Lookin’ Good

Casey Milbrand, BA '03, has created colorful murals all over the City of Buffalo and in Niagara Falls, too, transforming nondescript surfaces into vibrant art with his signature precision, hand-painted lines and custom typography. After receiving his Master of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology in 2008, Milbrand eventually returned to his hometown to create pen and ink illustrations and interactive sculptures, along with nearly a dozen murals.

What inspired you to make Buffalo—and, in particular, positivity about Buffalo—the central focus of your work?

I lived in Chicago for a while. Even when I was there, I remember calling Buffalo “beautiful” and people making fun of me in class. My architecture history professor said, “Casey’s not lying—Buffalo is beautiful.” And so my goal was really to showcase Buffalo and the light I saw it in.

Your art has led to a sense of place and experience.

Yes. The veterinary office for my dogs is right next door to the “Greetings from Buffalo” mural, so there are many times I go by it. I see people jumping in front of the mural, taking photographs. I have taken photos of people in front of my mural—it might be a wedding party. That’s the part where the mural lives on beyond my design.

How do you begin a mural?

I try to cleanse my brain and start from scratch. Because every wall is different; every neighborhood, every context is different. My goal is to bring out the best in Buffalo. There’s so much to pull from.

Muralists often have to deal with all kinds of surfaces.

The surface prep is the most important part of the mural. Some walls I’ve seen, people are like, “I want a mural here.” But I tell them, “I can’t, I’m sorry. It’s beyond the scope—it’s not going to last five years.” The “Greetings from Buffalo” mural—it’s been four years and it’s still looking great.

How do you scale your designs to these really huge surfaces?

When I measure the wall, I start drawing it to scale. Then I try to project it in three sections on the building at night. Imagine, I’m lining up these lines on the projector in the middle of the street. And then I go and sketch the lines quickly on a scissor lift.

You’re planning a mural for an organization that helps homeless families?

Yes. In some ways, those projects, even though they’re smaller, are more impactful. Because when have you gone to a homeless shelter that has a beautiful mural? It’s got to affect your mentality. [It’s] simple things like that. When you drive around the city and see these murals, it cheers your day.

How long does a typical mural take you—from initial ideas and making sketches to the final product?

I’ve gotten faster at some things. “Greetings from Buffalo” probably took six months of planning and about  four months of design. It took me about a week to design my last mural. I’m getting faster at the painting part, too. It took me about three weeks to paint the last mural—just because I’m more confident as I paint.