Your Friendly Neighborhood Strongman

I'm the worst.  THE WORST.  Blogger, I mean, as another year has passed with nary a peep from me.  I taught, I drew/painted things, I went places.  

I'm pleased to be back in the blogosphere with some visual goodies.  This summer, I landed a gig as Project Manager with ArtWorks Cincinnati to create a mural in the fast-growing historic neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine.  With Jason Snell as our lead artist and designer and a team of 9 teens from the greater Cincinnati area, we created a 3,000 square foot homage to Henry Holtgrewe.  

Holtgrewe was a German beefcake and family man who immigrated to Cincinnati in the late 1800s, settling in Over-the-Rhine.  There, he established multiple bars and saloons, and regularly performed incredible feats of strength for his adoring fans.  In 1904 at Redlands Field, he shimmied under a platform on which the entire Cincinnati Reds team was standing.  He lifted the team, platform and all, with his back - an estimated 4,103 pounds!  His descendants, many of whom still live in Cincinnati, have many more stories that have been passed down through the generations.

The man & the legend passed into obscurity, until recently resurrected by Jason, who is deeply interested in Cincinnati's lesser-known historical figures.  He pitched the idea to ArtWorks, and long story short, this is what happened:

(some of) the team, gettin' our flex on

*Photos here via wehavebecomevikings .  If you want to see some of my in-process pics, check out my instagram.