When the games room manager of Union South asked student desk worker Philip Salamone to cover a worn-down storage box with stickers, he had no intention of inciting a major two-year redecoration of the basement bowling alley.
Salamone, an art major who graduated last year, spent hours painting the box with muted green and bright red acrylics in 2003.
Shocked at the result, Recreational Services Manager Bob Wright said he promptly offered Salamone another assignment: replacing the faded yellow bowling alley walls with several floor-to-ceiling oil paint murals at his usual hourly wage.
And for the artist with a relaxed, distorted and colorful technique, the freestyle project was a dream come true.
\If I could just play with oil paints my whole life, I would be a happy boy,"" Salamone said.
For the past year and a half, Salamone has been working on three murals to replace the painted brick. While each piece is unique, they all share his manipulation of perspective, smooth finish and imaginative detail.
Though incomplete, Salamone's first mural, a psychedelic orange bowling alley scene that spans 24 by eight feet, rests against the far wall of the eight-lane alley. In the neighboring ping-pong room, his second piece, a dark, outer-space bowling universe leans against the wall in unhinged panels.
The Student Union will fund his third multi-panel mural, one Salamone said will emphasize bowlers more than the sport.
Even without his third edition, patrons and workers have already taken notice of the paintings.
""I think they're awesome,"" said alley desk manager and UW-Madison senior Stephanie Powers, who has worked at the bowling alley for four years. ""I think they'll definitely add something to [the basement].""
While other free-lance artists prefer featuring their art in museums, Salamone said the Union South bowling alley is the perfect place to show off his talent.
""It's cool because it's average dudes here,"" Salamone said, explaining that he would rather paint for regular college students than art critics.
Salamone added he enjoys the consistent paychecks, which he said is hard to find as a free-lance artist.
After completing the Union South bowling alley by the end of this summer, Salamone said he will be able to focus completely on his next project, a Wausau bowling alley.
To view more of Salamone's work, visit www.pjsal.com.
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