Local Artists Paint Fitness Mural at Civic Recreation Center-August 13, 1985

People working out in the Civic Recreation Center‘s Nautilus room soon will be able to look at the wall and see exactly what muscles they’re toning, thanks to some creative work by two Norwood artists.

Robert Morrissey, 19, and Jim McCue, 22, both Norwood High School graduates, have been commissioned by center recreation Director Gerry Miller to paint a mural in the weightlifting room at the Nahatan Street facility. And they hope they’ve chosen a subject that will teach people something while giving them some enjoyment. Morrissey was recruited through the efforts of his high school art teacher, Margo Mancinelli.

McCue heard about it by word of mouth. “I heard about it through some friends that Rob was going to do something, so I called him and said, ‘Let’s do it together,'” said McCue, of 397 Walpole St.

The mural shows five people working out on Nautilus machines and uses cutaways, revealing muscles that they are using when exercising. Morrissey said he hopes people will benefit from being able to refer to the mural, but also said he’s getting something out of it as well. “It’s also good practice for me,” said Morrissey, of 56 Bullard St. “The thing that really interests me is anatomy – this is the perfect job for me.”

Morrissey and McCue are both students at the Rhode Island School of Design. This fall, Morrissey is going to Rome to study art and anatomy. McCue was working at Bird Inc. in the graphics art department before he decided to go into business for himself while pursuing a technical and scientific drawing certificate through a two-year program at art school. “I wanted to get into doing illustrations and this is really my first big job,” McCue said.

The mural was planned by first taking pictures of the machines with people on them. Morrissey sketched in the muscle configurations based on his knowledge of anatomy. A graph was then placed over the pictures, and each block was transferred on a larger scale onto the wall.

“We’ve been working on it for about three weeks,” Morrissey said. “So far the commentary has been pretty good. I’m pleased with it.” Morrissey is using acrylic paints to do the figures, while McCue is using an air brush. Both had high praise for each other’s work.

McCue admired Morrissey’s ability to paint free-hand, while Morrissey said McCue had an amazing grasp of the difficult artisanry and skill involved in air-brushing. They expect to have the painting done within a month, when Morrissey leaves for Rome.

(Reporting by Katy Corneel and photography by Tom Tajima for The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger