by Heidi Preslicka
It was almost two years ago that
we received a phone call from a library requesting to have a mural for
their children’s section. This would be our first library job, and we
were thrilled. After creating murals in several day cares, dentist
offices, activity centers, and homes, Greg was ready for the creativity
and challenge that a library mural would offer.
My name is Heidi
Preslicka; my husband is Greg Preslicka, a Minnesota artist. He creates
large-scale wall murals that grace almost 50 rooms throughout Minnesota.
We work together to run our small business. Greg creates the artwork,
and I do the bookkeeping, marketing, and project management. For twenty
years we have worked together in our graphic design studio in our home.
However, three years ago, when the economy started to affect our
business, we needed more work. We decided Greg should try painting wall
murals in our children’s rooms. He has been doing art all his life, so
this work wasn’t far off from his experience. The murals’ large-scale
offered a new challenge for Greg. The murals turned out great and so,
“The Big Picture”
was born. Greg created a logo, a website, and I got to work marketing
our business. Now, Greg enjoys the balance of working at his computer
doing graphic design AND getting out of the office to do what he truly
loves - painting. Now, over one third of our work is murals.
Murals
can transform a space – whether it is an office, library, daycare,
school, fitness studio, a bedroom, or a child’s play room. Murals bring a
little bit more fun to a place that is already fun. Recently, Greg
completed a large mural in the skyway connecting the Rochester Public
Library and the parking ramp. Greg enjoys painting murals in libraries.
Not only is he a huge fan of reading, but his job also requires him to
keep his imagination flowing and reading helps this process. Greg enjoys
children’s books, and he has even written and illustrated several books
for our children. His favorite books are non-fiction, but he has
recently been enjoying some fiction as well and has also been enjoying
the library’s new audio book system.
Since our first library job
two years ago, Greg has brought his talent to many Minnesota libraries. A
library is the perfect place for a mural; a place where you can enjoy a
vast variety of information, learn a new hobby, and read stories. It is
a place where your imagination can flow, a place to escape and enjoy.
Libraries offer a chance to learn about almost anything in the world -
all in one place. The decor in a library should reflect what a library
has to offer, this being: history, culture, imagination, relaxation,
beauty or a combination of these. Libraries have a similar look with the
rows of shelving, but murals are a way to break up the monotony and
provide a unique look, making it a more exciting place to venture into.
Children love libraries; and adding murals makes it even more special
for children and adults. Greg’s murals give you a sense of being in
another place. Libraries can take you away to another world with all
they have to offer through reading. Greg’s murals do the same and add to
this wonderment, whether the mural is of outer space, a tropical
island, underwater world, a serene forest, or in the case of the
Rochester Skyway mural – a view of the vast diversity within the town of
Rochester.
Murals are awe-inspiring and have generated a huge
response within every town that Greg has worked. Greg feels honored to
create a new work of art each time and he enjoys the process every step
of the way. The process begins with meeting our client and discussing
their vision. Sometimes our clients do not have a vision, but Greg walks
them through these early steps and guides them into a direction they
would like to go. After the first meeting Greg creates
computer-generated layouts and with his computer, he super-imposes these
images into photos of the space. With these images, the layouts appear
as if the mural has already been created, giving our clients a chance to
make the best choice for their space. Occasionally, our clients wish to
see more and Greg will go back to the sketch-pad and computer. He wants
our clients to love their mural and he’ll make changes to layouts until
they are happy. Sometimes Greg works with a larger group of people.
When working with a library board or a committee at a business there are
many opinions and ideas that float around. Greg is able to work with a
group and bring the discussion back to the goals of the mural and how
those goals are going to be best achieved. He helps to guide the group
to develop a design that is enjoyed by everyone.
We have received
many testimonials about the impact that the murals have had on the
businesses we have worked with. It has been an overwhelming response.
Those testimonials make this job even more fun. We hope you’ve been able
to see the mural both in the skyway and in the children’s section of
the Rochester Public Library. Thank you Rochester Public Library for
supporting our business and for giving Greg the opportunity to
contribute to the beautification of Rochester.
Greg painted two murals in the Rochester Public Library - check out the photos on our
Flickr account! Below is a small sample of other murals Greg has painted. Visit
The Big Picture to see more of his work.
