"Beautiful City"

Sharpie and watercolor mural on cotton paper

Exceptionally close and fond of working together, the Maples collaborative watercolor piece was created in layered stages combining various themes of interest. In keeping with our great love of stories and storytelling, first we used black sharpie markers to draw our tales, with each Maple adding their own ideas. Beginning with our fascination for construction, we made a cityscape, and building on that, filled it with fish, pizza, flowers, hearts, mountains, snails, and various other creatures to create a world that became quite abstract. Finally after the drawings were complete, we added watercolor to bring the drawings to vivid life. When the painting was complete, a few Maples added some final details with sharpie markers until it was just right.

Beautifully framed courtesy of FTCNS parent, Ross Marten, from The Alley Gallery in Evanston. www.thealleygallery.com