Meet Marcine. She’s what in our business is called a walldog and she’s been doing it for the last 8 years! She is also one of the only highly experienced female wall dogs still working today. On top of that, she’s a strong rigger and paints for us, here, at Overall Murals.
You may recognize some of the work she’s done for us like Carnival and Carmax, where she can be seen on her feet for as long as 10-12 hours at a time, through rain or shine, and always producing high-quality artwork for our advertising clients. Marcine shares, “As a woman, Overall Murals has been awesome to work at. They are all-inclusive and I feel like I am part of the Overall team.” And we couldn’t agree more.
Marcine is a huge contributor to the OM team and we are happy to take the final day of Women’s History Month to acknowledge her contribution and success in a male-dominated industry. Hear #herstory: How did you become a wall dog and how has your experience been? I was running a bar on the Lower East Side in Manhattan on Allen and Delancey. I was part owner and bartending for 22 years. I walked outside and saw a bunch of guys painting on the side of a wall and thought, “This is what I want to do!” I moved to Philadelphia, where I worked at the Philadelphia Mural Arts Organization for about a year, and then moved back to NYC where I tried to force my way into the industry. It took me 4 years to even get an interview before I could get my foot in the door to become a wall dog. Why painting? Why not? Every day you are making something pretty awesome and the whole experience is amazing. Every wall I am working on, even if it’s terrifying I am having a blast. Last week, I worked on a wall in Venice that had the most difficult block and tackle rig I’ve ever been on. Every day I went to work, knowing this rig was frightening, yet, I still felt excited to show up. What would be your dream project? To be honest, any pictorial or completely insane works like a movie poster. The last mural I did with Dan Cohen and Dylan Dingle in San Francisco, for HBO’s new show Generation, was completely enjoyable. It just doesn’t feel like work.
For other females breaking into the hand paint mural industry what type of advice would you give them? How I got where I am today, is by putting myself into situations that were pretty terrifying. But, looking back, I see that those experiences were important because I learned something about myself. However, you can’t expect everyone to feel the same way. So I recommend doing what you love, don’t let anyone pressure you to do something you don’t feel comfortable with, get yourself to a place where you are comfortable, and always try to learn. Through this process, always stay humble and leave your ego at the door because we are all in this as a team.
Who would you say is your biggest influence?
Marylin Minter. When I was studying for my undergrad at San Francisco Art Institute, I went to the MOMA and saw what I thought were sea prints but were actually enamel on a panel. I was losing my mind looking at her painting, I ended up staying for hours. I thought, ”I have to do this!”
I am also inspired by artists like Dan Cohen and Eddie Lopez who I’ve worked with at Overall Murals. These guys have been in the industry for so long and have been great teachers, who I have learned so much from. They
What is something that is memorable that sticks out to you that influenced your choice to make this a passion and career?
Honestly, every job I get to do at Overall Murals is a ton of fun, the artwork is always awesome and everyone I work with is amazing. The time I was working with Elio Martinez, who I’ve been working with for 7 years, at a Jack Daniel’s mural on Melrose. I was like I get to work with my homie, I get to rig a block and tackle wall, all to get the job done. It’s always a good time and all of my experiences have been memorable. are amazing people, helpful, humble, and just awesome.
What is your goal professionally? Where do you see yourself moving towards?
Professionally I am inspired by the guys I work with who are in their sixties still doing this. That’s the goal – to keep hanging off that wall.
What kind of art do you most identify with?
Anything photorealistic or hyperrealistic. I have to say that something that goes along with my art is a piece I did with Chris Slaymaker for Carmax, painting a Mini Cooper with a psychedelic background. That’s the closest to my own art – bright colors with photorealistic vibes to it.
What role does your work impact society and/or what do you hope it does for society? The work that we do at Overall murals is amazing because to the outside world, they think we are just painting ads. But it’s not just that. In fact, you are creating something that brings attention to the process. We take a 2-dimensional space and make it 3-dimensional by having us working on the wall. We also care about what we are creating. Our work goes beyond the wall, and it’s rad that people get to see just that. I always make sure to take time to interact with people walking by because they too are part of the process. Thank you Marcine for sharing your story with us and here’s to hanging off the wall for many more years to come!