Might I have a bit of earth?

In a recent project, I had the pleasure of working with a homeowner in Chicago, Illinois, who envisioned a mural for the wall adjacent to her deck, overlooking her beautiful garden. Her primary request was to feature black swallowtail butterflies, which are her favorite visitors in the garden, and to incorporate a tattoo art style. I researched plants indigenous to the area that swallowtails feed on and picked a selection of those flowers to make the focal point of the mural. Initially, I designed a hummingbird for the upper left corner, but upon her request, I happily swapped it for a fat little sparrow. In line with the tattoo theme, I wanted a banner with lettering to tie the piece together, and she provided the perfect quote: "Might I have a bit of earth?" from Francis Hodgson Burnett's charming novel, The Secret Garden.

The mural is 8 feet wide and 15 feet high, with earth tones extending down beneath the deck to the ground below.