Finishing the mural June 2014

After what seems to be an unbelievably long time, aka 5 years, I have dedicated myself to finish my mural once and for

all. In the gap of five years, I have gained more inspiration, which has stirred me in to filling the dirty white spaces with vivid colours and designs from the places I’ve been. The stoop itself has two majestic birds fanning out on either side; a peacock on one side, and a firebird on the

other. The peacock represent my time spent in northern India where the peacocks could be heard from the nearby forest and the males frequently spotted in all their brightly feathered glory. The firebird is a mythical creature from Russian folklore—a vision of yellow, gold, oranges and red with a fanning tale ablaze. I’ve decided to incorporate different designs and motifs on the

stairs themselves. The sides of the stairs have Buddhist lotus flowers with Tibetan-styled clouds floating above them. The stairs will have Ethiopian angels on the risers and Senegalese print design on the stairs. There will be Kyrgyz rug design and Turkish or Afghan design worked around it (still figuring that out). Also need to add Ganesh and Hanumanji on the walls somehow. As I paint, slowly covering each bit of white, new ideas come to mind and inspiration unfolds itself like the blossoming lotus that grace my entryway. Photos and writing will continue to appear so keep checking in.