Murals for Mom & Baby
I have been making suggestions and implementing artistic designs for walls for over 35 years, and that experience has taught me a few things. I have come to realize that visual arts, when truly understood and utilized to their fullest, provide more than just adornment or decoration. Subject matter, color scheme, contrast, composition and design can move people, emotionally. When a family begins to plan for the arrival of a new infant, they rarely think about the emotional aspects of their new environment, or its potential to be made visually supportive and nurturing.
Highest on the list to create the perfect nursery has been the furniture choices. Perhaps a rocking chair is selected to address the need to comfort and console the baby. Parents who know the sex of the baby begin to pick colors that seem to fit, while others reject that idea and go for neutrals. Childlike themes are selected. Whole rooms are built around a favorite comforter, or sheet set. At this point I am called in to create a mural that ties it all together, and while this can be effective and satisfying, the results rarely maximize the potential of custom murals, particularly for who will best be impacted by them; mom.
My radical suggestion for the modern nursery is to create an environment that enhances serenity for Mom (or the main caregiver). It will be many months before baby can respond to imagery on walls, and even as a toddler, pointing out painted butterflies for example, will do more to calm Mom’s state of mind than high contrast art deemed to stimulate newborn visual acuity. There are other activities better suited to that.
In the nursery, when intimate and tender care is given upon awakening and going to sleep, comforting the emotional state of both Mother and child can be enhanced by creating visuals that conjure happy memories, happy moments, treasured locations. As a muralist, I have created murals as diverse as Candy shops (candy familiar to Mom’s childhood) all the way to Beach Scenes, which aid in quiet and meditation. When my client tells me she loves being in that room, then the best outcome has been achieved. In my opinion, artwork that takes Mom into a happy or serene emotional state of mind has achieved both décor enhancement and parenting enhancement. An unstressed, un-aggravated mom has a much better chance to console and remain patient with a colicky baby, looking at a wall of happy memories as opposed to a six foot high SpongeBob. Now, lest you believe I have a disdain for modern cartoon characters, nothing could be further from the truth. My intention is to awaken people to the potential that exists in visual arts that we do not tend to think about. Where many gravitate to simple color matching; art with sofa, art with bedspread, and art with wall paint, there is so much more that can be achieved. You can say something with your design. You can enhance a child’s self esteem, even vision casting their future. Imagine a mural of a little boy riding on a rocket, with the words, “helpful,” “kind,” “strong,” “wonderful” like a modern day Charlotte’s Web, appearing in the stars. Additionally, themes like the ones I have suggested do not tire or become dated with new trends. They are timeless.
These are the concepts and ideas that make custom mural art multi-faceted and life affirming. Murals enhance the beauty of the room, tie color schemes together, as well as influence the emotional state of mind. It has been said that we are only limited by our imaginations. That is true. And sometimes all we need is a little prompt to explore the things that truly give us the most joy. Rather than choosing from art and imagery that may not emotionally move you, imagine yourself looking around in your baby’s room, and access your greatest hopes, happiest thoughts and memories, your greatest joys…and dream a little.
Yes, it can be painted on your walls!