A Journey To Capricorn

When I finished the murals in this yoga studio/office in a private residence, I was filled with mixed feelings. There had been a lot of research about the subject matter and personal stretches for me as an artist. The largest wall in the space is upright for 40”, then breaks forward at a 45-degree angle, following the roof line. Painting at that angle was a new experience, and to be honest, even if I were twenty years younger, it would still be physically taxing. There was the big sigh of relief that it was done and I was more than happy with the work. Time to clear out my paints, brushes and patterns and my mess of the work space and return it to the serene space it will become.

But I greet completion with a little sadness. I loved every minute of designing and painting. I learned so much. I am grateful to designer Chrystal Toth for her direction and encouragement and to my client for allowing me to create a magical place. All murals are not created equally. This one asked for a piece of my soul, and I was glad to give it.

Enough about me, let’s look at pictures! This room is a visual feast. Here is the original sketch for the main wall

Now, your first view.

A little note about the window. It used to have a busy molding which was eating about 3” of width around the window and very distracting. Enter Chrystal to the Rescue. “No problem” she says. “What do you need?”. And she made it as simple as that. Off came the woodwork, and it was replaced by a minimal shoe molding that I painted to the very edge. Go on, please enlarge this one and take a look at how cleanly the frame integrates into the mural.

There are stories within stories in this mural. The constellation is easy. My client is a Capricorn, the Seagoat. But the similarities only begin there. The mountains represent the challenges in her life, the journeys. Look closely, there is a miniscule mountain goat on one of the peaks.

The point of reaching one goal but knowing there are other mountains to scale.

There is a small fire burning brightly at the bottom.

The five elements are represented in this mural-wood, fire, earth, metal and water. They represent the fundamental forces of the interrelated phases of nature. Metal is perhaps a little difficult to see in the photos, but there is silver in the constellation markings, and gold in the dynamic mandala border.

Here is the entire room. I reduced the size of the mural a tad from the original sketch to allow room for the chair that will go in the corner. I didn’t want to block a huge chunk of the border. I promise to share pictures once the carpet is installed and the furniture is in place.

You can barely see the third wall in that last photo. There you will find the Hamsa detail that measures 30” in height.

The first picture shows it simply blocked in with white paint so you can appreciate its size.

The second picture illustrates its marvelous detail. The Hamsa is a symbol of protection. Its Eye of God wards off negative energy and brings blessings, power and strength.