Gears of war E3 2006 Mural

The Gears of war Mural art
Kurt Wenner attracted attention at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) as he created a street painting, by hand, with chalk. The motive was inspired from the upcoming action game, Gears of war, depicting locust and other Gears of War monsters coming up from a hole in the floor.

Kurt Wenner
Wenner, a California native who now lives in Italy, drew the 15-by-15-foot mural painting in the Los Angeles Convention Center’s massive South Hall lobby in 40 hours spread over five days. The Gears of War team commissioned the painting from Wenner, an internationally known master artist who has created public works of art on roads and sidewalks around the world.

The paint process
Wenner created the Gears of war painting on canvas with pastel chalks, sitting on the ground cross-legged while working. His painting is an amazing process to watch.

He began his work on the Gears of War mural on the Sunday before E3 opened. From having the lobby virtually to himself at first, things changed as setup crews were replaced by a mass of exhibitors and attendees on Tuesday.

"This convention center (E3) is quite a departure from the usual places I work, The first day the show opened was a dramatic change, lots of foot traffic." - Wenner

When working on a project, Wenner usually spends five or six hours each day on the floor, an unusual skill in and of itself. He said there is no exercise that can prepare a body for the time he spends on the floor. When he stands up for breaks, it takes him a while to get moving normally again.

"A lot of people can’t do it physically, even young people. I do this just enough, let’s put it that way," he said laughing. "I often do my own work sitting on the floor, too. I’ve never had a decent studio, so I’m used to working on the floor."

Wenner works quickly, he estimates he paints one square foot every 10 minutes.
"When you look at it like that, it is fairly fast," Wenner said.

What happened to the murial painting?
When he left Los Angeles, Wenner took the canvas back to Italy to "retouch it and refine it." He will spend as much time in this phase of the project as he did on the original painting.

When he first began street painting his creations were temporary. They lasted as long as the elements and traffic would allow. Like the painting he created for Gears of War, most of his recently commissioned creations are painted on canvas which is ideal for pastels because it isn’t affected by humidity, which can ruin works created with chalk.

Wenner is the artist who first introduced the technique of anamorphic perspective to the centuries old art of street painting.  Since his introduction of the technique in the early 1980’s, which makes the drawings appear to be 3D to audiences, Wenner has had many students and many imitators.  He welcomes them all and continues to support and encourage innovation in the art of the madonnaro.

Wenner said it never bothered him that his earlier works would disappear. That was the nature of the medium. He loves working in the public eye, displaying his skill to and sharing his art with passersby.

"To me, it is all about the process," he said. "For me, the process is far more important than the final product."

For a more information on Kurt Wenner and other works, check out his website, www.kurtwenner.com.