Mural Monday - Unused spaces

Ana Gabriela
3 days ago
2 min read

After finishing the Evergreen Community Garden overpass mural, I received a message from someone who had fallen in love with that project. She told me how much she appreciated the year-round garden concept and asked if I would consider recreating that feeling in her own backyard.

She had an unused space that felt dull, especially in the winter months. During the warmer seasons, she pours so much care into her garden. But once the flowers stopped blooming and the gray skies rolled in, that part of her yard would lose its life.

She wanted to see flowers year-round.

Naturally, I was all in.

Bringing Evergreen Home

There is something really special about when public art inspires private commissions. The Evergreen mural was created to uplift an entire community through long, rainy seasons. To take that same spirit and translate it into someone’s personal space felt incredibly meaningful.

We designed a floral scene that would feel vibrant in every season. The goal was not to overpower her garden, but to complement it. A mural that would bloom even when the real flowers were resting.

It became a painted extension of the work she already does in her yard.

Fitting It Into a Busy Season

At the time, I was also working on a large scale mural project, so this backyard transformation had to be squeezed into an already packed summer schedule.

Long days, tight timelines, and moving from one big wall to another.

But it was absolutely worth it.

There is something restorative about painting florals. About layering color and building life into a wall. Even in the middle of a hectic season, this project felt joyful and grounding.

The Final Result

By the time we finished, that once unused space had transformed completely. What used to feel empty now felt intentional. What once faded in the winter would now stay bright all year long.

And seeing her reaction, knowing she would get to enjoy her garden in every season, reminded me why I love residential murals so much. They become part of daily life. Part of morning coffee routines. Part of quiet winter evenings.

WATCH THE TIMELAPSE

What It Taught Me

This mural reinforced how powerful it is when art solves a seasonal problem. It showed me that murals do not just beautify spaces. They extend them. They fill in gaps that nature, time, or weather leave behind.

It also reminded me that sometimes the projects that squeeze into the busiest seasons end up being the most rewarding. When something aligns creatively and emotionally, you make space for it.

And finally, it showed me that Evergreen was more than a single public mural. It was a concept. A feeling. One that can live anywhere someone wants to see beauty year round.