Rough mural design

Rough mural design for the Town of Leesburg, Virginia Private Property Art Mural Call to Artists (not selected).

150 word artist statement:
A mirage of Virginia native botanicals including American sycamore, southern magnolia, Virginia creeper, and wildflowers offer a place of rest to shoppers enjoying the bustling commercial district, inviting them to connect with Leesburg’s wild residents and natural history. Native wildlife including fox, songbirds, and insects peer from within the foliage, and a sunny hollow invites the viewer to participate in the scene, demonstrating our inextricability from the Earth.

The design draws inspiration from the artist’s experience living in Leesburg since December 2021, as well as from her upbringing in an Appalachian railroad town and biological studies in the Shenandoah Valley. The sycamore is based on the dappled beauty by the Loudoun County Circuit Courthouse in Downtown Leesburg. The Virginia creeper vine is a nod to the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad’s affectionate namesake. Accompanying flora and fauna are those she observes throughout her neighborhood and the W&OD Trail.