"Gjirokastra ime!!" Which Translates "My Gjirokaster!!"
Murals #6, #7 and #35
The Mural Man Phillip Martin Travels to Gjirokaster, Albania
Murals 6, 7 and 35 of The Mural Man Series, are variations of “"Gjirokastra ime!!" which translates "My Gjirokaster!!" in Albania, and were created by Phillip Martin with the help of many volunteers from Gjirokaster.
Phillip Martin Shares His Story About the Creation of Murals 6 and 7
Painting the first mural in Gjirokaster, Albania, was simply a no brainer for me. I had friends there to make any and all of the necessary local connections. All that needed to be done was locate a wall to paint. I left that in the very capable hands of Vita. She went to her local school. It really was her local school. Both she and her husband, as well as their two children, attended the Urani Rumbo School. There was no way the director could say no when a "world famous artist" offered to paint a mural for them. World famous or not, there was no way the director was going to say no to one very determined Vita Kotoni. She was a woman with a purpose.
I actually had reservations about painting at a school. My previous murals were at places like a burn center and an Aids daycare. I'm not sure why I had any second thoughts. The kids at Urani Rumbo totally amazed, impressed, and overwhelmed me. There was a flood of kids willing and wanting to paint.
Yes, there was some chaos. And, yes, it was a bit overwhelming in the beginning. However, the main emotions to last long after the brushes had been put away were utter joy and deep pride. The students loved what they were doing. There was laughter, smiles, and some paint on a few faces. There was even fresh graffiti -- in English -- on the bathroom walls in red paint that said, "fun!!" My text, also in red paint, read "Gjirokastra ime!!" which translates "My Gjirokaster!!" There was a sense of pride that this project was painted for their school and community.
But, there was probably a greater pride that they helped create the mural. Much to my amazement, in three and a half hours, the entire mural had two coats of paint. When the students left school, they were so excited to show their friends what they had done. That was the kind of ownership I wanted them to have. But, they wanted to own more. They wanted a second mural.
Many people who I talk to about the murals say they want to come with me and paint. Few actually mean it. However, John was the exception. He had the time to help, and even though his wife was envious, he had her blessing to go to Albania for ten days. Not only did he help with a lot of the painting, but he took on the role of official photographer. He documented every step of the murals (taking about half the photos on this site) and then made PowerPoint presentations for the school and our hosts so they could never forget the experience. He made my third trip to Albania much easier and a lot more fun.
Phillip Martin Shares His Story About the Creation of Murals 6 and 7
Painting the first mural in Gjirokaster, Albania, was simply a no brainer for me. I had friends there to make any and all of the necessary local connections. All that needed to be done was locate a wall to paint. I left that in the very capable hands of Vita. She went to her local school. It really was her local school. Both she and her husband, as well as their two children, attended the Urani Rumbo School. There was no way the director could say no when a "world famous artist" offered to paint a mural for them. World famous or not, there was no way the director was going to say no to one very determined Vita Kotoni. She was a woman with a purpose.
I actually had reservations about painting at a school. My previous murals were at places like a burn center and an Aids daycare. I'm not sure why I had any second thoughts. The kids at Urani Rumbo totally amazed, impressed, and overwhelmed me. There was a flood of kids willing and wanting to paint.
Yes, there was some chaos. And, yes, it was a bit overwhelming in the beginning. However, the main emotions to last long after the brushes had been put away were utter joy and deep pride. The students loved what they were doing. There was laughter, smiles, and some paint on a few faces. There was even fresh graffiti -- in English -- on the bathroom walls in red paint that said, "fun!!" My text, also in red paint, read "Gjirokastra ime!!" which translates "My Gjirokaster!!" There was a sense of pride that this project was painted for their school and community.
But, there was probably a greater pride that they helped create the mural. Much to my amazement, in three and a half hours, the entire mural had two coats of paint. When the students left school, they were so excited to show their friends what they had done. That was the kind of ownership I wanted them to have. But, they wanted to own more. They wanted a second mural.
Many people who I talk to about the murals say they want to come with me and paint. Few actually mean it. However, John was the exception. He had the time to help, and even though his wife was envious, he had her blessing to go to Albania for ten days. Not only did he help with a lot of the painting, but he took on the role of official photographer. He documented every step of the murals (taking about half the photos on this site) and then made PowerPoint presentations for the school and our hosts so they could never forget the experience. He made my third trip to Albania much easier and a lot more fun.
Phillip Martin Shares His Story About the Creation of Mural 35
Vita emailed to say it was time to return to Gjirokaster for another mural. It might be my second time to paint a mural in Gjirokaster, but it was my fourth visit to Albania. Who goes there four times? I guess the answer is me.
Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. But, over the years, it has grown into a destination location for European tourism. I, of course, smugly take pride in the fact that I was way ahead of the curve on this. Twenty years ago when I first came to Gjirokaster, quite by accident, there were no guide books on the country. My taxi driver had a business card that said, “We speak English.” It was all I needed to know when looking for a place to stay. At the time, nobody imagined that Vita and Haxhi would run a guesthouse that is now recognized as the best in all of Albania. I’ve always considered it the best in the world.
Everyone needs a Vita in their life. I called her my personal manager. Not only did she find my wall to paint at Shkolla (School) 9 Vjeçare “Koto Hoxhi”, she knew how to handle any problem that popped up. If she didn’t like something, she let it be known in rapid-fire Albanian. Everyone listens to Vita. Problems are solved.
The director of the school wanted a similar mural to the previous one I painted at another school in Gjirokaster. They wanted a view of the castle that dominates the city landscape as well as some people in traditional clothing and the quote, "Gjirokastra ime" which means "My Gjirokaster". Okay, so the theme wasn’t hard to come up with. However, I was very pleased with the sketch and mural. It seems that I have gotten better with practice. I am much happier with the new design.
I made it clear from the start I prefer to work with six students at a time. It keeps the whole process sane and I like sane. It really didn’t happen that way. I suggested that six students take hourly shifts. Well, the second shift kids showed up and the first shift kids didn’t want to leave. The number of painters swelled, sanity slipped, lots of kids had the opportunity to paint and I went home very tired. Vita assured me that a visiting guest artist from America is reason for a little chaos. Things like that just don’t normally happen in Albania. Well, I learned my lesson. My mama didn’t raise no fool. I brought fewer brushes to school after that.
It continually surprises me how fast color on the mural goes up. One day brings a remarkable change. On day two the main coloring is usually complete. But, on those two days, any and all painters are welcome no matter how inexperienced. That means on day three I need more skilled painters to do a lot of touching up. Well, there was no shortage of help. I had painters throughout the school day and volunteers willing to stay after school and come back on Saturday. In one week’s time, the wall was completely – and successfully, I might add - transformed.
Upon completion of the mural, a new standard was set. And, like I said, everyone needs a Vita. She had two, count ‘em, two television stations show up with teams to “interview” me. However, neither of them gave what I call interviews. The microphone was pushed up in front of me and I was told to talk. When I stopped speaking, my part of the interview ended. Then, Vita took over, in more rapid-fire Albanian. I have no idea what she said, but she really had an awful lot to say.
Actually, a third television station was invited. They said they would come, but they were a no-show. We didn’t wait around for them. Vita assured me that two interviews was enough. A new standard was set. There was no need to set the bar so impossibly high that nobody could ever match it.
As it turned out, I think I did my job well and taught the students how to paint a mural. There was another wall at the school that just screamed for a painting. They had the paint left over from my project. They had students who knew how to work together and paint carefully. They had an artist among them who could design something for the wall. They had the confidence to do it all. So, while I packed up and headed back to Ohio, the project continued without me. That’s really how it should be.
Vita emailed to say it was time to return to Gjirokaster for another mural. It might be my second time to paint a mural in Gjirokaster, but it was my fourth visit to Albania. Who goes there four times? I guess the answer is me.
Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. But, over the years, it has grown into a destination location for European tourism. I, of course, smugly take pride in the fact that I was way ahead of the curve on this. Twenty years ago when I first came to Gjirokaster, quite by accident, there were no guide books on the country. My taxi driver had a business card that said, “We speak English.” It was all I needed to know when looking for a place to stay. At the time, nobody imagined that Vita and Haxhi would run a guesthouse that is now recognized as the best in all of Albania. I’ve always considered it the best in the world.
Everyone needs a Vita in their life. I called her my personal manager. Not only did she find my wall to paint at Shkolla (School) 9 Vjeçare “Koto Hoxhi”, she knew how to handle any problem that popped up. If she didn’t like something, she let it be known in rapid-fire Albanian. Everyone listens to Vita. Problems are solved.
The director of the school wanted a similar mural to the previous one I painted at another school in Gjirokaster. They wanted a view of the castle that dominates the city landscape as well as some people in traditional clothing and the quote, "Gjirokastra ime" which means "My Gjirokaster". Okay, so the theme wasn’t hard to come up with. However, I was very pleased with the sketch and mural. It seems that I have gotten better with practice. I am much happier with the new design.
I made it clear from the start I prefer to work with six students at a time. It keeps the whole process sane and I like sane. It really didn’t happen that way. I suggested that six students take hourly shifts. Well, the second shift kids showed up and the first shift kids didn’t want to leave. The number of painters swelled, sanity slipped, lots of kids had the opportunity to paint and I went home very tired. Vita assured me that a visiting guest artist from America is reason for a little chaos. Things like that just don’t normally happen in Albania. Well, I learned my lesson. My mama didn’t raise no fool. I brought fewer brushes to school after that.
It continually surprises me how fast color on the mural goes up. One day brings a remarkable change. On day two the main coloring is usually complete. But, on those two days, any and all painters are welcome no matter how inexperienced. That means on day three I need more skilled painters to do a lot of touching up. Well, there was no shortage of help. I had painters throughout the school day and volunteers willing to stay after school and come back on Saturday. In one week’s time, the wall was completely – and successfully, I might add - transformed.
Upon completion of the mural, a new standard was set. And, like I said, everyone needs a Vita. She had two, count ‘em, two television stations show up with teams to “interview” me. However, neither of them gave what I call interviews. The microphone was pushed up in front of me and I was told to talk. When I stopped speaking, my part of the interview ended. Then, Vita took over, in more rapid-fire Albanian. I have no idea what she said, but she really had an awful lot to say.
Actually, a third television station was invited. They said they would come, but they were a no-show. We didn’t wait around for them. Vita assured me that two interviews was enough. A new standard was set. There was no need to set the bar so impossibly high that nobody could ever match it.
As it turned out, I think I did my job well and taught the students how to paint a mural. There was another wall at the school that just screamed for a painting. They had the paint left over from my project. They had students who knew how to work together and paint carefully. They had an artist among them who could design something for the wall. They had the confidence to do it all. So, while I packed up and headed back to Ohio, the project continued without me. That’s really how it should be.
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