Perhaps Eden

I’ve simply got no excuse. Life got in the way and I haven’t kept up with my newsletter. I hope you’ll agree, this one is worth the wait. Several years ago, I was most fortunate for the opportunity to paint these two murals in a lovely Westchester, NY residence. They were respectively for the oldest child, a girl

and her younger brother.

A few years passed and there is now another sibling, a little girl, whose room was ready for its new mural.

This mural was an opportunity to use part of the existing landscape- a fairy tale like pond with its own stone bridge, calling your name softly if you stop to listen. There is also a tree that holds many memories for the children’s father, who grew up in this house. The swing still hangs on the same branch. Shh….you can still hear laughter. A perfect setting to place all the children.

Billowing clouds frame the composition, a nod to my client’s vision that this is their Castle in the Clouds. Forgive these whimsical references. Believe me, you can feel this. This world is both real outside the walls, and just as real in the painted scene that begs you to join them. The design process on this mural was not as direct as I thought it would be. It started that the child whose room is would be would be mostly like pictured from the back, so that as she gets older, it would still feel appropriate. A request was made to have her siblings included, but in a minor way, as well as her parents, seated on a bench. Many locations were listed that were important to Dad, having grown up here, and places where the parents now enjoy with their family. Frankly, it was a lot. These are the beginning sketches.

The clouds became less important, the children-all three-became a focus. And we arrived at this final sketch for approval. 

So let the painting begin.

Here’s a progress shot. 

And with no further ado… The finished mural. 

I’ve included some closeups so you can appreciate the detail.

And that precious little bench, it measures about 5” in width

So it’s a wrap for this mural and for the year. Thank you to each and every one of you that has read my newsletters throughout this year and from the bottom of my heart, each response I’ve received from you helps me continue on this path…to explore new techniques and accept bigger challenges and become a better artist with each brush stroke.

I wish you a wonderful Holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year.