I Collaborated on a Mural

If you have been reading my blog a while or following me on Facebook, you may already know that I consider creative expression as a fundamental component of well-being.

I have shared with you before that I love to paint. Well, this year, I made a goal that I wanted to paint a mural in 2020. In late Winter, The Plant, a space for artists and community in Tallahassee, put the word out that they wanted somebody to paint a mini mural on a 4'x4' sign beside the building. They asked interested artists to submit a mock-up of what they would paint. I drew and submitted a stylized giant monarch butterfly because the mural was near the alley vegetable garden, and I thought it would honor that space.

The owner of The Plant, an art professor, liked my idea and that of another artist. He asked if we would be willing to collaborate and combine our ideas. We were willing, and we found a way to combine his reclining woman with my celebration of pollinators.

Marq, the other artist, put together a brief time lapse video of our mural collaboration. It's fun. Check it out on YouTube.

I really enjoyed working with Marq, and he was quite willing to indulge my idea to add extra wood so the tips of the butterfly's wings would stick up from the painting as if the creature was flying right out of the artwork.

The Plant has a lot of supplies, including lots of random house paints, which were what we used. We found some scrap wood and some tools that were not exactly the right ones for the job, but we managed with tenacity to shape and fasten the wing tips to the sign.

You'll also notice something covered with paper bags in front of the painting as we work. We were dodging the spines of yucca plants and a big cactus that grow at the base of the mural! The bags and boxes helped, but we still got poked a few times. It was worth it; we had a blast!

Enjoy the video, and next time you are on Gaines Street in Tallahassee, look for our mural between The Wilbury and The Plant. If you take the time to walk up and check it out up close, you will see some smaller bugs and fun surprises for observant people.