The Founder
The studio was founded in 2005 by Michael Kirby who has over 25 years of experience creating public and private work. The idea of Murals of Baltimore began in 1985 when Mr. Kirby started decorating skateboard ramps and undersides of bridges all over North East Baltimore where he copied designs from Thrasher Magazine and various Saturday Morning Cartoons using latex and spray paint. Mr. Kirby has studied mural painting, street painting, and fine art in Italy and Mexico. Mr. Kirby is a leading public artist and street artist from Baltimore, MD, USA. Mr. Kirby has been commissioned and contracted since the early 1990's for his unique and original view of anamorphic or forced perspective street art, more commonly known as 3D street art, 3D street painting, 3D chalk art, ephemeral art, or 3D sidewalk art. This technique of using sharp angles and adjusting the image to the viewer’s point of view was adapted from Kirby's time while creating sets and props for Opera companies and Movie/TV sets in Italy. The technique of forced perspective and 3-dimensional illusions have been around in theatre since the ancient Greeks. Mr. Kirby was one of the first artists to adapt this technique with his own unique style to public art.
In the 1990’s Mr. Kirby was the first American artist to win all the major European Street Painting Festivals and was named a Maestro Madonnaro in Italy and Master Strassenmalerie in Germany. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Michael Kirby is one of the best Street painters in the world."
The Artists
Our artists have studied at various academies in Europe and North America. With our wide range of experience and expertise we are able to guarantee longetivity for all of your creative needs. Whether your needs are for a decorative tromp l’oeil effects or a monumental fresco, we will be able to create the highest quality work with the most effective material available. Our artists have completed work for various clients in the United States and around the world including countries such as Mexico, Italy, Germany, Colombia, and many more.
The Mediums
We take great pride in letting our Clients know that the majority of our materials for our projects are hand made in our studios. The majority of the plaster that is used in our fresco and decorations are aged and mixed at Murals of Baltimore. Our paints such as oils, watercolors, pastels and frescos are made in studio using the highest quality pigments on the market. If a client wants a particular color mixed to their specifications we are glad to accommodate.