This winter, I completed an adorable garage wall mural for a client who happens to be dear neighbor of mine. The design was inspired by her appreciation for art nouveau, and it featured elements that were meaningful to her.
In conversations with my neighbor, she mentioned a love of flowers and animals (with a particular fondness for the often misunderstood possum). Far from the demon hell-spawn sporting menacing, sharp tooth-filled grins as they are often made out to be, possums have a number of positive qualities that are actually quite beneficial to humans.
Fun Possum Facts:
1. They are immune to rabies.
2. They eat ticks that carry lyme disease (but they don’t contract it themselves).
3. They are nature’s pest control- feeding on insects, rodents, and snakes.
4. Your garden loves them too! They eat snails, slugs, and rotting fruits.
In this design, I wanted to portray these playful young possums as they deserve to be seen in a more positive light.
My neighbor-client once told me a funny story about catching a bear red-handed as it was attempting to break into her yard, so I decided to commemorate this humorous event by incorporating a sneaky-looking bear on one side of the painting. Across from the bear, is the image of a loving black dog. My client has two small black dogs that were always excited to greet me whenever I showed up to work with big, expressive, brown eyes which I incorporated into the design as well.
Rounding out the animals is a sweet rabbit, in honor of the beloved family of rabbits that live underneath my neighbor's porch. The rabbit is depicted sitting in front of a hazy mountainscape of my client's home away from home in the blue-ridge mountains.
The many colorful florals and botanicals that adorn the painting include a Caladium plant, Red Hot Poker, Gladiolus, Dahlia, Irises, and Daylilies.
Interested in Hiring Katie?