Swan Studios Mural and Faux Finish Adventures: Sitting on the Dock of the...Front Porch

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Sitting on the Dock of the...Front Porch

Southwest Florida is the place to kick back, relax, watch the glorious sunsets, the dolphins play, and the tides roll in. In Cape Coral we’re know for our canals. In fact, we have over 400 miles of canals. That’s more than any city in the world. So, while we may not have the beaches of our sister cities that are a few minutes’ drive away (okay more like 20 to 30 due to seasonal traffic), we do have the most water front property. My husband and I prefer dining on our lanai every morning and evening to enjoy this amazing place and watch our menagerie of wild life that live in and along our canal.

As a muralist I’m frequently commissioned to paint parts of our great outdoors featuring palm trees, turtles, dolphins, and of course water ways. Typically, they are requested to be painted on a lanai or bedroom. Recently, however, I was commissioned to paint a home owner’s wonderful back yard canal view onto their front porch. Having a front enclosed area is unique in these parts. The home was originally built in the late 50’s and the current owner chose to enclose the front as an additional add-on to the home. A wall section shared with the homes adjacent garage was the perfect place for a mural as the residents love to see out front as much as they love sitting out back.

Taking some artistic liberty, we decided to not paint the homes on the other side of the canal. This custom painted mural allows the owner to enjoy his backyard view as his own personal oasis. It even comes complete with his own boat house and daily dolphins.

Love this angle view:

Dolphins are daily visitors in their canal:

A few of the palm trees exist in the "real" backyard. To keep the scene more serene, the neighbor's homes have been replace with a few more palms and tropical foliage: