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Matinee: 'The Mural on the Wall'
22 June 2024
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 558th in our series of Saturday matinees today: The Mural on the Wall.
This 3:08 video from photographer Scott Drickey tells the story about a new photorealistic mural of community advocate Preston Love Jr. in Omaha, Neb., that took two weeks to produce. It's the first project in the Nebraska Now -- Leading by Example mural campaign.
The campaign is designed to enhance Nebraska's cultural landscape through large-scale, hyperrealistic murals of influential figures across the state, including community leaders, athletes and artists. Led by artists Nick Flatt and Scott Drickey, the project combines Flatt's international mural experience with Scott's photography and knowledge of Nebraska's heritage.
Flatt narrates the video as we watch him paint the mural of Drickey's portrait of Love. He appreciates being out among the public rather than working alone in his studio but then the wind comes up.
Their first mural is not only a symbol of a commitment to enriching Nebraska's cultural and civic landscape but also a timely tribute to Love's contributions to Omaha. Love, an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha and author of over a dozen books, is currently running for the U.S. Senate.
Drickey studied film in Santa Barbara where he began his career assisting photographers Peggy Sirota, Diego Uchitel and Albert Watson. His first published image appeared in Elle Magazine when he was 24.
He worked in Los Angeles for four years before moving to New York City where he was represented by Exposure NY and established his own studio. He worked primarily in fashion and advertising with a focus on still life. His clients included American Vogue, Vibe, Aveda/Shiseido and Neiman Marcus, among others.
A passion for conservation was inspired by his experiences during Earth Day 1992 in Santa Barbara. He returned to Omaha in 2001, shifting his focus to agricultural and outdoor photography while working with the Nature Conservancy.
His most recent project involved capturing still photography and video for an immersive video installation titled Nebraska: Flatwater, which celebrates the state's natural landscape.
One of his proudest accomplishments, he says, was working with professors Sarah Thomas Karle and David Karle on their 2017 book Conserving the Dust Bowl: The New Deal's Prairie States Forestry Project. As part of their project, Drickey shot aerial photographs of the remaining "shelterbelt" trees in the Great Plains region.
But this powerful portrait can't be far behind that success.