One Thing Leads to Another

Okay, I was lazy... I didn't post my progress every day as planned. Actually, the problem was more like I didn't bring my camera every day, so then I would take photos with my cell phone, which in turn would languish in my cellphone because I didn't want to bother forwarding them to myself. So, yeah, I guess that's lazy... but it's done! It's been done for almost a week and I finally went over to the school this morning to take a proper photo before the sun came over the building. I still want to take a photo with all of Katie' Kids standing in front of it, so I have to co-ordinate that yet.

Painting this mural was fun because of the kids and their interest in the process. Usually on their play time outside, a few of them would venture down to where I was painting. I created a barrier with my paint gear boxes so that they couldn't invade the space I was in, but they could watch me from the other side. One day, when I was about two thirds done with the mural, my little peanut gallery was busy watching me as I was stirring the brown paint. I was getting the usual, "Hi, Miss Sarah's Mom!" and "Watcha do-ing?". I was talking to them as I was stirring the paint when little boy came up behind the others and said quite matter-of-factly, "You need to be done!" Which made me snicker to myself and think of the Pope and Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, "When will it be done?", "When I am finished!"

It was taking longer than expected, not in hours, but in days because I could only work before the sun came over the building. Therefore, I only worked 5 or 6 hours a day. A few times I tried taking a break for about 4 hours until the sun sank behind the parking structure across the street, but soon realized that the building I was working on had absorbed the heat from the sun and would radiate the heat back on me as I tried to work. Once I got down to the last panel, I tended to be shaded enough that I could work all day.

The original plan for this mural was different. I had actually designed it so that there were 4 flowers and they were all similar to the one on the far right, in shape. The color palette didn't include blue. The day I was planning to start, I started fiddling with the composition because there was just something that was bugging me. Even though the owner had already approved the initial sketch, the artist in me was just not quite satisfied.... The next thing I knew, I had changed all the flowers, except the one on the far right, to be all different flowers because I started thinking of the children and how each one is unique. I then smiled to myself because I realized the bees were like the school's teachers, helping the flowers/children to grow. (I don't know how visible the bees are to you, the reader, because the photo is rather small. But there are two bees, one on the pink rose and one flying over the blue flower.)

I sent the Katie a text message with what I had done and the reasons behind it and explained the new concept to her. She replied with an, "I love it! and I trust you..."

It's so nice when your client trusts you... :)