Murray Hill artist enters Guinness World Records
Ironically, it’s not a site in Murray Hill which contributed to Murray Hill resident and artist Jason Tetlak’s acceptance into the Guinness World Records for the largest hand painted 3D painting. His mural, an homage to the band Beastie Boys was painted on the side of a building in Brooklyn, north of Riverside.
“After finding a wall big enough to set the record, I was trying to decide what exactly to paint, and the idea of using the location in Brooklyn naturally led to featuring the Beastie Boys,” said Tetlak. The band’s song, “No Sleep till Brooklyn,” is itself an homage to the New York City borough after which the Jacksonville community was named.
Jason Tetlak points a thumb at his world record-setting 3D mural.
Using five gallons of red, blue, light gray and dark gray paint from nearby Brinton’s Paint Company, Tetlak painted the 1,930-square-foot mural on the side of Jacksonville Production Studio’s office at 250 Park Street. He said after first creating it digitally it took him 50 hours to paint over the course of a week in early March.
Tetlak explained what gives the 90-foot-wide by 21.5-foot-high mural the three-dimensional effect.
“Our eyes each see a slightly different image and our brains use that information to create a 3D view of the world around us. My 3D pieces use red and blue glasses to force the viewer’s eyes to each see a slightly different picture that gets interpreted as 3D, and so parts of the image appear to pop out from the wall,” he said.
Although he created the 3D mural this year, Tetlak said he started the process of setting the record a year ago after painting a smaller 3D mural at 4560 Lenox Ave.
“First I had to get the concept for a record approved, then I created the mural, which then needed to be measured by a certified surveyor,” said Tetlak. “He created a report on his measurements, which I submitted to Guinness, along with statements from a number of witnesses who were on hand. Guinness then had to review all of that information to determine if I had succeeded.”
Tetlak found out he did, indeed succeed, when he was notified July 24 by Guinness World Records, who will send him an official certificate.
President of the Murray Hill Preservation Association, Tetlak has been on a mission to turn the century-old historic neighborhood into an art enclave. He was instrumental in getting a public mural project off the ground two years ago, which has resulted in nearly two dozen murals that have sprouted up throughout the community.
By Kate A. Hallock
Resident Community News
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