Hubby suggested I paint a mural on the wall of our baby’s nursery. He grew up with murals of the Wizard of Oz and Peanuts characters on his bedroom walls. His parents projected the images with an overhead projector and traced them onto the walls. Quite creative engineering for the 1970’s.
I’ve got quite a bit of experience in the visual arts, so the idea of painting a mural appeals to me, though it’s been a while since I’ve actually painted something. My original idea was to paint Van Gogh’s Starry Night. It’s an ambitious project, but I think I would enjoy it and pull off a reasonable, baby-friendly approximation of Van Gogh’s vision. Hubby requested that I subtly insert a few Star Trek icons into the night sky–a Federation Starship or a Klingon Bird of Prey.
My other idea was to do a motif based on a silkscreen by my friend and mentor, San Francisco artist Nancy Hom. This work is titled Dancer With Birds. It has been widely reproduced and we own one of the original silkscreens. I like how the art is both playful and peaceful, as I hope our baby will be. Nancy creates her art as a voice for social justice and peace activism; I have always greatly admired her vision. Hubby, still stuck on the Star Trek theme, has requested that I make one of the birds in the shape of a Klingon Bird of Prey. I believe this would be doable. And Nancy has already granted me her permission.
Which image would you want for the nursery wall?
george crumb’s musical manuscript of ‘ancient voices of children’
Wilfredo Lam! Or maybe an series of illustrations from great children’s books: narnia, phantom tollboth, calvin and Hobbes. You know, the classics.