Green Roof Mural

I'm excited to finally share the finished mural collaboration I've been working on with Haruka Ostley for Yew Chung International School.  (Have a look at the  sneak peek I shared a few weeks ago.)

Haruka and I teamed up to revitalize the school's Green Roof. What is a , you ask? Essentially this means that part of the building's rooftop is covered with live vegetation. A green roof can help reduce stormwater run-off and also lower a building's cooling costs, among other benefits! (There's your science lesson for the day).

We certainly don't possess a green thumb between the two of us, but we do know how to paint.  So while we didn't attempt any form of gardening in this green space, Haruka and I did want to add visual interest in other ways.  We felt that painting a mural to brighten the walls would make it a more inviting, friendly area, and would encourage teachers and students to spend more time on the Green Roof and to use it more frequently.  By drawing greater attention to the space, we also intended to increase student awareness about important environmental issues.

So, taking a cue from our greenery-filled environment, we chose some unusual flowers from Hong Kong's Flower Market to replicate in large scale on the two main garden walls.  You'll notice that I worked in a naturalistic painting style for this piece (compared to my usual stylized illustrative work), but it was a nice challenge to revisit traditional painting techniques and observe from life.

I love how this mural turned out, and I think the finished piece provides a strong impact for the space - eye-catching, bold, and a celebration of the natural world.  (Side note: I painted the yellow flower; Haruka painted the pink and purple one!)

"Sunburst", my finished mural.  More mural picafter the jump.

My wall in progress. Midway through the painting process. Haruka's wall in progress.Haruka at work.  Haruka's finished flower mural.