Zen Garden Massage Open House

If you're a follower of this blog, you would have seen this same shot in November 2009. I painted this mural for Zen Garden Massage in Ames, IA. Sue Wolf, the owner, is hosting an open house this coming Sunday, March 7th, from 2 - 4.

Zen Garden Massage is located at street level in the tall office/residential building on Lynn Avenue right across the street from the Iowa State University Memorial Union.

If you are in the area, all are welcome! Sue has invited me to be there with some of my paintings. I hope you can come.

Zen Garden Mural is Completed!

Zen Garden Mural Progress Report

The ground below the tree and water features are the next to be painted. When Hubby took this shot last night, the work light was pointed to the left which is why the wall color is uneven from left to right.

I have mentioned before that my husband is super-supportive. He even helped with this mural by removing some stray brush marks for me. First we dampen the area with water. Then we use a cotton swab and a dab of waterless hand sanitizer to gently remove the paint. This works well with thin layers of paint that have not cured for more than a day or two.

Oh yeah! I'm sitting on a footstool, and my hair is partially French-braided to keep it out of my face. I've grown so accustomed to having paint on my hands that I showed up at church last Sunday with mossy rock colors on my hand. Argh! A cool trick I recently learned is to use waterless hand sanitizer and a paper towel to remove acrylic paint from my hands (which led to the tip explained above.) Apparently I was so tired when cleaning up on Saturday night that I forgot that step. Usual hand washing doesn't remove the lingering acrylic film, especially on the fingernails. I know matte fingernail polish is in vogue right now, but I don't think this is what stylists have in mind. ;-)

Zen Garden Mural Update

I've made some progress on the mural since my last post. After contouring most of the major branches, I tried painting a few leaves. I was inspired by a Russian Olive tree growing near our nephew's dorm. Painting the leaves is relaxing to me. I was happy to find I could use a green straight from the bottle. The rest of the colors I've used so far are mixes.
I also added some detail to the ground under the tree by painting the suggestion of some rocks. It's probably the most difficult part of the project since I have to sit on the floor while painting this area. It's helpful to have a second pair of eyes sitting across the room while I work. I'm hoping to recruit my husband for the next painting session for this section. He gave me input while I worked on contouring the main trunk and branches.
Thanks to all who have encouraged me with your wonderful comments. I am very grateful for your support. xo

Zen Garden Mural Beginning Stages

Following is a peak at my latest project. I'm painting a mural in the reception area of a massage therapy business in Ames called Zen Garden.

Water soluble graphite was a great choice for drawing the design on the wall. It is easily removed with a damp cloth. Most of the paint I'm using is Liquitex Soft Body. I mix it with Liquitex Matte Medium at about 50%.
Stayed tuned for updates.