Painting a Mural for a Church

Getting the composition figured out took me a few days. When I presented my final sketch to the church I still felt I hadn’t gotten all the bugs out, but felt confident I would. Some people felt the mural should progress from the cross, to the tomb, to the ascension, but with that peak in the center of the space I kept coming back to the ascension in the center.

Another artist I showed my composition to suggested I got rid of the steps in front of the tomb as the rock wouldn’t roll into place to close it the way I had the steps. A good suggestion indeed! The church liked and approved my sketch, and the debate then moved onto which colors should be used. The mural would be the first thing you see entering the church. Some people wanted muted color, some wanted warm colors, some wanted bright. My preference was for warm or earthy colors.