I recently completed an unusual commission, a mural refresh.
Not only was I refreshing an older piece of art, but the art happened to be from New Harmony, a historical town not far from my old stomping grounds in Southern Indiana.
I received a call from the owner, who had acquired my name from the local mural society, telling me she had brought the two panels from Indiana to SW Florida. Noting I had an Indiana phone number, she thought I might have heard of New Harmony and be more invested in the restoration and character of the piece. How could I refuse?
First it needed a good cleaning and a few repairs as this mural was at one time stored in a shed. A third panel, now destroyed, was originally positioned to the left of the couple. Carefully, I began bringing the landscape, characters and the glorious Rain Tree back to life.
The experience was quite fulfilling, imagining the original artists, whose signatures I retraced, would probably be surprised if they could know their efforts have been given a second chance at life. A niece of the owner has already spoken up to be the next inheritor.