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Even when it is indoors, painting murals can be physically demanding, the artists said.
For a mural on the ceiling of Diptyque’s store in Ion Orchard mall, Mr Mak had to sit cross-legged on a scaffold, contorting his body and craning his neck at an awkward angle to paint.
“My neck was very sore, and at some point, it kind of became injured just because I had to keep staring at the ceiling,” he said.
Painting a mural is a “balancing act” after all, he added.
“You have to try to express yourself creatively on a wall while also trying not to think about falling down when you are perched precariously on ladders.”
Visual artist Danielle Tay, 34, also recounted how she would have to assume various awkward positions to paint or draw, doing so while bearing the weight of a harness and multiple cans of paint.
“I paint intensively for eight hours a day, typically for a minimum of two weeks or more depending on the size of the mural, requiring stamina as I work in various positions,” Ms Tay said.
For Ms Low, who has a fear of heights, one of her most challenging murals was an ocean-themed one on Jurong Island that spanned over three storeys, which she completed in 2018.
To do so, she remembered having to undergo a course to learn how to use a harness on the scaffold and safety training to ensure that there were no accidents.
Another mural that she painted at Tekka Centre in Little India required her to scale a long ladder that was placed on uneven ground, which meant that she had to confront her phobia for the sake of her art.
Other artists such as Mr Sam Lo, 37, recalled having to be suspended on ropes to paint the facade of a five-storey building.
“We had to make sure that whatever area we could cover on each trip down the rope was painted with little to no edits needed.
“Otherwise, we would need to climb up and down the ropes, which required a lot of physical exertion, or we had to set up the ropes all over again,” the urban artist said.
Being strung up at great heights is one thing, the artists also have to contend with the extreme heat from the sun, sometimes without any shade.
Mr Tan recently completed a 90m collaborative mural with fellow artist Yip Yew Chong at Clarke Quay.
“It was the largest continuous mural for both of us, so naturally, it had a lot of physical demands,” Mr Tan said.
“We managed the heat by draping wet towels over our heads inside our helmets, copious amounts of sunblock and multiple bottles of water at the ready.”
Mr Mak said that some people might think painting at night is a smart way to avoid extreme sun, but for that to happen, the artist would have to be provided with industrial-level lighting at night to ensure that they can see the colours — an option that might not always be available.
A heavy downpour, on the other hand, would also make the paint “bleed” and ruin the mural, which is why artists often check multiple weather applications to monitor for sudden changes in weather.
“I assess whether it makes sense to wait for the rain to stop and the wall to dry before resuming work. If the downpour is heavy and it’s late in the day, I call it a day and use the time to recharge,” Ms Tay said.
WHEN VISIONS DON’T ALIGN
Since most of their work is commissioned, artists are often at the mercy of what their clients want, making it tough to manage expectations.
Ms Low remembers a recent commission in April, where she had to paint a mural of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew along Buffalo Road in Little India to commemorate his visit to Tekka Centre there in 2010.
When she arrived at the site, she was told that she needed to paint nearly 17 life-sized figures when she had at first planned for only 10.
Ms Low, who said that this was not usually her practice, added: “You cannot tell until you’re there, and I had to edit the draft (I sent to the client) a few times.
“It’s okay, after all, they are still the client. But I did hint to them that the quoted price includes the time spent planning for the mural as well.”
Mr Lo said that when it comes to certain subject matters such as those related to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, he takes care to be more mindful about how he depicts them.
“I try to play in the grey areas by adding in Easter eggs, or in some cases like my pride murals, I just paint them because I believe they’re needed for the community to feel visible.”
Fully self-funded, Mr Lo created his LGBTQ-themed pride murals last year, one of which is located at the back of the Aliwal Arts Centre near Beach Road. The mural depicts a pair of lovebirds huddling together as arrows strike them.
“Each arrow is tied to a red rope adorned with medallions representing the various hurdles queer couples face in Singapore as they strive to live whole lives,” he added.
The mural is no longer there because the space is constantly refreshed, but Mr Lo said that it was up for about five to six months at the time.
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