A big step forward.

Yesterday I was alone with the mural. For three whole hours! Not completely alone; the turtle, bearded dragon, and a few other creatures that inhabit the nature center were there to keep me company. For a variety of reasons, it had been a while since I had gone to work on the mural. The room had been temporarily unavailable, there was an earthquake, then a hurricane, then one of my beagles got really sick...just a series of things that made staying home seem like the right thing to do.

Driving over there with all my stuff, I knew that, since camp was over, there wouldn't be any kids around.  I was looking forward to some quiet time and getting a lot done. There can be a social aspect to painting, but for me it is mostly a solitary activity. I do my best work when I can give it my full attention. So I went into the room, turned on the lights, and looked at the mural. It only took a moment for her to speak to me.

"You're here!" she said.
"Yes, I'm glad to be back. What shall we work on today? Maybe I'll put in the kingfisher or work on the copperhead" I replied.
She laughed, but she was firm when she said "Oh, no you won't! Just sit down and spend some time with me, and I'll tell you what I need".
I hesitated, knowing that it had been a while since I'd worked, and really wanting to "get something done". But I agreed to sit, just for a minute.
"What about all the plants?" she asked. "It's fine for you to detail a bird or two, but I think you could make some important progress if you skipped the details for now and looked at the bigger picture."
"Hmmm....." I mused. "Maybe you're right."

And she was right. Aside from the trees, I had only chosen a few other plants and needed many more to make the mural full and complete. What were they, and where would they fit? I knew I needed shrubs, flowers, and grasses. It was time to get out the reference books and take a look.

I buried myself in the books with great results. Just to name a few, the Virginia Creeper will go on the Mockernut Hickory tree along with the holes made by a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Poison Ivy will go on the Tulip Poplar. The Southern Lady fern will give shade to the chipmunk, and the Cardinal flower will not only give a great splash of color, but it will provide food for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The Virginia Willow has a delicate white flower, and the Twisted Sedge and Appalachian Bluet will fill the nooks and crannies among the rocks on the stream banks.  It was a cross between planning a garden and working on a jigsaw puzzle, and I loved it. The three hours flew by, and look how much I got done without even lifting a paintbrush! I am feeling newly inspired.

There aren't any photos of this part of the work, so I will leave you with a photo of a large painting I did a couple of years ago. This painting was also a "jigsaw puzzle" of sorts, the different sized and colored pieces needed to fit together perfectly to make it work. The main difference is that the mural is realistic and this painting, my version of the Tree of Life, is pure fantasy.

Tree of Life, 24x36, acrylic on canvas

Steady Pace

It's been a while since my last post, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working on the mural. I was hoping to finish the water, get it photographed, and then do a post, but it took me a lot longer to finish the water than I thought, and I'm still working on it. I am building the shoreline as well, and will have pics hopefully next week.

The ed center is being used for other purposes for a few days, so I can't really get in there to work, but it gives me a chance to reflect and plan. I get excited when I walk into the room now, and see it growing day by day. Working on the images close to the ground is tough. I have to sit on a low stool or on the ground and hunch over. Many times I'm thinking about how much it hurts instead of what I'm doing. I'm looking forward to working my way up, so I can work standing, or at least sitting in an upright position. I'll be able to do longer days that way.

It's been fun working while camp was in progress, seeing all the kids enjoying themselves, and getting to know some of the counselors too. Camp ends this week, and it will be a different experience when I get back in there next. A lot quieter, for sure!

For now I will leave you with a before and after picture. The Great Blue Heron is the first creature I have done detail work on. While the sketch takes a few minutes to put on the wall (not counting the initial sketching time and prep work), adding the details takes several hours. I will go through this process with everything in the mural.

Great Blue Heron sketch

Great Blue Heron detail