Sonoran Desert Mural in Our Bathroom

Since we first met, my hubby and I have wanted to put a mural in our home. I actually wanted to do a Sonoran Desert Landscape Mural in Frank's nursery, but it just never happened.

When we started setting up Shadona Central Speedway (this house), I decided to put that mural in our downstairs, half-bath. The room is a 5'x5' square with 8' ceilings. The walls across from and beside the toilet are the recipient's of the mural. So. Basically, we have a 7' x 8' "canvas" to work on.

I wanted my Mom's help with this project, so, on her recent visit we started got started.

• Day 1, I painted the sky and sand. She painted the base coats for the mountains, red-rocks, and saguaro.

• Day 2, Mom detailed the background landscape, the pueblo, and started working on the rock and tortoise portion. She also penciled in the items right beside the toilet.

• Day 3, Mom painted the cluster beside the toilet (quail, nest with eggs, rattlesnake, prickly-pear, ocotillo).

• Last minute, she painted the hare and hawk shadow.

I use the term "day" rather loosely here, since a great deal of the work was done during the night, when my Mom couldn't sleep.

My Mom has been *pestering* me for some pictures of the room... it just took me OVER TWO HOURS to piece together 22 photos to create this collage, so, you can get a feel for the whole mural at once...


Note that this is actually painted on two adjacent walls, with the corner going right down the center of the Saguaro (large, tall cactus with "arms").

We have a lot more animals we want to add to this mural. So, it will be a work in progress, on her visits and as I get up the nerve (and go buy the paint... wouldn't you know I gave away my paints just before moving here!) to add criters and things one bit at a time.

Here's a list we are thinking of adding:

1. Hawk flying in above door frame. Mouse in Hawk's talons, on the way to hatchings in nest (on the door frame).
2. Roadrunner
3. Cactus Wren
   
4. Gila Monster
5. Horny Toad
6. Some mystery critter staring at you, as if sitting on toilet tank.
7. Hummingbird (feeding on Ocotillo)
8. More / bigger Ocotiollo branches (it is a little small for my scale).
9. Butterflies
10. Scorpion walking across top on the light switch plate.
11. Tarantula
12. Black Widow Spider and Web
13. Owl in hole on side of Saguaro
14. Woodpecker (probably pecking a hole in "side" of mirror on opposite wall.)
15. Cactus skeletons.
16. Ants
17. Javalina
18. Mesquite Tree
19. Indian Pottery / Archaeological "finds"
20. "Hidden" Kokopelli
    

Also, I want the mural to go to the floor, and right now it's about 15" off the baseboard, so, I think I am going to have to add wildflowers to the very bottom.

I'm sure there are more things for this list, I just can't think of them right now. As you can see though, this collage I've shown you is JUST THE BEGINNING! :D