Mark Switlik
Switlik Murals

Mark Switlik has designed and painted Trompe L'Oeil murals across the United States for thirty years and recently he has gained international commissions as well. Mark's work is highlighted by bright, clean colors and depth perception, achieved through use of airbrush and brush combinations. Clients have included the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Arizona Science Center the Phoenix Arts Commission, and the Phoenix Suns.

Mark Switlik, a mural painter based in Phoenix, Arizona, has created murals for large corponltions and private businesses throughout his thirty-year career in addition to seeking commissions for public work. Since his projects are often quite large he will hire two to eight people to assist him, depending on the size of the mural. Mark uses a lot of spray-applied paint because he believes that spray is the most efficient method to produce what he calls aerial perspective. "The atmosphere", says Mark, "is made up of small particles that interact with light. Clouds are also water droplets collected and suspended in the sky. Both airbrush and larger spray equipment use sim- ilar small particles of paint to obtain coverage, creating more realistic results." Mark uses brushes to blend paint since a brush-like tool can leave behind a visual texture. Sometimes this texture is desired. Mark believes that the juxtaposition of a smooth airbrush technique and a visual brush texture makes for the maximum contrast necessary for illusion painting.

Usually, Mark paints on concrete or brick. To prepare the substrate, Mark hires a contractor to sandblast the surface as a cleaning measure. Then the surface is washed and primed. Mark does all the washing and priming himself to ensure that it is done correctly. A most important detail, says Mark, necessary for walls with minor cracks (not structural problems), is to use an elastomeric caulking that can be purchased from paint suppliers. Mark uses 100% acrylic house paints for large areas of color and artist acrylics for more detailed areas. He uses GOLDEN Airbrush Colors, which are ready prepared for spraying, and he also uses GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics which are very easy to make sprayable by diluting. He uses up to 200 gallons of paint for large projects.

Mark says that all industrial acrylic paints can be easily sprayed, but the paint to be sprayed must be thinned with appropriate thinner. Mediums can also be mixed with the paint to produce a sprayable glaze. With the addition of a medium as well as the necessary amount of thinner, the paint is fortified, extending the life of the color. For his final coats, Mark builds up several intermediate layers of paint with glazes. The final protective varnish is always GOLDEN MSA Varnish with UVLS, applied by spray.

Mark considers the environment he is working in and how that will affect his projects. Because it is extremely hot in Arizona, he often begins working as early as 5:00 a.m. or else he tries to work in the shade. 'When the weather gets cold, he cannot use his water-based products when the temperature dips below 40 degrees. He warns that if a project is started too late in the summer it might have to be finished in the spring. This can end up costing the artist money.

Humidity and wind are two environmental factors that are very important for the mural artist working with spray equipment to consider. Humidity does not affect water-based products but can affect solvent-based products as moisture can be trapped under the paint layer. This moisture will have to exit sometime, and it usually exits in the form if blistered paint. Blisters occur when the sun's rays are hot enough to turn the trapped moisture into steam, expanding until it breaks through to the surface,

"Wind is a major factor that needs to be addressed," says Mark. "Wind can affect the spray tool pattern making it difficult to control. It also makes it difficult to use masking materials." Wind can carry the spray paint particles a long distance outdoors, and indoor heating and cooling ventilation systems can scatter paint overspray throughout a building. This is a minor annoyance if the paint particles dry fast, but when they stay wet a long time the paint can stick to cars and furniture. This happens mostly with solvent-based alkyds and urethanes. However, in areas like Phoenix, an automobile surface can reach over 150 degrees and water-based acrylic can stick even if the paint is dry when it lands. Most auto paints these days are acrylic or acrylic urethane and the high temperature allows the molecules to crosslink.. To get the paint spatters off usually requires rubbing out the car paint. To avoid this, the best idea is to plan well and carry liability Insurance.

For Mark, planning time for a mural ranges from two weeks to four months. Once he receives a contract, he begins the design. Once the design is approved, the project is scheduled in the order it is received. Mark designs his maquettes using the same techniques that he will use on different portions of the mural (i.e. brush or spray). If he uses an airbrush on the maquette he will use a large spray gun on the mural. The larger spray guns are HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) technology. Their turbine motors overspray less, draw less amps, and they are lighter than the air compressor which powers the airbrush. "Getting projects funded," says Mark, "is the hardest aspect of the mural business." Depending on the funding source, completing a project can be more or less complicated. Many art commissions now realize that a project funded by tax money needs to have neighborhood input before design begins. Community likes and dislikes must be taken into consideration for the project to be accepted. Corporately sponsored murals also need to address community interests but the situation is usually not as critical. Currently, Mark is working on several murals for Hilltop Hotel in Phuket, Thailand. He is rushing to get all of the exterior work finished before the rainy season starts. Once Mark completes this project he has two murals scheduled, one in the Phoenix, Arizona area and one In Paso Robles, California. Also in the works is a historical mural for a university.