The Green Monster Muralist M-C Lamarre
Monday, June 24, 2013
New Bedford muralist M-C Lamarre paints monsters. Not the green scaly kind, but, rather, replicas of the 37-foot green left field wall at Boston’s Fenway Park, more fondly referred to as the “Green Monster.” To date, she’s produced 130 monster murals in 22 U.S. states, as well as Nova Scotia and the District of Columbia. But Lamarre doesn’t plan on stopping until she’s painted one in every state.
It all began with a string of murals for the nurseries of Lamarre’s many nieces. When she finally gained a nephew, in May of 2004, Lamarre thrilled at the challenge and painted his room in a Fenway Park theme. Shortly after, she showed her Fenway works at a local art fair. “Soon people started asking me: ‘Can you do one on the side of our barn, can you do one in our bathroom, can you do one in our basement?’” Lammare said.
The Monsta Challenge
This led to the “Monsta Challenge”—Lamarre’s goal of painting 100 Green Monster murals before the 100th birthday of the beloved ballpark, in 2012. She reached that milestone, and has since set her sights on conquering all 50 states. Her motto? “Have brushes. Will travel.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBut it’s not just about the numbers. Although each of the murals reflects historically accurate statistics from a real game chosen by the client, Lamarre says it’s more about the people and their stories. “The reasons why people ask for a mural and choose the game they do became really fascinating to me,” she said.
One project in Hoboken was for an eight-year-old boy who refused to enter his room until the mural was done. “His mother tells me that he reads the statistics on his wall ever morning when he wakes up,” Lamarre said.
Some projects are even more heart-wrenching. “In some cases, they’re a tribute to a deceased relative,” Lamarre said. “I painted the whole side of a 94 year-old barn. It was for a couple in Waterbury, Connecticut. The man’s mother lived across the street and would watch her son play baseball in the yard, so the wall was a tribute to her when she died.”
Another mural was for a young boy who can’t get to the park due to illness, so his parents called in Lamarre to bring the park to him. “It’s more than just a piece of wall to people.” Lamarre said. “By painting their walls, you’re transforming a space they are in every day. I take that pretty seriously.”
Monster Menu
Using Lamarre’s “Monster Menu,” clients customize their own mural using to suit their space and budget constraints. “It’s à la carte,” Lamarre said. “The client picks which elements of the billboard they want to include. Sometimes they choose to freeze the game so the numbers line up to a special date, like the date they got engaged.”
Her dream mural? Having recreated so many versions of the Fenway scoreboard, Lamarre would like to work on the original, now in the Sox’s new training facility in JetBlue Park, Florida. “It needs touch-ups every now and then, and it would be really exciting to be involved in that,” Lamarre said.
Lamarre has also painted murals celebrating the Boston Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots. She has worked on projects with Hotel Hell and Bar Rescue and hopes to continue to diversify her art.
No murals at home
Despite her livelihood, the walls in Lamarre’s own home are a stark white, by nature of her being a renter. Yet, she still manages to infuse her space with her creativity. “My color is through furniture,” she said. “I actually repurpose salvaged objects into furniture. My friends often say I should sell my stuff.” In her home is an antique US Federal mailbox gone shoe rack, desks made of old tables, and vintage school lockers converted into a closet.
Sounds like she already has some promising ways to diversify.
To see more of Lamarre’s work, visit www.mclamarre.com or her Facebook page. To spice up your own home with one of Lamarre’s murals, contact her at [email protected] or on (617) 794-5515.