear that this is more than just a big picture. It has a lasting effect on a community, and I better be very sober about the qualities it contains and what those should be for the culture outcome.”

Grohe says his paintings connect with the architecture on many levels. “Architecture is one of those great civilizing factors. Architecture tells you about the continuum of a society with buildings . . . [communicating] in a way that shares the goals of mankind and shows us how we know ourselves. All of a sudden, here I am doing these big exterior things that have that ability to continue communication.”

The murals, Grohe notes, are important value-added solution for communities facing unattractive façades and blight. Grohe notes he uses Keim Mineral Paint for exterior work, a colorfast (over 100 years), non-toxic, “green” product. For a parking garage in Canton, Ohio, where the budget called for “a big gray thing in the middle of an area that was brick, terra cotta, and fancy stone work of an earlier era,” Grohe says he painted 25,000 square feet of brick, fancy stone and iron work, statuary, and other elements to make it a centerpiece of its corner of town.

Combining passions
Grohe, accomplished in all artistic media, was involved with mostly large-scale commissions in the 1980s when Congress cut National Endowment for the Arts funding for large-scale realistic artwork on canvas. “At that time, murals in towns were beginning to become popular. I decided I had better get one under my belt, just in case. I found the process interesting and I got to work with architecture. That was fun, because along the way I had worked for NBBJ in Seattle and another architect in New York City as a graphic designer. I got to hang out with architects and chew the fat over the latest thinking and all the greats.”

The large-scale paintings offer Grohe the opportunity to combine his passions for artistry and architecture. The artist never solicits work. “Clients see an opportunity that allows them to take advantage of a certain quality we can provide; that is, they can get large architectural looking finishes, or archways, or details,” which the client wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. “Our work doesn’t want . . . to advertise itself as clever painting, just clever enough not to be noticed, other than saying, ‘Wow, how did they do that?’” says Grohe.

Grohe’s advice for incorporating murals into design projects is familiar to architects: “Get us involved early. Advanced planning reduces costs and provides time for inspiration and design refinement.” Grohe says projects take four to six months to design and six months to a year to execute. He also points out the cost savings that result from eliminating the need for surface and finish treatment that he provides through his artwork.

Studied process
During those months in design, Grohe encourages clients to discover the essence of their desire for particular images or symbolism. Those philosophical conversations, Grohe says, most often end up in a place that is “truer or more on the mark for their desired outcome.”

Grohe uses maps and GIS to locate surfaces and sun positions, along with onsite scouting and information from local architects and photovoltaic providers. He also surveys building materials to ascertain colors and construction methods. “Every possible factor you can think of has to be considered and incorporated,” he explains. Grohe and his wife Kathy, a graphic artist who handles all the business details, experience the buildings first-hand, interview locals, and advertise in the local paper for people to come to be photographed so they can later be incorporated into the murals.

Grohe also takes his cues from the building and their surrounding context. “Of course, if it’s something we’re taking over and doing the entire exterior, we look at the gross environment—the regional styles and materials and period styles,” he says. ”There are a lot of qualities of buildings in architecture that people just feel comfortable with.” That is why, he explains, there are many archways in his work. “That’s something that people just feel good about.”

“These big exteriors dominate an area so much you have to make sure they are the right thing, for the right location, for the right purpose.” Grohe is eager to find the right fit for his values. “We wait for projects that provide us with an opportunity to do something profound. We pick projects essentially by falling in love.”