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Blank Walls

© Jo Murphy

Here is a blank wall. It is blue. The owner prepared it for me so that I could paint a seascape at the end of his very pleasant swimming pool enclosure. He bought acrylic house paint and painted the sky a tone lighter than the sea. It was left for me to determine exactly where the horizon line would be.

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I was given a CD with two preferred seascapes as a suggested starting point. I devised a design that captured a lot of depth and space. I began painting. Using white student-quality paint in bulk quantity, I drew up the design. Assuring the client that I could change the design as the initial blocking in stage progressed, I emphasised that I felt confident no immutable mistake could be made. The basic cartoon was sketched onto the wall. Approximate colours were blocked in. They were quite dark as no toning or shaping was attempted. Here is what the design looked like with a Coco Palm leaning into the picture plane. Remember this has been painted with a very 'wishy washy' paint so that it can be quickly, 'blanked over' and redesigned.

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Hmmmm! Well, together we changed our minds after much discussion. We decided that the shape of the Coco Palm didn't reflect Australian sea culture. Instead, I drew one directly from the surrounding poolside environment. This looks more authentic. Here is the changed picture.

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The initial stage of mural creation requires skillful non-defensive communication. Purposeful, honest directed questioning can help the process.

• "Does this scene look settled to you?"
• "Are you happy enough with this scene - that you are comfortable living with it?"
• "Do you like the basic design?"
• "Colours influence our emotions. Remember that as they are shaped they will become much lighter. The real paint will be much stronger and the shading and contrasting will give the entire picture a lift. Does this appeal to you?"

This phase of the development will be a pleasure for both parties if it is respected as a learning partnership. The artist may find it useful to teach the client about the stages of mural development just before each stage is about to happen. Because they understand the process, the owners will not fret about how flat the images look or why patches are missing. If the artist tells the client about how waves are created and water is caused to glisten, he or she will appreciate the planning, forethought and skillful execution. This makes invoicing and payment a tad easier. The client will have an understanding of each itemised element of the account.

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