New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
As a writer for New Bedford Guide, my goal is to bring you information on events and activities here in the South Coast. However, these events and activities would never take place unless there were people involved. This area is packed with many incredible people doing incredible things, and I love sharing their stories with you.
Having said that, I would like to introduce you to M-C Lamarre. She is a local artist that designs and creates- to scale- murals of (mainly) sports images, with of course The Green Monster being the most requested. The best part is that she is able to do this as her full-time job!
Here is just a glimpse into her story and a brief look on how she is making her mark on the United States, one mural at a time.
So M-C, how are you doing?
I am doing well thank you. Very busy.
Let me start things off on completely the wrong foot by asking how old are you?
Haha. I’m 37.
I have seen the pictures on your website of the murals that you have done in other cities, but to see one up close in person is really amazing. How many days did it take you to complete the mural at Pour Farm?
Thank you again. Ummm… I started on a Monday and it was completed by the Thursday of that same week.
Wow, I would have thought it would have taken longer. It must be all the paint fumes that keep you looking so young. What is going on with the banner of Fenway that you have up in the Pour Farm Tavern?
I created a 4′ x 18′ portable scoreboard on canvas that was temporarily installed at the Pour Farm Tavern for the month of April for AHA! I have been getting requests for a “rentable” Monster murals for folks looking to infuse a bit of Fenway into a graduation party, birthday party, or even for a Wiffle Ball tournament. I thought this would be a great way to do that…. it can be hung on a wall, on the house, in a function room, or on a fence. If you would like to have this Monster on the Move at your venue, let me know through my website.
Where are you from, and what brought you to our wonderful city of New Bedford?
Well I was born in Concord, MA, and raised a Sox fan in southern New Hampshire. I moved south of Fenway five years ago, to New Bedford, to support my career as an artist. Cheaper parking and rent!
Obviously you’re a painter. How did you get into painting GIGANTIC murals, and are they all of the Green Monster?
I have always had an innate creative ability. However, painting was not a medium I favored. I have taken only one painting class, and it was a color study class I took while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I have painted a few Patriots themed rooms, one Celtics, and no Bruins or Revolution. I am trying to visit all Major League ballparks, and in doing so have come to learn that there is nothing quite as iconic in all the sports stadiums I have visited as the Green Monster.
One painting class and I’ll be able to start doing this?! There has got to be more behind that.
Well art for me is a passion. In terms of work I spent eight years in Art Administration creating opportunities for artists that I would much rather have afforded myself. In 2004, on Leap Year Day, I took a leap of faith ….and for the past seven years I have been self-employed as a full-time artist.
When I first started painting murals it was at the request of siblings and friends interested in creating a fun space for their little ones on the way. It seemed as though the majority were rooms for little girls. I have 13 nieces and nephews, with 10 girls and 3 boys. When the opportunity arose to paint a room for my nephew Stephan, I asked my brother and his wife if I could paint a room inspired by Fenway Park. I painted his room in May of 2004, before the Sox won the World Series. In the Fall of 2004 I painted my first full reproduction of the Green Monster.
You said the other day that part of the inspiration for painting a Green Monster in every state was that because of you weren’t able to travel as much as you would like. Now that you are starting to become well known as the go-to person for these sorts of murals, how has traveling been?
At the request of transplanted Red Sox fans, I have packed my brushes and traveled to bring a piece of “home base” to clients. As far as painting Fenway Park, I have done murals in Tacoma, WA, Hobe Sound, FL, Cary, NC and Lorton, VA, to name a few. My slogan is: “Have Brushes. Will Travel.” I am up for going anywhere. I have made it a quest to paint a Green Monster mural in every state before Fenway turns 100 in April of 2012. I am calling it the “Monster Challenge.”
It’s funny though: One of my more memorable paintings is one that most Red Sox fans are not happy with. In November of 2010, I was flown down to Del Ray, Florida by Bucky ****** Dent himself, to paint a Monster depicting his 1978 home run against the Sox for the Bucky Dent Baseball School.
I can see why Sox fans wouldn’t be too happy with that. Well back to New Bedford and a little more personal stuff: Where is your favorite place to eat in New Bedford?
Choose any spot on Purchase Street between Union and William and you really can’t go wrong. I enjoy Cafe Balena as a special treat… it takes me back to my days in Italy.
What are some of your other hobbies and interests?
I enjoy building things, wood working, the beach in the winter, and doing my part to keep NB clean… Litter Sucks!
To learn more about M-C’s Monster Challenge or to see the locations of her Monsters painted to date, visit www.mclamarre.com. She also has a pretty good blog you can view HERE. This past spring she completed a Monster Road Trip making painting pit-stops in CT, PA, VA, NC, and NJ. Time for Red Sox Nation to step up to the plate!
If you know someone that you think should be spotlighted please let us know, email Info@NewBedfordGuide.com. Provide us with a name, contact information, and a short paragraph on why they should be chosen for a spotlight. There are hundreds of interesting people doing amazing things in the South Coast area that the majority of us know nothing about, like M-C Lamarre, Frank C. Grace, and Adrian Johnson. Help us spotlight these amazing people!
