How my mural journey began in a storage room #
Mural painting is definitely one of my most special and enjoyable “working experiences” during the Latin America Trip. I got this idea from a friend we met in Malaysia. She painted a few murals as volunteer, in exchange for food and accommodations. I thought, OMG what a dream job to just paint everyday while everything else is being taken care of by the host?! I have painted a lot but never did any murals… the biggest size of paper / canvas I did was A4! I felt excited by this new idea but also somewhat insecure… What if I mess up? The large-size “failure” would live on for a very long time, judged by many people!
The turning point was when I talked about this idea with Britta, Jannes’ mother, she immediately proposed that I could try and practice with one of the walls in her storage room! Wow… the opportunity came way faster and easier than I expected! The room was already cleaned and tidied up because I had been using it for Pole sport, so everything fell into place very naturally. Britta told me that she would likely take down that wall in the future when renovating the room, so no pressure if I mess up, but also no hard feelings when my mural is destroyed. It sounded like a pretty great deal to me and helped ease my insecurity as well because she was so relaxed about it.
The first step was to come up with an idea or design, and this time unlike any painting I did before, I had to think “bigger”. Will this painting look nice and interesting on a big wall? How will people react to it? What thoughts or messages do I want to put into the mural and how does it fit the room? I drafted a few ideas and my favourite was a giant cat peeking through the window. I wanted to create the image of a window in the wall with some cup cakes and coffee on a table. A giant cat would peek inside with curiosity, perhaps secretly planning to steal a cupcake. But then I changed my mind as I realised how often I paint or draw cats, and the big bubbly eyes of the giant cat might be intimidating for some people as well. I still loved the idea of an animal peeking through the window, but I decided to choose a less common animal that Britta would also enjoy: a giraffe! I quickly drafted on paper with just pencil and it looked nice!
Now the colours… I already decided it should have a “warm” tone to make the storage room in cold Germany warmer and cosier. However, I prefer not to predetermine the exact colours but to design them as I go. We checked all the colours Britta already had and bought the missing primary colours, allowing me to mix any additional shades I needed. The initial design was made, the paints with primary colours were ready, and Britta already had all sizes of brushes and containers, even the carpets to cover the ground. As first timer, of course I googled the general guideline for mural creation and suggestions, which were very helpful! So my first step was to actually test how well the colours blend and cover up each other. Then I painted my whole canvas with the base background colour - light yellow. I drew everything first with a pencil just to get the proportion right and gather an initial impression. The pencil version looked nice, and while I felt excited to continue, I was also a bit overwhelmed by how much preparation work was involved…
Now, I could finally paint!! The painting process was incredibly meditative and relaxing. I put on some chill music, prepared some red wine and just immersed myself completely into the wall painting process. As I worked, I decided to make the giraffe’s colours and patterns abstract and surreal, which turned out great! The wall was big, but filling in the colours went much faster than I expected. It was really satisfying to see the mural getting more and more complete and detailed. What surprised me was how well the paints blend with each other. I really enjoyed blending the colours to create more 3D effects for the giraffe’s face. I spent an entire day working on the details, but I knew it was important not to get lost in them, as that could go on forever… Instead, it is important to very regularly zoom out to look at the big picture. It was such a rewarding feeling to see the finished mural.
Well, ‘finished’ is a relative term, as a mural might never truly be complete—there’s always something more to fix or add… So I needed to force myself to stop.. I cleaned up all the brushes and containers, sealed the paints, and thereby made sure I couldn’t continue to work on more details. Britta was very happy with the mural and it does fit her storage room very well! With such amazing support and facilities, I completed my very first mural, feeling lots of pleasure and peace during the process as well as satisfaction with the outcome! I uploaded the photo on our Workaway profile hoping to attract some more mural painting opportunities as volunteer. Oh, and Britta already asked me to paint more walls in that same room with jungle vibe so I am quite looking forward to that!
Arte y Arena in Chahuaca, Mexico #
Thanks to my valuable mural painting experience in Germany, I was quickly invited by an art residency in Mexico to paint a mural as a volunteer. After reading all the feedback left by other volunteers who had worked there, I felt incredibly happy and excited about the opportunity. I remember feeling anxious in Germany about going to Latin America, as I had heard negative comments about how dangerous and rough the environment could be… So it felt like a relief to receive the invitation because it brought me something concrete to look forward to among all the uncertainties laying ahead. I knew the experience was going to leave a deep mark in my heart and it certainly did not disappoint. Looking back, it might have been the most mindful and special painting experience I have ever had!
I remember the day when we arrived at Arte y Arena (AA). After taking 2 buses, 1 boat and 1 taxi, I felt exhausted. As soon as we entered the property we were first “welcomed” by the crazy mosquitoes, which attacked us as if they hadn’t tasted blood for weeks… Jannes, who is almost always calm, even panicked. I thought to myself, how do we survive here? As we walked toward the sound of waves, my mood immediately lifted when the beautiful, long, empty beach appeared. That is when we saw Matteo, the owner of AA, watering the plants. The first day we just settled down and chilled on the beach. I was sitting on the white soft sand, stretching my legs while gazing far along the beach, appreciating such a raw, peaceful and remote paradise. The evenings felt long without light or electricity (including Wi-Fi), but this made it easier to be present and simply enjoy the starry night, the sound of giant waves, and conversations with Matteo and the other volunteers. Some more background info about AA: the owner, Matteo, is an Italian guy and works for a media company in London but he lives mostly in AA in Mexico. He bought the property 2 years ago and has been building more cabins and planting more plants. It was insanely impressive how much he has managed to build with just 2 short years! The vision for AA is an art residency where he could host many artists to be in this natural paradise and create art.
I was very lucky to work on mural painting because heavy physical work in that environment was extremely challenging due to the intense heat, humidity, sun, and, of course, the crazy mosquitoes… I only tried one day and I was so beaten up after just a few hours. Unfortunately, Jannes and another volunteer had to plant coconut trees there, which required lots of digging. After just 2 day, Jannes decided to leave earlier, mainly because the mosquitos were unbeatable. I felt sorry for him because I really really enjoyed the mural painting. Of course the mosquitos also bothered me a lot, but with my great passion for painting and tons of mosquitos repellent it was not a big problem for me anymore. To me the biggest problem was cooking with fire and I was very dependent on the others to make the fire. The kitchen is right on the beach and is definitely the most special kitchen I have ever seen and used. The stove is made mainly of bricks, and we cooked with fire on it. It’s fully open, so the wind and rain affected the cooking a lot. One evening it was getting dark and we were still cooking, the wind got stronger and kept blowing the dark smoke in my face and eyes, and then suddenly a storm came. Within just a few minutes I was soaked with rain and felt very frustrated, but Damian (the other volunteer) said we were so lucky because the food is just cooked right before the rain put out the fire… That is true, we cannot control the weather but we can indeed focus our mind on the positive aspects. The kitchen was surely our favourite spot for chilling with the spectacular sea view. Now if I think about it, at all the places we have volunteered the kitchen or dining area was always the chilling and socialising place.
Matteo gave me the whole sea-side facing wall of his cabin to paint. It was so close to the beach that I could hear the waves and smell the salty sea air. Matteo is such a laid-back person, he gave me his full support and trust for the mural painting. He didn’t even ask what I intended to paint, nor did he want to test my painting skills. All he asked was what colours of paints I need. I could tell that he had quite some artist come to AA and how much he loves to support artists. But perhaps precisely because of such pure trust and support, I felt pressure to perform and not let him down. As the beach cabin is so close to the sea I decided to go for a water theme. I didn’t just want to create something “good looking”, but I wanted the mural to tell a story or convey a message.
In the end, I decided to paint a human-form sea elf diving into the deep sea to free a heart locked in a small golden cage. Whose heart is it? That is left for imagination. So just like the steps I took in Germany, I drafted the design on paper, painted the background with ocean blue and then sketched the sea elf with chalk. I have to say it looked quite ugly in the initial phase, and I felt a bit insecure. After all, this was the first time I was “hired” to paint as an “artist”. But soon I overcame my insecurity and started just enjoying the process without worrying too much about the outcome. Sometimes I had no idea what details to paint or what colours to use next, but the moment I held my brushes and stood in front of the wall, I got ideas again. I loved the feeling when my ideas just flew so naturally and the freedom of experimenting different colours with an open mind. I felt so present and peaceful that even now, when I close my eyes I can still recall the feeling of the gentle breeze on my skin, the smell of the sea and the sounds of waves and seabirds singing… When it got too hot I would just go for a quick, refreshing swim in the sea and back to paint again. For many moments, I literally couldn’t tell if I was in a dream or reality because it felt too good to be true… Even the mosquitos would leave me alone after a few days painting there, I guess they were either tired of my blood or they wanted me to concentrate better. ;P My biggest challenge was time, as I only had less than a week to finish and without the sun light it was all dark so I could not continue painting anymore once the fun was down. That is why I really needed to manage my time well, and very importantly, prioritise the most important features instead of the details. It was a really helpful exercise for me as I usually care too much about the details and spent lots of time on those… When I finished the painting, of course I was happy and proud, but I also felt there was so much more to be added or improved… So with this mural I enjoyed the process more than the result.
Indigena Cafe in Costa Rica #
It was a surprise to get to work one more time on a mural in Costa Rica. Before I came to Indigena Cafe we did not talk much or agree on what I will be doing, so I came there prepared to do physical work. But Gianni, the owner of the cafe, gave me the task of painting his 3 sides blackboard, which is also his front desk to make orders. I was super happy and surprised! Jannes was asked to help improve their website so it was also quite easy and chill for him. Gianni pays the local workers to take care of his property like cleaning, fixing things and watering the plants, so we did not have to do those. I believe it is better this way because the workers are already familiar with the place and know exactly what to do, and they also make income from working for the cafe. Unlike many other communities or projects we volunteered at, that are usually non- to low profit organisations, Gianni’s cafe does make income, which, however, depends quite a bit on the tourism seasons. When we were there in October it was low season so we really enjoyed the peaceful vibe. Gianni was very relaxed with our work and gave no pressure. We talked to him thoroughly to ensure we understand the requirements.
I think among all the murals I have done, this was one with just the right amount of requirements and freedom. Gianni asked for a Maya style mural, and for everything else, I could just be creative. At first I wasn’t sure what Maya style really is, and somehow I came up with more ancient African style design. Luckily Gianni was direct enough to point it out and explain that he prefers Maya style that fits better with the cafe. So I did more research on Maya style and tried to design something that could also fit with the blackboard well… It was tricky but definitely great exercise! The first 3 days were mostly spent designing and agreeing on the content for the text and menu. Perhaps because it is not the typical style I usually do, I felt a bit insecure and even stressed… There was lots of writing involved and I have never been proud of my own hand-writing! How do I write beautifully on the big blackboard that will be read and needs to be understood by countless customers? Then I found the way… which was just to copy exactly the font that the owner liked. We typed it out first on the phone or laptop then I copied it just like coping a reference photo, letter by letter, little by little. It was really a big challenge for my patience and my back too (as I needed to stand still on a tall ladder)!
10 days passed, and I finished the 3 sides of the blackboard. Well, almost finished, there was still some more text to be written, but that could be done by Gianni as well, so I focused on painting with the limited time. The results looked pretty satisfactory and much better than I expected! Later, this feeling was validated through the great feedback my work received via Indigena Cafe’s Instagram post with over 450 likes and 100 comments. After reading through the comments, I realized it was also the post that got the most likes and comments in their page. I know I should not seek external validation, but when I saw so many positive responses, it did really boost my confidence to create more mural art! So slowly but surely my mural journey continues!
Protopia Community, Costa Rica #
There was a small “drama” in Protopia where I almost made a mural as well. Although it did not work out, at the end it was still a good learning and interesting experience. Long story short, the communication was a mess. The owner of Protopia is a European entrepreneur who started the community but then moved back to Europe for his business, hiring 2 young managers to manage the community. So in the beginning I was talking with one of the managers only about the ideas and designs. She was very into jungle-woman illustrations and sent me a few examples as well. To ensure the design fits her preference and the overall style of the community I drafted a design of a woman showering in a waterfall that is also the long silky white/blue hair of a jungle goddess. I personally really liked and was proud of the design, and the manager liked it very much too. So after getting a GO I started painting the background. But that was when I got the news that the owner did not like to have people in the murals and rather preferred abstract art… It was completely different from what we discussed and agreed. And honestly I am not experienced in abstract art, as I usually do illustrations of concrete things that inspire me. Only sometimes I add some more fantasy and magical effects to make it surreal and creative.
I felt quite upset about the sudden change and disappointed that I could not create the mural according to the original design anymore. It reminded me of the “office time” when I had many different stakeholders wanting different things and I tried to prioritise and fulfil most of their requirements. But that was my office job and this is art! They then sent me a few more examples of the “abstract style” and asked if I could create something “similar”… It felt like they only wanted me to “copy” the design that the owner liked, and as an artist, I didn’t feel free or encouraged to make art in my style. I understand the managers were just doing their jobs and tried to make their boss happy. So I tried to meet each other in the middle and drafted a few abstract designs according to the examples they sent. And after a few days without any responses or updates, they finally told me that I better just paint the woman in the jungle as I originally designed… But by then I only had 2 days left before leaving the community. It was clear to me that I needed to say NO and spend the rest of my precious time with the community friends on the community events and natural building work that I totally enjoyed. So that is what I did, and I felt very happy about that decision. Although it was not a successful mural painting experience, I did learn something about effective communication and listening to your heart instead of always to your bosses. ;-D
My learnings #
There are many big differences between mural painting and paper/canvas painting. Undoubtedly, mural painting is generally more challenging mainly due to the big scale. It requires a lot more patience and attention to the “big picture” rather than small details. For perfectionists, mural painting could be super frustrating as there are always things to be fixed, improved or added. The more you look at the finished work, the less finished it seems… But with the limited time the artist needs to prioritise what are the most important components of the mural. It also felt like a lot more responsibilities and mental pressure because like it or not, the painting is on a big object and will be looked at and “judged” by many people. That is exactly why mural painting is an amazing opportunity to get myself out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in areas I am not usually good at: being patient and trusting the process, looking at the big picture instead of over-stressing the details, remembering that sometimes it is better done than perfect, and overcoming my insecurity about being judged by others. To continue my Mural art journey, I definitely want to practice more and hopefully find my own style along the way.