Origami Snake

Project Team:
Steven Ochs of the University of Arkansas
Gerald Taylor of Images in Concrete
Assisted by Tamryn Doolan of Surface Gel Tek
Students from Franklin Police and Fire High School of Phoenix

Sponsor:


Project Description
The sidewalk adjoining the bus arrival area outside the Children's Museum of Phoenix is adorned with a new mural that will help teachers and parents keep children organized when they line up to board and exit buses. Southern Arkansas University art professor Steven Ochs and concrete engraver Gerald Taylor conceived and applied the design. In keeping with the museum's imaginative spirit, the mural takes the shape of a 100-foot-long, brightly colored origami-style snake with its head pointing to the gate. The local community also got involved. Students and faculty from Phoenix's Franklin Police and Fire High School assisted in the color application along with Tamryn Doolan of Surface Gel Tek.

Ochs and Taylor collaborate on public artwork projects such as the snake mural and they gave a seminar on that topic during the Decorative Concrete Spring Training sessions in March. Taylor specializes in freehand scoring and engraving of murals on concrete. The design was transferred to the concrete using chalk and his Quick Draw design and layout tool. Then he used an angle grinder track tool to cut the short straight lines. Some cuts were freehanded using an angle grinder equipped with a crack chaser that allows really smooth cuts. The defining edges were darkened with a sharpie marker. The final step was to apply two coats of APF Polyurethane 250 Sealer System and broadcast aluminum oxide for improved slip resistance.

The wonderful vivid colors seen in the snake are from Smith Paints. Ochs and Taylor use the full system when working on existing concrete. First, the surface was prepared with Smith's Green Clean. Then each segment of the snake's body was stained with Smith's Color Floor with Smith's Base Boost additive. Finally, to maintain the colors long-term, the area was sealed with a product from Arizona Polymer Floors known to work well in the high heat of Arizona summers.

Smith's Green Clean was used to prepare a concrete substrate by cleaning as well as producing a moderate surface texture. This product is a noncorrosive biodegradable gel that is used to increase the adhesion of Smith's Decorative Concrete Products because proper surface preparation is particularly important on older concrete and often decreases labor.

Smith's Color Floor, a water-based, extra-strength stain, was used to give a natural appearance. For long-term value, an additive called Smith's Base Boost was used to promote substrate adhesion for base colors as well as increase the stain's durability. Smith's Color Floor stains already achieve excellent mechanical adhesion as a result of the modified acrylic carrier, but Base Boost added to the Smith's concentrate produced an additional bond by reacting with the unhydrated calcium hydroxide in the concrete.

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