Addie Boswell
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Mural Wear

4/28/2023

 
Now that some of my work has been around 15-20 years, I can see how it looks over time. Painted murals are pretty durable and should last 15-25 years outside with just a slow fade. But the following circumstances will speed it up considerably:
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#1 WATER
Fourteen years after it was painted, parts of the north-facing flag mural remain fairly bright, and the shading still shows up nicely. The problem is the drainage that spills from the street above; the amount of rain in Portland makes anything painted below grade or near gutters questionable.
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#2 SUN
South-facing walls will always wear the fastest, and this Rosewood Mural doesn't have a bit of shade to help it. You'll notice that the neon colors (espeically the bright magenta) doesn't fare as well as the more natural-based colors, which is why I usually avoid them. Considering this is nearly ten years later, its holding up pretty well.

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#3 LIGHT, IN GENERAL.... and LESSER MATERIALS
My first collage mural uses recycled magazine paper. After fourteen years of continued exposure to overhead lights and air, the color slowly leaches, somewhat unevenly. These days I use better varnish that has some UV Protection, but its porousness means that paper will never last as long as plastic paint will.

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