SUSHI MAKI CEILING MURALS

Sushi Maki! Coral Gables, Miami! When I first stepped up the 2 small steps into Sushi Maki I remember thinking what a dull ceiling they had which was so viewable from the ground level. The restaurant was basically 4 sections and I suggested we would create floating murals for each section.

The murals based on the layout of a playing card which has both top and bottoms since I wanted the viewer to be correct no matter which way the murals are viewed. The cards, in this case an Asian dragon also have the representing Japanese symbols. Here I am showing the finished dragon mural “card.” Each dragon is drawn then cut out of 1/4″ plywood before being painted and each measure close to 4′ X 8′ roughly. The symbols are about 4′ X 4′. They are suspended from a freshly painted ceiling by fishing line at different heights. This exact image is put together in Photoshop from the un-retouched actual plywood paintings since it was impossible to shoot then on location from the floor. I shot the pieces in my studio when they were completed.

In this section of the Sushi Maki, Coral Gables restaurant section I chose the fisherman wrestling the fictional giant fish, this is actually a remake of an earlier painting from over a decade ago and which served as the inspiration of the entire job. As mentioned, these are 2 separate pieces each (2 fishermen and 2 Japanese symbols for fisherman) cut out of 1/4″ plywood. I indicated in Photoshop a thin orange outline, the sides of these pieces are painted in a day-glo orange which is hard to see straight on but in the restaurant is very visible.

The ancient Asian fishing boat clashes with the contemporary pierced fish, this was the only scene with 2 different images, I wasn’t liking the way the stormy sea was looking flipped over so I chose this to be my “wild card”.The water, the fish, the boats, the fishermen all products of the sea and since Sushi Maki prides itself on fresh seafood, (I have been a lucky recipient of that I will testify!) I knew the sea had to be represented in the ceiling murals.

The final installment at Sushi Maki, Coral Gables, is the Samurai Twins, these are 2 different paintings, you have to look carefully to pick out the differences, I had fun trying to paint them so alike. Altogether the new Sushi Maki ceiling looks colorful and alive and inviting to all patrons on the street passing by, definitely a mural project that ranks in my favorites!