The Evolution of an Italian Garden: a mural for a hallway
Posted by M&M in Murals & Mural Projects on Feb 7, 2011
Italian Garden mural, installed
I thought it would be fun to share the evolution of a mural from conception to completion. Our client asked us to create a view of an Italian Garden, specifically to include a fountain. We looked at images of fountains and gardens to create a composite sketch. Very excited about having a mural and a little apprehensive about getting it right, they called the next day with a change of plan. Instead of a garden, they wanted to see a panoramic view of the mountains and a body of water. No problem, we replied, you can have both the intimacy of a garden and a panoramic view.
The black and white sketches are scaled to 53″ H x 6″ W.
Our client opted for the second version, with the arches and decorative apron below the window sill.
We were ready to proceed to the next step, a full color sketch.
First color sketch
second version
As you can see, the tall cypress trees were eliminated, exposing more of the mountains and body of water in the background.
third version
More shrubbery was trimmed away, giving the mural a more spacious feeling.
The mural is laid out on canvas.
We cleaned up the architectural elements to lay out the mural on canvas. My original idea was to bring the fountain into the foreground. The pool looked much better in a traditional design, though. The fountain will need to be placed in the center of the pool, leaving an area in which to plant some water lilies in the foreground.
I glean all of my visual reference from books and clippings I’ve made over the years.
visual reference for statuary
ochre columns
The background and the architectural elements are painted in. The ocher columns do not work as well as we had thought. We decided to change the surround to a warm grey.
Italian Garden Mural
The best part of painting a mural, for me, is the flowers and foliage. I love the way it contrasts with the straight cuts of the stone. Is there anything prettier that flowers in an urn? We’ve decided that the surround needs to go a little deeper to contrast effectively with the stone in the interior.
The Italian Garden mural, installed.
Our client now has a view of their beloved Italian coastline here at home.
This mural will be available on our website, printed on canvas and over painted to enrich the details. The printed mural is 6 feet wide x 53 inches high and easy to install.
Italian Mural by Murals & Moldings
Loved these sketches. I have been trying to find quality originals of both Italian and Japanese Garden landscape, with little success. Can you point me in a direction in this regard? Many thanks
Thank you! I have had enormous fun with my client developing this mural. I, too, love the seminal stages of the creation. I browse photos and paintings, plucking elements that I find appealing and orchestrating them to create a scene that is completely original, yet looks as if it has always been there. There is a wonderful dream-like quality to this one, I think.