S'il vous plaît visitez http://www.MarcioMelo.com/Murales.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
St-Foy Elementary School
Les écoles Albatros et Des Roseraies
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Parkview Elementary School 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Carlyle Elementary School. 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Birchwood Elementary School 2012
From April the 23rd to the 27th, 2012 I worked on a mural project at Birchwood Elementary School in St-Lazare, Quebec.
It was a five day project and we had close to three hundred participants. Working in collaboration with art teacher Erin Wainwright made all of this possible. As well, we had the help of very motivated teachers and parents. Even the Principal, Mme. C ,took part in it, painting the leaves of the birch tree in one of the panels.
The theme of the project was “The Four Seasons” and the students really impressed me with their sketches, depicting events and activities that took place in each of them.
We created a series of squares for the students to place their drawings and above them all, one can see scenes containing elements of the four seasons.
On each of these panels stands the birch tree with different colour leaves for each season.
Given the difficulty to obtain permission from all the participants to be filmed, I approached the teachers and parents and suggested that I could make a video with them painting and dancing instead. They agreed to the idea and the result is what you can see on this video.
I was very touched by their enthusiasm. In spite of their tight schedule they were able to spare me some time at the end of their busy day to paint, dance and celebrate the creation of the mural.
I realized the four seasons drawings were a perfect metaphor to evoke “Just a day out of life"” as stated in the lyrics of Holiday, the song by Madonna, chosen to highlight this beautiful art piece.
I’m very proud of this mural and very thankful to Birchwood Elementary for inviting me to do this project.
Bravo to all these wonderful artists!!!!
Marcio Melo
Monday, April 30, 2012
On April 3, 4 and 5, 2012, I worked on a mural project at Shawinigan High School with the collaboration of art teacher Winnie Lilley. The mural was executed on a yellow staircase and the theme ranged from images evoking sports activities to the Arts.
Talking over the phone with Winnie, we discussed the possibility of creating a background that would evoke some of the elements of the local environment such as rivers and rocks.
I drew a series of waves on the wall connecting the spaces in which the students placed their drawings.
They all worked very hard on their personal images and the result is excellent
I chose the song the Waters of March, a major classic of the Brazilian Bossa Nova repertoire for the obvious reference to water and rivers.
Bravo to all the participants for the great work they did! Enjoy it!
Marcio Melo
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Symmes Junior High School
On February 27, 28 and 29, 2012 I worked on a mural project at Symmes Junior High School with the collaboration of art teacher and friend Sylvia Bretzloff.
We have done several projects together in last few years and the experience is always very exciting.
On one of the occasions working there I came across one of her many books on native art and we thought it would be a great idea to do a mural honouring Canada first nations.
As always, the students were very well prepared for this project, having selected and drawn many interesting images inspired on first nation's art. We later encouraged them to step out of the box by infusing these images with their own personal touches and interpretations.
The setting for this project (a staircase) was very special given the fact that it already contained an installation of flying geese hanging from the ceiling, and a saying written on the wall about people being like stained glass.
I tried to harmonize these influences by drawing many geese flying on the wall and having many references to people such as faces and masks in the background.
The project took on a life of it's own once the students started on it.
The title of the video comes from a comment made by Sylvia's sister Carol, who thought we had steeped into a metaphysical dimension and had truly connected to the native spirit of Art, and therefore it was called "Flying Through the Veil".
Bravo to all participants!!
Enjoy the video!
Marcio Melo
Hadley Junior High School
On February 20, 21 and 22, 2012 I worked on a mural project at Hadley Junior High School in Gatineau.
The theme for the mural was "Spirit of Hadley".
Talking to art teacher Kay Kerman, with whom I worked on this project, we agreed to create a background that would resemble the praying flags of Tibet.
These spaces once painted became the background for the students to place their images and words, which were statements about self esteem, hope, inner beauty, strength and positive messages that could be directed to all the school's students.
It's the first time I've worked on a project where students included both writing and drawing, and I'm happy to have used this new concept. It's great that they have so many inspiring things to say, and how the drawing influences the writing, and vice-versa.
Given the individual nature of the messages displayed. I thought the song "World In Our Hands" suited the concept of the project very well.
Bravo to all participants!!!
Enjoy it!!
Marcio Melo
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Souvenir Elementary School
On February 14, 15, and 16, 2012 I worked on a mural project at Souvenir Elementary School in Laval.
It was my second time at this School and I was delighted to work on those beautiful and smooth staircase walls again.
This time we decided to honour our Canadian wild life and there are many references to deer, falcons, foxes, squirrels and birds in the background and in the paintings made by the students.
I'm very happy with the result and very pleased to have worked with such a great group of kids.
Bravo to all the participants and many thanks to Mrs. Sacco and Mrs. Cifarelli for having invited me again!!!
D'Arcy McGee High School
On February 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2012 I worked on a mural at D'Arcy McGee High School in Gatineau for the first time.
I was pleased to be able to work with Dance/Art teacher Jessica Levman on this project.
The theme was based on first nations art with an emphasis on their representation of animals, therefore the title of the video "Our Animal Spirits".
The students had worked on a series of drawings prior to my arrival and had been successful in selecting a variety of options to be depicted on the wall. They worked hard and were able to express themselves in a personal way, which I think is the main goal for an artist whenever he or she is working from a very well known source of inspiration such as native art.
The result is amazing as you can see in the video.
Bravo to all the participants!!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
La Différence
Les 9 et 10 juillet 2011, j’ai travaillé sur une grande toile à la Galerie Montcalm avec la collaboration de plusieurs créateurs.
Le thème de la toile « La Différence », a un rapport direct avec l’idée d’être unique, spécial.
Les participants ont bien réussi à exprimer leur sens d’individualité. Le résultat est une série d’images bien intégrées dont la fluidité et le sens d’équilibre sont très présents.
Bravo à tous !!
Merci Beaucoup!!
Marcio Melo
Le Lab
Les 28 et 29 juin 2011, j’ai travaillé avec les jeunes adultes du LAB sur un projet de peinture murale.
La peinture été réalisé sur une série de quatre toiles de 40 X 40 pouces.
L’idée du thème “Au Long de la ligne réfléchie”, invite les participants à exprimer des images venant de leur propres univers personnels.
Le résultat est une série de toiles qui communiquent un sens très fort d’unicité et de collaboration entre eux.
Bravo aux jeunes du Lab !!
Marcio Melo
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Mountainview Elementary School 2011
On May 17, 18 & 19 I worked on a Mural Project at Mountainview Elementary in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Gardenview Elementary School
Souvenir Elementary School
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sherbrooke Elementary School 2011
Sinclair Laird Elementary School
Marcio Melo
Monday, April 25, 2011
Jules Verne Elementary School
On March 15, 16 and 17, 2011, I worked on a mural project at Jules Verne Elementary School in Duvernay, Laval.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Marcio Melo and the students of Hadley Junior High School paint a mural - Teacher's Cut
This is another version of the video for Hadley Junior High School of the painting mural project done on February 22, 23 and 24, 2011.
I chose a different song this time, more alive and fitting to reveal how much fun the had.
Enjoy it!!!
Les écoles Albatros et Des Roseraies
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Hadley Junior High School
This is my first time working in this school collaborating with art teacher Kay Kerman.
In the beginning we were going to work on a mural depicting the school activities and values.
The students had made several drawings prior to my arrival. While some of these drawings related directly to the theme, others were freer expressions of nature and animals and I felt naturally more inspired by them.
While staying in Ottawa I saw this great outdoor mural at the Museum of Nature. I really liked the images of the mammoths and the running deer depicted on it and somehow these images stayed in my mind.
I also looked through some books of aboriginal art while working in class with Sylvia Bretzloff in my previous project.
When I started drawing on the wall, creating frames in which the students would later place their images, the first thing that came to my mind was the image of the deer as a frame. From this first image everything else started to unfold.
Working in the schools for these past ten years has taught me a lot about myself. In a moment when I wasn’t so sure about what to draw I ended up stepping into a new language which is something really exciting for me.
Back in class, after finishing the drawing on the wall ,we decided to suggest to the students the possibility of making a mural where the aboriginal aspects of drawing would be highlighted such as the flatness of the images, the tendency to ornate it with abstract motifs, the spiritual dimension of these expressions. I found myself saying to the students in a impromptu way that these drawings seemed to possess a universal quality that we could all relate to from the depths of our hearts. Being partly Brazilian native from my mother side I recognized this intrinsic connection in myself.
The students went on to make these great images of animals and native wild life. I think they were also surprised to find out they had this intuitive knowledge and capacity of expression in themselves.
I chose the song “Ñaumu” from the album “Ihu / Todos Os Sons” by Marlui Miranda for this video. It’s the music of the Yanomani Natives of Roraima in Brazil.
The song depicts an ancestral ceremonial dialogue practiced in various feasts and encounters when they exchange goods and news. They are the interpretations of cordial mannerisms, and has as its purpose to tighten the lassos which unite their peoples.
It’s a perfect way to honour the values of respect and collaboration highlighted in this project, which we truly lived while working on the wall for three days. Congratulations to the students!!
I hope you’ll enjoy it!!
Marcio Melo
Symmes Junior High School 2011
On February 16, 17 and 18 I worked on a mural project at Symmes Junior High in Gatineau.
I’ve done several murals in this school and they are the proud results of a collaboration with art teacher Sylvia Bretzloff.
This time we worked on a mural called “Le Paysage du Quebec“.
Sylvia spent a long time researching images that she thought would be appropriate to represent Quebec, but I have to say we worked in a very spontaneous way together, selecting more or less on the spot what we thought would be right.
She would show me the images and I would draw them on the wall. As it progressed I thought it would be interesting to leave these images in their natural state as line drawings, without having to paint them afterwards.
The students were very well prepared for this project. As I drew the images of Quebec on the wall I also left big empty spaces to be filled with their work creating the effect of stain glass windows as frames for their paintings.
They chose to portray the beauty and the variety of the wild life of Quebec as well as some historical scenes and folktales.
The juxtaposition of these beautifully crafted paintings and the rawness of the drawings depicting Quebec, created a mural that exudes a more contemporary feel to it. I’m proud once more for what was accomplished in this collaboration with Sylvia.
I chose the song “Corrrigan – Laundry” from Au Tour du Flageolet by Daniel Roy. This is a fantastic album of traditional Quebec music worth listening to many times. I’d like to thank Daniel Roy and Mario Gervais, one of great musicians on this album, for allowing me to use this song on the video.
To all the students I say, “You guys are great, keep up the good work!!!”
Marcio Melo
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Hull Adult Education Centre
The students decided on the theme of “Nature”. As the project advanced it was clear that we were dealing with nature in a mythical sense and therefore the title "Sharing the Mythical Forest“.
I chose the song “Shine” from Ricky Martin for the video. I enjoyed the lyrics who emphasised the importance of living in the present moment and making the best out of it, which I think is a perfect metaphor to the art of Painting.
As a final result the mural shows that there’s space for both individual and collective expressions when we’re able to work inside the frame of collaboration and mutual respect.
This was a great group to work with and I hope they are proud of what they accomplished. Congratulations!!!
Marcio Melo
L’école St-Joseph
Le thème choisi pour cette murale était la nature. Les élèves ont fait plusiers dessins colaboratives et ausitot que j’ai les vu, j’ai compris q’on pourrai peut-être adopter un theme plus spécifique. On a alors décidé pour le thème "Les visages de la nature".
Monday, January 17, 2011
St. Dorothy Elementary School
Monday, June 7, 2010
Noranda School
On May 18, 19, 20 I worked on a project at Noranda School.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Westmount Park School
From May 4th to 6th I worked at Westmount Park School in Montreal.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
École de l'Éveil
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sherbrooke Elementary School
It's my third project in this School and this time the idea was to create a mural on plywood that later would be installed in the Cafeteria .
I'm very pleased with the final result.
Great work!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
St. Francis Elementary School
Great work, great inspiration!!!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Écoles St. Philippe et Mond"Ami
Les 16,17, 18 et 19 mars 2010, j'ai travaille aux écoles St-Phillipe et Mond'Ami à Trois-Rivières avec la participation de 156 élèves de ces deux écoles.
Friday, March 12, 2010
John F. Kennedy High School
Great Job!
Friday, March 5, 2010
General Vanier School
Friday, February 12, 2010
Lake of Two Mountains High School
From February 3 to the 5th, 2010 I worked on a project at Lake of Two Mountains High School in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec.
When I arrived at the school on the first day the students were already busy doing sketches in preparation for the mural. The theme was nature and, more specifically, animal life.
These students were very involved in this project to the point of having discussed the composition and final details of the piece prior to it's execution.
I suggested the use of a colorful background to highlight their creations. The animals were placed inside these spaces.
It was amazing to see this project grow to it's final conclusion!
I'm proud of this group for their single minded sense of dedication. Cheers!!!!!!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
École St. Joseph
Mountainview Elementary School 2010
Monday, May 25, 2009
St. Paul School
On May 19, 20 and 21, I worked on a mural project at St. Paul School in Duvernay, Laval, Quebec. This was my last project for the season and I really enjoyed it.
Prior to my arrival the School had a contest were the students had to come up with images to fit the theme of “Give, Grow and Achieve”.
The art teacher Marie-Claire Deschênes, who appears in the video briefly at the end, handed me this folder containing very interesting drawings in pencil. From there it was very easy to continue. The students made these wonderful collaborations that you see in the beginning of the video. For the mural itself I decided to create these floating spaces like sheets of fabric hanging in the air being held by birds and a cats tail. In them you see the words “Give”, “Grow”, “Achieve” written in blue.
Because the students were selected with such care for this project, I though it would be important to feature them all individually. In the end we were all dancing including the Art Teacher and myself. It was really a lot of fun!!
I’m very proud of the students, they worked very, very well and the result is beautiful.
I’d like to say great thanks to Mary, a parent who volunteered to help me for the three days of work.
I hope you’ll all enjoy it!!
Lindsay Place High School
On May 13,14 and 15 I worked on a mural project in Valois, Quebec at Lindsay Place High School.
The project was organized with the participation of the art teacher Rima Moushaghayan who had the students prepare drawings in advance to be placed on the mural. This simple task often gives very good results considering that the students will approach the idea of drawing on the wall with more confidence.
The location of the mural, whose theme was “Painting for the Arts”, was very strategic in the sense that it is located at the steps leading to the auditorium. The auditorium is the place were art and music related activities take place. In fact, all through the time we were painting we could hear very interesting renditions of classical music.
The students were very quiet and worked very well as you can see in the video.
“Mr. Tambourine Man” done by Bob Sinclar, chosen for the video, couldn’t be more appropriate. Enjoy it!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mountainview Elementary School
On May 4, 5 and 6 I worked on a Mural at Mountainview Elementary School in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec.
The theme for this mural, “Mountainview Cares”, reflects the students concern for the environment. This is a very current topic for a mural and what I like about it is the possibility to portray nature and it’s richness. Images of trees, animals, flowers and planets are very present in children’s art and this is the time to show it.
The result is a very fluid group of drawings floating on the white space of the wall. The students worked by themselves or in groups of two creating a work of art to remind us of the beauty of our planet and the importance of caring for its well being.
The song “It’s a beautiful day” is very reassuring of our efforts to protect it.
I’m proud of the students who worked on this wonderful project!!
Jules Verne Elementary School
On April 29, 30 and May 1st I worked on a mural at Jules Verne Elementary School in Laval Quebec. Learning that the school was named after the man who wrote “Around the World In 80 Days” immediately made me want to explore images that would evoke exotic places in the world of imagination. It’s a wonderful thing to work on a mural where the students have total freedom to express their creativity. The main question in this project was the most basic and fundamental one, “What do you like to draw?”
The result is an interesting interaction of spaces where drawings are placed inside shapes of castles and animals creating an opportunity to explore further possibilities - a true invitation to a journey of unexpected discoveries!!
The song Octopus’s Garden set the tone for some great choreography! Enjoy it!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Shawinigan High School
Shawinigan High School – “I Belong –I Learn”
Working on this mural was a great experience in the sense that, as the mural developed, I was able to witness a very high level of interaction among the students. They worked in groups of two and their images reflect the activities and subjects of the school, from Academics to Sports, Arts and Drama.
The mural is located in the Games Room and the great, green pool table immediately inspired me to do something similar. A long shaped background drawing with legs like a table, displaying a variety of flowers and plants in vases placed above it.
The students also paid attention to the fact that their designated spaces to paint were separated by colours. They took great care of these transitions, drawing things that would pass from one side to another, interacting with each other.
I think they were pleased with the experience, it couldn’t be otherwise considering how hard and well they worked. I’m proud of them.
Congratulations !!!!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sherbrooke Elementary School
On February 24 to 26, 2009 I did a mural with the students of Sherbrooke Elementary School, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada on the theme of Healthy Lifestyles. The mural was located on a staircase connecting the gym to the cafeteria, thus it offered the reason to explore ideas that would relate to both. On the first day in class we did a series of exercises on paper. Many of the drawings made by the students reflected the importance of eating well to stay healthy as well as exercising.
It's the first mural I've worked on that emphasizes both these concerns which I think are extremely important to all of us.
L'école de la Petite Bourgogne
Les 18, 19 et 20 fevrier j'ai travaillé à l'école de la petite Bourgogne à Montréal. Le thème de la murale etait "Personnages de la Terre". C'est un thème fascinant en ce qui concerne l'utilisation de la forme humaine et de ses innombrables variations. On a fait plusieurs exercices collaboratifs en classe. Des visages humains aux traits variés executés par les multiples mains des élèves. Le résultat trés touchant reflètent un monde oú les differences se rejoignent pour creer un nouveau sense d'harmonie.
Les personnages ont été dessinés sur les casiers de l’ecole. Chaque élève a crée son propre personnage en etablissant une relation directe avec le concept d'etre bien autant que d’etre unique, dans un monde diversifié. Ils ont trés bien réussi et le resultat est surprenant!!
Symmes Junior High School
I have worked with the art teacher of Symmes Junior High on several murals. It is always a great pleasure working with such motivated and well prepared students. She always chooses exciting and challenging themes that inspire me, in this case "Dali meets Gaudi.
I have been to Spain many times and am familiar with the work of both artists, nevertheless I have to confess I was a bit nervous with the task of providing a framework where drawings made by the students would be placed. The first series of drawings that appear in the video were made by me in a attempt to marry both styles and imageries into one. Later on, when I was drawing on the wall, I finally let go and surrendered to a more spontaneous way of drawing, collaborating with the art teacher who would show me images and discuss the possibilities of using them.
The students had been very well prepared for this project. They had studied both artists and been able to absorb their influences. Combined with their own interpretations of what Dali or Gaudi is about, they were able to accomplish something of great personal relevance. I'm proud of them for that!!
I have put together a video that gives an idea of the experience.
St. Johns School
On the 4th, 5th and 6th of February I spent 3 days with the students of St. Johns School in St. Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec, and we created a mural about food in the schools cafeteria. It's the first time I worked on a mural with such a theme and I thought the experience was very refreshing. The intention was to draw and paint, taking in consideration all the different food groups available and portray them in their most attractive state. We wanted to be able to call the mural "Food, Glorious Food" and I think we succeded. It was a great experience considering the physical challenges of the mural - some of students had to go on tables to paint the higher parts of the wall while others had to work very carefully under the tables.
While I usually take many pictures of the projects, I purposely took a few videos which with my friend Ted's help we turned into a nice little video. The recording was very spontaneous but the group of students were so cohesive and related so well to one another that the result could only be great. I think it is!!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hello, Bonjour, Bom Dia
My name is Marcio Melo.
I am an artist, a painter living and working in the countryside near Ottawa, Canada. I grew up in Brazil and moved to Canada in 1987.
Over the past seven years I have conducted over 75 Mural Workshops with students of schools across Quebec and in Ontario, and am actively working on more.
Friends have encouraged me to share some of the results They can all be seen on my website http://www.marciomelo.com/Murals/ArtinSchools.htm. But I think there is a lot more to the projects than a picture. I hope to fill you in on some of the rest on this page.
Thank you for your time, and you are very welcome.