I’m beyond delighted to share the “Victor Idaho Mural” — 264-square-feet of neon, painted on-stage at Victor City Park!

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/262337341159530/

Here are six weeks of work, distilled into 90-seconds. Thank you to my boy MH the Verb for a perfect soundtrack… now, let’s take a deep-dive into this massive project.

In March of 2016, our family relocated to Victor, Idaho from NYC… it’s a story I’ve shared. In short order, I got to know many of the amazing folks in Teton Valley, including Victor’s Mayor — Jeff Potter. He inspired me to get involved, so I joined the Victor PlaceMakers and the Victor Urban Renewal Agency Board. Within these two great organizations, my focus became public art. When the idea for a mural arose, we thought long and hard (no Michael Scott, don’t say it), and former mayor Zach Smith suggested the Music on Main Stage. We agreed this was the place… so it began with this digital comp, composed in February.

I used this second digital composition showcasing my Hollywood Sign painting, to share the desired look-and-feel. Now, because this mural was being created in Victor City Park, on a stage owned by the city, and operated by The Teton Valley Foundation for Music on Main — there were many logistics to navigate. This included:

1. Securing permission from The Teton Valley Foundation to create on-stage.
2. Preparing an in-depth proposal, including the creative concept, materials, proposed timeline, budget and ownership.
3. Modifying, negotiating and signing a contract to accurately reflect the details of our engagement, which began with a template so generously shared by Carrie Geraci of Jackson Hole Public Art.
4. A fundraising strategy — we decided to privately finance this project without the use of taxpayer dollars.
5. Officially presenting the mural at a Victor City Council meeting for review and approval.

With the contract signed and approval given — I spent some time creating the final visual composition. The lettering and palette was inspired by the existing “Welcome to Victor Idaho” signs.

It’s important to understand and appreciate the past, as you forge the future.

As with all projects, there are always challenges. While I was in Europe, we affixed the first set of panels… these, however, were un-primed, and two weeks of relentless rain warped them beyond repair. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise, as the surface wasn’t rugged enough for Teton Valley. So, we went back to the lumber yard, selected four-ply douglas fir, and hand-primed the surface, front-back-and-sides, twice.

We quickly found ourselves on a roll.

Of course, just like Kevin Arnold, I had a little help from my friends.

A huge thank you to Ray Howard and my Dad, Steve Borbet! We got our priming on, and even caught a tan in the process.

The 4th of July is a major deal in Victor. So, I decided to kick-off the mural on Independence Day. Of course, I got out there on the 3rd to layout the drawing.

And so… it began, with a five-tone gradient in the sky, moving from purple on the horizon, to deep blue and a lighter blue up top. Here is Coraline, looking adorable.

My Virgo shines in the layering. Every square inch of this painting has at least three coats… if you don’t layer properly, the paint looks streaky… something I cannot live with. And so, the letters began with a single flat coat. I used pre-mixed paint for the large sections from Sherwin-Williams, and Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics for the details.

With the letters filled-in, I painted the tubes a vibrant yellow, then began working on the radiating light on each character.

The glow is a result of three tones, painted twice, around the tube on every letter.

This was a big step… often, when painting a work of art in public, you can go three sessions without any perceptible progress. That’s when you look like an artist slacker. Here, however, the insertion of The Big Hole mountains marked a turning point. One of the greatest things about painting this mural during the run of Music on Main, was seeing the progress each week, in context with the action.

Now, it was time for those neon letters to radiate light down the mountain… and what better surface to absorb light than snow?

Light painted, it was time to add some trees… a few thousand, actually. The girls enjoyed joining me on stage for some fun.

After completing the mountains, it was time to tackle the foreground. This was challenging, as I was forced to sit, and lie down, while drawing and painting. It made for some exquisite neck and shoulder tension.

But in the end, with our gracious donors painted into the picture, houses lit-up, windows framed, trees adorned with lights… we made it!

Standing in front of our creation, absolutely delighted and elated to present the largest Borbay original in the world.

I often try to explain how difficult it is to accurately photograph neon paintings. I now realize, it’s twice as challenging to snag accurate renderings of a giant mural, with light coming from every direction. Here is a closer look at panel 2/5.

Panel 3/5.

Panel 4/5.

Acknowledgements

It took a willing, able and passionate army to make this mural a reality.

Allow me to thank my fellow Victor PlaceMakers for making this happen — Erin Gaffney, Liv Goodale and Molly Absolon; Victor’s amazing Mayor — Jeff Potter; the Victor City Council; our incredible Patron Sponsors — RAD Curbside, Ingenium Interiors, Parkins Law, Patricia Barganier, Teton Timberframe, Jackson Hole Still Works and Teton Valley Health; everyone who generously donated to this project (I will be thanking you all personally); the Teton Valley Foundation for allowing us to create the backdrop for Music on Main; Raymond Howard and Sheelagh Howard for hosting a fundraising event (and helping me prime the surface); Teton Valley News, Jackson Hole Buckrail and KIFI Local News 8 for covering the mural; the astounding citizens of Victor, Idaho for making us feel at home; MH the Verb for an amazing soundtrack; to each and every person who stopped by to keep me company; my fabulous and supportive wife, Erin Borbet; our kiddos, Coraline, Vega and Esser; my folks, Steve Borbet and Kathie Borbet.

Thank you! I am beyond proud of this painting, and couldn’t have done it without you…