Ramón Bonilla

You Might Recognize:

Aztec Camera @Meow Wolf; "Untitled" mural @Market Station garage; "Landform. Made. Trace. Elevation." @Gates Building lobby; "The slope of a straight line.The process of remodeling the future." @Bonfils-Stanton; "Untitled" mural @ Cadre General Contractors Engelwood

Public Art Average Success Rate:

1%

 Rejected Project Proposal

Proposed Project Location:

One Platte - 1664 Plate St. Denver, CO

Concept:

The project involved painting a mural on a drywall surface 12' high and roughly 22' wide at a new building on Platte Street. The design needed to have Nordic and/or Japanese feel to match the building interior which has a minimalist aesthetic. White walls are prevalent on the building interiors with features made out of different types of woods, black metal and granite floors. Allowing negative space to have a key role within the design was also a requirement of the project.

The aesthetic of the building matched the minimal style of my work very well so of course I was very excited about this particular project. The building's interior provided inspiration for my proposal which was interpreted through the use of light and neutral colors in bold contrast to dark colors. This approach was meant to provide a sense of depth and tri-dimensionality over the flat wall where the mural would be located. A black and white tiled floor at the entrance of the room where the mural would be installed also provided a starting point for the design process which consisted initially of designing over a grid. This grid was interrupted by introducing visual elements that interacted with each other. The use of lighter grays referenced exposed concrete elements in the building. Vertical elements and lines such as columns; shapes that are part of the interior of the building as well as a wood staircase inspired my design and the colors I ended up using for my proposal.

The building had two other murals including one that is part of a bike room. Coincidentally some of the colors on those murals are similar to colors I have used before on my own work. I was able to incorporate these colors on my proposal in order to add a sense of continuity and connection between the other murals within the building.

"I Regret to Inform You..." Artist Response:

Clearly, rejection is alway a possibility. I did not get discouraged for being rejected but the rejection made me rethink and readjust (like it always happens after any project is rejected) the next steps I need to take to sustain and continue with my art practice.

The rejection motivated me to continue working with the designs I submitted by incorporating some aspects of it into my personal work or trying to reuse it for a future project. I think rejection always motivates me more than doing the opposite. I have been rejected so many times that you develop the attitude needed to thrive.

I want to learn from the rejection of this project to work more effectively when balancing the time and effort that I put into the design process which would allow me to work on more projects simultaneously in order to increase my chances of getting more projects approved.