Friday, June 12, 2009

It's Been Awhile

Before I began the greatest career of my life (a.k.a, being a mama), I painted murals for money. I enjoyed the flexibility and of course the creativity of this business. I didn't enjoy the sleepless nights filled with worry and that sick-to-my-stomach feeling that came when I hoped I could do what was in my mind and the mind of my clients.

This one was fun! I did it for my Mom and Dad and all of their grand kids. It's in the "Reading Nook" in their new home affectionately named "Stone Hill". My mom watched the girls when they were awake so it was a nice creative break for me for a couple of days. I still want to make some changes (like making the castle and the hot air balloon not so detailed and a little bigger) but for the most part I'm pleased. I thought I'd share some of the process...

Just a little info: The countryside is supposed to represent Scotland where my Dad served a mission for our church. The castle is modeled after Sterling Castle which is where my mom's ancestor Robert Gardener was at one time imprisoned for his beliefs. Shortly after he was released, he fled with his family to Canada. They were later converted to Mormonism and his son (my great, great grandfather Archibald) came to Utah where he and his family settled. If you are ever in Utah you should check out Gardener Village named for him. The purple plants are a rough representation of heather, it grows all over the place in Scotland...I thought it would be fun to add a little history to make it a bit more meaningful.