A massive piece of artwork is being created in the eyes of the public. 

The artist, Markus Linnenbrink, was asked to paint a 118-foot-wall in the lobby of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts' Hamilton Building. 

The project, which is currently in progress, extends from the welcome desk to inside PAFA's Museum Store. "The museum decided to change the lobby because it looked corporate. They wanted to signal to the outside world that this where things happen in terms of art," Linnenbrink said. 

Linnenbrink is best known for his vibrant horizontal layers of paint. He creates the effect by holding the brush against the wall, allowing the paint to drip down and collide. His artwork uses angles that create a unique experience for those who approach his art.

"There's a story about this writer, who wrote his autobiography and it started like 'I carved my first Picasso into my mashed potatoes and my parents realized I was on to something' and then he decides he wants to be an artist," said Linnenbrink as he laughed. 

He further explains what led him down the road of creating abstract art. "I kind of always wanted to be an artist, when I was 14 or 15, a friend and I used to draw in class because we were so bored. We would pass the drawings back and forth."

Linnenbrink was born in Germany and attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, he created wall paintings since 2002. "I started a very minimal and basic thing, you take a brush, you take liquid color and you walk and hold the brush to the wall. Its such a simple activity when you think about painting. I wanted to have all these colors communicate with each other because it mirrors life."

"You meet people and there are interactions, we experience it all the time and its nice imagery for that," he added. 

Linnenbrink started the job on Monday with the help of three PAFA students. 

"It's exciting and cool to meet a professional artist," said Cait Clements, a recent graduate who also creates drip paintings. 

Matt Chapman, a sophomore in the graduate program says he and Linnenbrink have a few things in common. "Working with Markus is awesome, we both have a lot of the same ideals when it comes to the process of making art, I make drawings that are inspired by nature and the world around us."

Second year graduate student Nadine Beauharmois said "I'm a painter interested in color, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to work with Markus."