Multi-media Garden Mural: How to Create

Question from Heidi:
I was hoping to speak with you at the Master Gardener Fall Seminar on Oct. 2. Unfortunately, with the room changes & my duties as a “badge checker” in other classes (your’s is always the first to get fully assigned!), I missed catching up with you.

I watched an interview of you by Dennis Morgino aired a few months ago, & was enthralled by your mosaic wall design. My boyfriend & I are designing the landscaping at our new property in Spring Valley, & believe this could be incorporated into our yard. We’d love to come to your home & see it “up close & personal”. I’ve always enjoyed hearing about all your creative ideas on gardening.

We are available on weekends, altho we will be on vacation from Nov.7-Nov. 21 this year. If you are open to our visiting your garden, we’d love to hear back from you at your earliest convenience.

Answer from Pat:
I made the mural in my garden in 2002. Then a miracle happened. The minute it was done—within a couple of weeks later, I got the inspiration for the 92-foot long Del Mar Library Multi-Media Mural, using the same techniques and color scheme as the mural in my garden. I saw the whole thing in my head including a whole flock of pelicans. Within one hour I had told this inspiration to my 2 daughters and one friend. That friend subsequently introduced me to a friend of hers, Betsy Schulz, another muralist. Within three days I had met Betsy Schulz and she immediately said yes to helping me. Within a month or two we got the permission of City Council and Design Review and we had raised $10,000 already from Pam Slater Price. Other donations followed. Within one year of our meeting, and after I had worked full time for one year on the Library mural and with the help of 80 volunteers, including 4 fellow sculptors, the mural was completed. Most of our volunteers were Master Gardeners—I had handed out a sign-up sheet at all my talks. The Del Mar Public TV company made a video about the process. At the urging of the library, I wrote a book about it, but it poured out of me in the form of a story for children or adults and with a big hidden message in it. Artists just don’t know where their great inspirations come from but it is not them. In my story it is the Santa Ana wind. You can purchase a copy of the book from the Del Mar Public Library or from my website. If you mail me your address I will send you a copy of the VCR of the mural story. I have a whole slide show about the mural in my garden and how to make one like it. I gave this slide show about 10 times in San Diego County and Orange County. Several people have made walls like the one in my garden.

The Library mural is on Old 101 at 13th street in Del Mar. I would love to have you see the mural in my garden, but I can’t. My garden has been closed to visitors, other than family and friends, for some years at the request of my insurance company. (Too lengthy to explain here.) I am currently scheduled for complete reverse replacement of my left shoulder; this operation is coming up soon. I will be home with a nurse after coming out of the hospital. Recovery takes three months. Between now and the operation I am totally swamped with work. Please see my website www.patwelsh.com for more about the library mural and an interactive photo of it. The important things to do include: Make sure the support is in good condition. (It can be a solid concrete wall or it could be a concrete-block wall over which you put a coat of mortar mixed with concrete glue for strength). Use the finest quality of thinset when attaching all pieces. Design the mural carefully. Decide on a color scheme (ours was the black of river rock, the terracotta of rusty objects, red brick, and terra cotta sculpture, and soft green tiles. (Soft green looks fabulous—it “pops” or “sings”—with terra cotta. I kept insisting on sticking with this which makes for a harmonious look.) Of course other things were mixed in but the major colors were these three on both murals. Create original tiles if you wish or use what you already have, including memorabilia. I included many antique items like old gears and machinery. Measure the space to be covered. Cut builders paper EXACTLY the size of the mural. Lay the paper out on your patio or in the garage or on driveway. Lay every item you are going to use on top of the paper and arrange like your design. Ask one or two artist friends to come look at your design and make suggestions and edits. Then assemble your mural. I used Mexican river rock for background. As you work be very careful to keep the face of things clean. Clean all thinset off the top of everything before quitting each day. Use volunteers to help. Grout the entire thing when you are done. You can seal the grout if you want but sealants sometimes peal off objects.