Magnolias and Bluebirds in a Personal Sanctuary
I met Amy at a show at Botanologica. She had recently moved to Falls Church and was on a mission to make her new house her own. Installing a custom mural in her bedroom was part of her vision, so she contacted me. I had never painted a mural before, but Amy put her trust in me and let me go for it. Painting at a large scale felt daunting, so I researched to develop a process and build up some confidence going into the project. The painting process took about three weeks, working through the morning most weekdays. There was something really wonderful about leaving my desk for a few hours each day to paint beautiful flowers and birds that would enhance a personal sanctuary – what a gift to be trusted with this project.
I came up with two possible compositions for the mural that featured different trees, birds, colors and structures. We ultimately chose the combination of a Saucer Magnolia and two Eastern Bluebirds, whose electric blue feathers provide beautiful contrast with the large pink flowers of the Magnolia tree.
The finished mural. Amy was kind enough to let me bring my dog along on work mornings, and she was great company.
The mural is painted with both latex paint and acrylic paint applied in layers to achieve opacity and depth.
To demonstrate my ideas for the composition, I broke the project down into three parts: structure, elements and style. Then I used a rough sketch and photos to illustrate the idea further so Amy would have a good idea of what I was planning to put on her bedroom wall. We chose this option but tweaked the color scheme a bit.
Left: I refined the sketch, at top left, then translated it to large sheets of paper that I used to transfer the drawing to the wall.
Right: I practiced transferring and painting on a scrap of drywall before starting work on the actual mural. This helped me save a ton of time on site because I had already mixed the colors many times and had a technique in place.
Detail of the left side of the mural, with an Eastern Bluebird coming in for a landing. I painted the entire tree first, saving my favorite part for the end.
Left: We considered the approach to the bedroom carefully when we planned this project. This view is from the hallway as you walk toward the bedroom door. It’s visible as soon as you turn on the landing after coming up the stairs and draws you in.
Right: Bluebird details. I especially loved perching one directly on the light switch plate.
Left: A few more Magnolia details. I love the way the acrylic paint has a slight sheen against the matte finish of the latex paint when viewed from the right angle.
Right: The mural is visible in the mirror as you stand at the vanity in the master bathroom.
