Office Mural: Version 2

I have a wall in my office that I like to practice murals on. (You can read all about version 1 of that wall here) This summer, after I got back from my father's funeral services, and various other events and travel, I painted over version 1 in all blue. A mural titled "Giant blobs of happiness" didn't fit anymore...

Hey, even Picasso had a "Blue Period" :)

Anyway, I've had a very strange and sloppy journey through grief, and I'm learning to live with it. It's a part of me now. I think it has been for awhile now.

I was stuck when trying to think of what this version two of the mural should be. I left it for a couple months. I thought maybe I'd redo my office to be aquarium themed, and paint it as a fish tank. I sketched it out, and sat on the idea for a few weeks, and that didn't fit... A total redesign didn't feel right. I did rearrange things, and put some things back in place.

Something was still off... So, I focused on other things for awhile. The days got shorter, and I realized what I wanted in my basement office was more light, more cheer.

The solid blue just wasn't working for me anymore.

Here's the process:

I call this one: "Moonshine & Sun Bright" Overall, I spent about a week's worth of mornings updating the mural, and it was a really therapeutic exercise for me. I didn't have a solid idea when I started it, but I just started playing with the idea of two circles and went from there. (I used the same paint from my first mural, so I didn't need to worry about creating a new color palette)

The style of the moon and the sun are meant to be inspired by "The Starry Night" by Van Gogh and the moon is meant to represent the grief felt after loss, and the sun represents life after death.

I will always miss my dad, and I know I'm in a strange season of life, but he was a big fan of art. He would've preferred if I channelled my grief into creating new things, exploring my skill sets, and learning how to pick myself back up again to move forward. This mural is dedicated to anyone experiencing grief of any kind, just remember it's temporary, and there is light on the other side. Be gentle with yourself. (I'm trying to remember that as well)