Sat, Aug 12th, 2017 This story began in West Palm Beach, Florida in March of 2017. I met Peter and Lauren at an art show on the last day and they shared how much they enjoyed my work. "Do you make custom pieces?", Peter asked. 'I sure do,' I responded. I'll be in touch," he said. And sure enough, he was.
We began discussions about their home, the color scheme and the idea of a heron in the bayou. They emailed images so I could see their space and understand their aesthetic.
Lauren and Peter wanted earth tones to match their thoughtfully designed art wall in West Palm Beach. They had a beautiful & simple palette and wanted my interpretation of Heron in the Everglades to fit their home.
Once the drawings were complete and we agreed on a design, I began my work in clay. The heron sketch came to life, the soft ripples of water with lily pads floating about and a few water lilies added that quiet pop. The grasses all around give the viewer the feeling of looking at the water and suddenly, noticing the quiet elegance of the heron. Stillness and quiet were my driving force with this wall mural.
After the bisque firing the 'Heron in the Everglades' was glazed. I used a soft palette of gray-blue, white, green and ochre. The golden of the ochre was the backdrop to the silver-gray water. A slight pop with a dimensional white lily on a green pad pulls the eye down and then the heron appears in focus. She is tall & quiet.
The golden background pulls the colors of their primitive art collection together, while the smokey grays and whites pull the piece together and allow Heron in the Everglades to fit perfectly on this West Palm art wall.
Thank you, both for your collaboration. What an honor and pleasure to work with you both.
For their part, after I left the installation, I received this text:
"Dear Brenda, Lauren and I are in love with the piece you created for us. We keep going back to it as the light changes and it takes on different shadows and colors as the day turns into night. We wanted a piece of art that blended with our existing art, what you gave us is the centerpiece that everything else looks like it was bought to compliment. We will enjoy it forever. Thank you, Lauren and Peter
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