30 days in August

As much as I set my mind to blog once a week, I've already blown that goal and am now posting a full two months since my last article. I've been a very busy girl and have four murals, three faux finishes and 9 cut out and painted characters two show for it! When I'm not busy I'm crying and when I'm busy I'm crying. I suppose that is an artist for you.
My month of August started out with a friend asking me to check out this new home and garden center opening up in mid month and would I want to do a booth in it. Well here I am now and I did two finishes in the reception area, a mural for a landscaper's booth and a faux finish for my own wall along with a trompe l'oeil window. In the midst of all of this I had a gig to start for a new Goddard School opening up in the south part of town that wanted two large murals and mascots for each of their 9 rooms. I have to say that I've not worked so hard in a very long time. My house has not been this thrashed in a very long time! I've finished all with flying colors, except for my own booth which may never be totally finished in my head anyway. (never good enough in my head, most artists can identify with this I think)
I have to say that I truly was blessed to land such a wonderful job as The Goddard School and to have it as sort of a respite in the midst of working a much more trying job (or two) at the Home and Garden Center was probably what saved me from going absolutely crazy. I had a great time designing the characters and the owners were so kind. Here is the main mural finished, and yes, I should do a better job piecing the photo together, but I've got little energy left and you can get the idea anyway. The wall measured 10 foot 10 inches square oddly enough and is facing you as you walk into the school.

The very creative couple who own the school had this great idea of "Come explore our world" I love it when a client can articulate what is in their head and I am just able to interpret. We had nine class rooms to represent in the mural and the animals were each put on a continent with the explorer in the ocean. It couldn't have worked out better.
Next we decided that a procession of the animals walking into the school along side the children as they enter would be in order and this is what I came up with for the entry hall.

I had an absolutely wonderful time painting this one and hope to do more like this.

I have great pics of the mural and finishes in the home and garden center that I will share on the next post.