Sanctuary Gardens Murals

Survive2Thrive Foundation is an organization dedicated to providing sanctuary to survivors of domestic abuse. When opening their newest home, CEO Courtney Santana wanted to make it more welcoming and inspiring for the ladies by commissioning a mural to reflect the growth to be done at Sanctuary Gardens.

The Lotus Pond Garden Mural

She’d been referred to me by a mutual friend. After seeing my work, she was interested in my take on her garden mural idea. While visiting the home, she told me gardenias and lotus flowers would be significant for the survivors, so that rooted my creative direction.

After being given a couple of different concepts, Courtney decided to go with the Lotus Garden sketch. I met on-site with one of the program coordinators to review paint swatches and go over design adjustments. Then, I did a basic digital mockup of the sketch on the wall with the selected colors, so I could get a better feel for how I was going to use them. (See Concept & Process Photos below)

After 7 hours of preparation, painting this 12’10″x7’10” mural took a little less than 18 hours total, split up over two weeks. The first week I spent getting some base coats laid. I free-hand drew the concept onto the wall, using a chalkline, level, pushpins, string, and various colored chalks.

The second week of painting, I enlisted the assistance of fantastic local artist, DeLoné Osby, to make sure that the deadline for the opening night would be met. She was the perfect choice to execute the 16 gardenia flowers dotted across the landscape and detailing the greenery. The lotus garden mural was completed on October 21, ahead of schedule.

“Plant Your Own Garden” Hand-Lettering Mural

After the on-time completion of the Lotus Garden Mural, Courtney asked if I was able to do lettering work. She wanted a quote from botanist Luther Burbank on the wall of the activity space set up in the garage: “Plant your own garden & decorate your own soul.” I assured her that I had both the graphic design and painting experience to facilitate her request.

Since we’d just worked together, I had a better feel for her approval process and provided an early sketch of my first idea. She loved it and wanted me to go with it. I spent a few hours getting the design balanced out and ready for digital projection. (See Concept & Process Photos below)

Painting this mural took a little over 8 hours over two days. Again, I was able to deliver ahead of schedule, on the lower end of my 2-3 day time estimate, and completed this mural on November 6.