Work Begins on Lafayette Mural

Artist’s Rendering: Willoughby Corner in Lafayette, Colorado

I’m so excited for the opportunity to create this mural for a new housing community in Lafayette, CO, sponsored by Boulder County Housing Authority. The architecture firm on this impressive project is HB&A, a women-owned small business in Colorado Springs. These are two great teams to work with!

My sketch for the mural is inspired by Lafayette’s committment to birds. In 2019, Lafayette became the first Bird City in Colorado. Yes, there is such a designation. The “Lafayette Birds!” program includes a monthly birding tour led by expert guides at Greenlee Preserve. It’s open to birders of all levels (even beginners like me.) The preserve is next to the gorgeous Waneka Lake, a true gem of this community with views of snow-capped mountains to the west. I’ve enjoyed visiting this lake for many years, thanks to my friend Steve who lives next to this community treasure. We’ve spent evenings on his deck watching birds and various backyard wildlife and days walking or jogging around the lake. I’ve watched geese, flickers, blackbirds, pelicans, herons, hawks, a great horned owl and a bald eagle on my visits. Local residents have identified more than 250 species of birds there.

You can see a rough sketch of the painting below but the final mural will contain several more birds. I caught up with Martin Ogle, Education Coordinator with Lafayette Open space, who leads the “Lafayette Birds!” program. According to Martin, this place is extra special, in part because it’s a migratory stopover for birds from Central and South America. The fact that there are so many species in Lafayette is indicative of the health of the ecosystem. Ornithologist and volunteer Megan Jones-Patterson, who led the birding tour we took in March showed us an amazing array of birds. With their help, I’ll be adjusting the next iteration of the painting to include more of the appropriate species.

I’ll be creating the painting at scale – across 4 wood panels for a total size of 7’6″h x 13’w. Contact me to sign up for my emails and follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates as work begins on the full-scale painting this summer. You can also stop by my studio gallery in Salida, CO to watch the work happening right here. Completion scheduled for Fall, 2024.