More critters

The next few weeks is all about the critters. I'll be finishing up all the ones that were just sketched in before, and adding all the rest. There isn't really much else to say, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

red fox sketch

red fox with mountain holly

downy woodpecker

piliated woodpecker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

turkey vulture with carrion

wild turkeys

Whole lotta painting, not much blogging.

It's been many years since I thought and talked about work during off hours, but  the completion date is looming and I am spending more time working, so it's only natural. These days the mural is always on my mind.

It's paying off, though. In the last couple of weeks I have made a lot of progress. The tree silhouettes and bark have been pretty much honed in (except for the oak tree...need to fix it), and the levels and placement of hills is done, though I still need to adjust the color some. Boulders are starting to replace barren hillsides, and I have figured out where most of the remaining critters are going to go. I have chosen more plants, and know where they are going to go. I feel good about where I am in the process, and am still thinking about adding things that are not on the list, so I'm doing OK.

The box turtle, possums, and skunk are done, but I can't find the photos I took for some reason so I will add those later.

I added two new critters, and finished the bobcat.

bobcat original sketch

finished bobcat with mountain laurel

Red-bellied woodpecker

Southern Flying squirrel

Ten weeks till completion!

That's right! In ten weeks the mural will be complete! Here's a quick look at then and now.

Then

 

 

 

 

As of 1.3.12

And here is how it looks within the context of the classroom.

Classroom context

Lots of work to be done, for sure, but I expect this final phase to unfold quickly as the pieces fall into place. The next bit I am going to tackle is the Sycamore grove on the right side. Then the hilly area in the center will get some boulders and rocky outcrops.

There is going to be a logistical problem to overcome. I planned to have a black vulture and a red-tailed hawk soaring in the sky above the mountains. Yesterday I stood on the highest rung of the ladder that I felt comfortable on, and I could only reach the tops of the mountains. I think I can do the tree tops and other things that don't require much detail with a long-handled brush. But not the kind of detail required to get the birds to a level of detail to identify the species. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe it's as simple as getting a taller ladder.

Another thing I still need to address is a sealant of some sort. Acrylic paint is pretty tough and you can basically wipe it clean with a damp cloth, so I am not too worried about that. However, over the holidays there was an "accident". Something heavy must have bumped into the mural and took out a nickle-sized area very close to the heron's head. I can fix it, but this kind of thing is bound to happen in a room where hundreds of people pass through on a regular basis, and no amount of sealant will protect from that kind of contact. Maybe we need to think about the possibility of a plexiglass shield for the lower portion.

Chunk of paint missing under heron's chin

This last image is the cardinal flower, which will soon be sporting a summer resident hummingbird.