Memorial Mural proposal

Church on the Hill concept
Church on the Hill concept

Last month I met with a committee of a large church in McMinnville to discuss options for a memorial mural for their upcoming playroom. The size of the wall to be is roughly 1900 square feet. The concept is to use landscape scenes from the Northewest but with children playing here and there. Perhaps the children are walking up a path, playing in the creek, climbing a tree, swinging in a tire, riding horses and bikes, etc. We would start with depicting three children from the church who have passed away. If, over time, other children run off to Heaven, we could add their portraits, too.

To find inspiration to compose the scene, I gathered photographs from my favorite online image subscription service, Clipart.com. Then I laid the chosen photos next to each other within a drawing of the wall, complete with doors, water fountains, and balcony. This collage activity helped me, but I really wanted to start painting. I found a large canvas to work on and added the composition from a couple of thumbnail drawings I did on a postcard.

On Day 2, I refined the light and dark areas, added the barn, outhouse, and set the path with flowers. On Day 1, I nailed down a general composition.

This smaller painting will give the committee and I a place to discuss details and scale.