“Exploring the Senses” Storytelling Community Mural Art Installation
“Exploring the Senses” by Portia “Po” Chapman. This 5’6″ circular mural is the centerpiece of an 8-piece installation at the Base31 Sensory Garden.
“Exploring the Senses:” A Collaborative Art Installation.
The Sensory Garden at Base31 is a permanent, community oriented sensory exploration space for children and children at heart. It designed to foster a deep, whimsical connection with the Land through nature-based play stations. The community garden achieves a unified harmony through an integrated storytelling art installation by Kingston artist and mural painter Portia “Po” Chapman: the central 66-inch “Exploring the Senses” mural, a series of 5 site-specific bilingual sensory station lollipop-like signs, and digital illustrations that frame notices and the garden map upon the information billboard by the entrance. Handcrafted by Po at her private Kingston art studio and wood shop, each element was meticulously designed to guide visitors through exploration stations — Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, Moving, and Touching — while mirroring the surrounding landscape of Prince Edward County. The collaboratively cohesive approach of intersecting art installation with landscape architecture ensures a vibrant narrative 365 days a year.
Base 31 Quote: “While you explore the grounds, pay attention to your surroundings and the gorgeous art mural by Portia Chapman. Take note of the signs “Exploring the Senses” also by artist Portia Chapman, that you will find in key spots around the garden.“ See Base31 page for more information.
Technical Resilience and Seasonal Impact
A hallmark of this art installation is its exceptional technical durability and visual impact across all seasons. The brilliant, UV-resistant colours used in the mural and signage were specifically chosen for their longevity and high-impact saturation, allowing the artwork to appear as naturally integrated elements of the florally abundant summer season while popping vividly against the stark white landscape of a Canadian winter. Through a sophisticated exercise in colour theory, the signage is colour-matched to the natural landscape, garden plants, Base31 buildings, and the mural’s vibrant hues. By creating the art installation in Kingston while the garden landscape was being crafted by many helpful hands in Picton, the entire project’s timeline met its culmination together. The interwoven collaborative success of this project serves as a tribute to the functionality of art installations in the making and usage of public spaces.
Documenting the Journey: From Concept to Community Landmark
As you continue through this page, you will see the progressive creation of the “Exploring the Senses” art installation: from first site visits and mural design to the installation’s celebratory, public reveal (fall 2023) and its current physical vitality (winter 2026). The following photographic documentation highlights the power of storytelling art within a treasured public space and children’s play-based learning environment.
Speaking at the 2023 Sensory Garden Grand Opening, I had the honour of revealing the finished storytelling art installation to the community. During this presentation, I shared the inspirations behind the “Exploring the Senses” mural and explained how the three integrated components—the mural, the bilingual station signs, and the custom digital illustrations—seamlessly function together to enhance the garden experience.
Artist Statement by Po
The children’s mural and art installation, “Exploring the Senses,” began with a site walk at the beginning of June 2023. Barely a path had been made when I first saw the space. I fell in love with the project as soon as Jess Pelchat showed me her design plan and told me her garden related story. Immediately, I began reflecting upon my own childhood when I played outside in the woods, just outside Tweed, ON. I was 3 years old when my parents built our residential art studio in the forest along the south shore of Moira Lake. We lived there, surrounded by nature until I was 21 years old. My first art pieces were made from feathers, stones, shells, bark and mud. It was in the forest that I learned about life. Then, in 2020-2021, I had the honour of teaching an arts centred, play-based curriculum to a class of Junior Kindergarten students. For this art installation, I drew upon my lived and professional experiences. The, “Exploring the Senses,” art installation project was a true joy to create. I hope that many children, and children-at-heart, will enjoy telling their stories of what they see in the mural, and that they will continue to be inspired to play, learn, reflect, and have fun in Base31’s Sensory Garden as they explore their senses while connecting with the LAND.
Continue scrolling to view the technical documentation and gallery of the Sensory Garden’s evolution from concept to completion.
At the 2023 Sensory Garden grand opening, I presented the five senses depicted in my mural and their relationship to wild animals found in Nature. To create a professional and cohesive connection between myself and the installation, I am wearing a custom-made t-shirt featuring the mural design — a standard practice for my public presentations to ensure design correlation with my topics, art or workshops.
It Began with a Plan by Jess Pelchat, a Site Walk and Inspiration Photos
Meeting with the Sensory Garden team: analyzing landscape blueprints onsite ensures installation components are engineered to master specific lighting and environmental conditions within the garden.
Standing alongside Jessica Pelchat (CEO of Wild Child Regeneration), I was integrated into the project’s fluid organizational structure from the beginning.
Mapping installation locations during excavation ensures art functions as a structural guide within the garden’s physical and educational flow.
Documenting site-specific light conditions ensures my installations mirror the natural environment, creating a seamless sense of belonging and permanence.
Art Installation Component 1: The Circular Mural Showpiece
Fabricating a custom rotating jig ensures mathematical precision in the creation of the mural’s 5′-5″ circular substrate.
Sanding and filling the edges of the mural board to make sure it’s perfectly smooth, circular and ready for the outdoors.
By building a custom wall mount in my temperature / humidity controlled painting studio, I ensured the two-piece mural would line up perfectly and stay durable.
How the Mural Image Developed
The conceptual framework for this installation is rooted in deep research into the natural history of Prince Edward County. Each component was designed to be both educational and engaging, utilizing specific animals to mirror the sensory exploration stations within the garden:
Smell (Bear): Chosen for their exceptional olfactory abilities, the bear is depicted smelling flowers to encourage engagement with the garden’s aromatic plants.
Touch (Raccoon): Highlighting the raccoon’s sensitive paws and tactile intelligence, this guide aligns with the garden’s stick-fort and texture-based play areas.
Look (Bald Eagle): Representing the finest distance vision in the animal kingdom, the eagle is positioned at the top of the mural to correspond with the garden’s elevated observation platform.
Listen (Rabbit): Known for their 180-degree swiveling ears, the rabbit serves as a guide for the sound-based stations and the garden’s theater stage.
Move/Proprioception (Deer): Selected for their stunning agility and balance, the deer emulates the movement required for the wood-log obstacle course.
Beyond these pairings, the installation’s visual language is an intentional tribute to the regional landscape and the specific history of the Base31 property. The mural’s horizon features the distant evergreens, while the ground is rendered in a palette of lavender, Kelly green, and earthy yellow to represent local wildflower fields and agricultural history. A central technical highlight is the “glorious, burning sunset,” which was meticulously colour-matched to photographs taken during a site visit, ensuring the storytelling art captures the authentic atmosphere of the County. This level of research ensures that every artistic choice is purposeful, transforming a beautiful visual concept into a perfect, site-specific execution.
This image documents the three-stage design evolution of the “Exploring the Senses” mural. My process begins with hand-drawing using a light table to layer design components (Stage 1), followed by high-resolution scanning (Stage 2), and concluding with digital editing and coloration to create a final vision for the hand-painted mural (Stage 3).
The Mural Painting Process
This stage involves translating my original pen-and-ink drawings into a life-size CNC paper template on a custom-built wall-mount easel. This specialized easel ensures both sides of the mural remain perfectly flat and aligned during the meticulous redrawing and editing process. The rough template is the initial guide in the stage of design translation.With the design fully edited and redrawn, I begin the meticulous application of hand-mixed colours to the right side of the “Exploring the Senses” mural. Due to the abundance of custom hues required for this storytelling art piece, I apply these initial colour blocks first, reserving the signature black line-work for the final stage of execution.Achieving a perfect execution requires patience and a refined hand. In this photo, I am thinly painting the second coats of colour and the defining black line-work for the “Exploring the Senses” mural. Using a small round artist brush allows me to create ridge-less transitions and a smooth, flat finish that is characteristic of my professional storytelling art style.
This in-studio process shot of the “Exploring the Senses” mural illustrates the transformative power of my signature line-work. The left side has received its meticulous coat of black paint, while the right side remains in its vibrant, secondary-coat colour block stage, ready for the final defining lines.
This photo illustrates a fascinating, counterintuitive stage of my professional execution. While the left side of the mural has one coat of black paint, the right side features two full coats. Notice how the more opaque the black becomes, the brighter and more vivid the surrounding colour blocks appear—a magical effect essential to the high-impact nature of my storytelling art.
Here I am finalizing the installation of the “Exploring the Senses” 5′-6″ circular mural after it has been installed on the Sensory Garden gate at Base31.
A moment of celebration standing beside the finished and installed “Exploring the Senses” mural on the Sensory Garden gate. This project showcases my commitment to technical excellence and design fidelity, from the initial hand-rigged drafting to the final, vibrant application of hand-mixed colours and crisp black line-work.
Art InstallationComponent 2: Site-Specific Sensory Exploration Signs
As part of a three-component storytelling art installation for the Sensory Garden, I prototyped these exploration station signs to harmonize with the main circular mural. The top image shows the initial colour trials at my studio garden. After taking the trials to the Sensory Garden, I edited them for the second iteration (below) — featuring split-tone colour blocking and paper words cut with my CNC machine to refine visibility and legibility.
A critical stage in my professional process: meeting with the Sensory Garden design and installation team to finalize the exploration station signage. In this photo, I am field-testing painted plastic waffle board prototypes while the sensory play stations and landscape were under construction. Once we reached a collaborative agreement on the size, pattern and colours, I moved to the fabrication stage using 3/4″ exterior MDO signboard to ensure a durable, high-quality execution of my storytelling art.
Following the successful field-testing of my prototypes with the on-site design team, I began the final fabrication phase of building the signage in my Kingston art studio wood shop. Here, I am using a shop band saw to cut the 3/4″ exterior MDO (Medium Density Overlay) signboard, chosen for its smooth surface and extreme weather resistance.
This photo captures a meticulous stage of my professional execution for the Sensory Garden project. Here, I am removing elements of a CNC-cut vinyl sticker for the “LOOK” exploration station sign. This process was applied to all five signs, ensuring high-impact visual clarity for a diverse audience of children and caregivers. The template served as a temporary hyper-accurate stencil that assured garden sign cohesion among all 5 signs and the digital print illustrations.
This stage of the Sensory Garden signage demonstrates my commitment to site-specific cohesion. After painting the white icons and words, the vinyl stencil was removed to reveal the crisp label, “LOOK.” To ensure a perfect execution that honours Canada’s two official languages, I utilized a CNC-cut stencil for the French text and a floral wreath that mirrors the exact shapes found in the central mural.
This photo captures the finalized second coat of paint on the “LOOK / REGARDER” circular sign, currently drying in the studio. To ensure absolute installation cohesion, the flower motifs are painted in the exact same hand-mixed hues used in the primary Sensory Garden mural. In the background, the next station sign awaits its final colour application, maintaining exemplary design fidelity across all project components.
Before proceeding with the full series, I placed the finished “LOOK / REGARDER” sign in my studio garden to conduct a real-world appearance and readability test. This critical step allowed me to confirm that the hand-mixed colours and hand-brush painted imagery remained vibrant and legible in natural sunlight against a floral backdrop, ensuring a perfect execution for the Base31 Sensory Garden.
Achieving a perfect execution requires a meticulous finishing process. In this photo, all five bilingual signs have received their final painted edges and a high-end, UV-resistant, crystal-clear top coat. They are currently drying in a dust-free and humidity-controlled environment to ensure a flawless, durable finish.
The full suite of five bilingual sensory exploration station signs is complete and ready for delivery to the Base31 Sensory Garden. Each sign features custom-mixed colours, universal icons for non-readers, and a floral motif that mirrors the central garden mural, ensuring accurate design fidelity and installation cohesion.
Loading up for delivery to Base31! In this photo, I am posing in the delivery van with the completed Sensory Garden mural and signage suite. To ensure a perfect execution from studio to site, I designed and built a custom layered crate that firmly holds all pieces in place without any contact with the painted faces of the storytelling art installation.
This photograph, taken in January 2026, serves as a testament to the technical quality of my professional execution. After 27 months of exposure to blistering sun, icy sleet, and unforgiving winds in the Base31 Sensory Garden, this station sign remains as vibrant and crisp as the day it was delivered in September 2023.
Art Installation Component 3: Illustrations Matching the Mural & Signs
The Sensory Garden billboard demonstrates the full scale of my integrated design system that unifies the 3 component art installation. My custom rectangular border illustration anchors the central garden map and coordinates with the individual vegetation guides. This floral motif unifies all posts on the 4×8 plywood board, guiding children on a plant identification scavenger hunt that complements their sensory exploration.
This photo features the Sensory Garden Land Acknowledgement posted on the information billboard at Base31. To ensure the statement was presented with beauty and local relevance, Base31 used my custom circular illustration, originally drafted in pen and ink and digitally coloured, to frame the text. The border’s floral motifs and colour palette are meticulously designed to link the board to the primary “Exploring the Senses” mural and sensory exploration station signs.
These custom illustrations represent the third component of the Sensory Garden installation. The top row features rough pen-and-ink drawings, while the bottom row showcases the digitally coloured versions designed for information posts and posters. These organic borders, designed with children viewers in mind, were specifically created to link the signage colours and the floral motifs found in the central mural, “Exploring the Senses”.
This installation guide provides a bird’s-eye view of the Sensory Garden at Base31. I have colour-coded the map with asterisks to highlight the seamless integration of my three art installation components: the central mural (red), the five bilingual station signs (purple), and the custom illustrations (green) that anchor the garden’s educational posts.
Fall 2023 – Art Installation Reveal at the Sensory Garden Grand Opening
At the 2023 Grand Opening of the Base 31 Sensory Garden guests could read guides and a garden activity map with custom illustration borders that I designed to match the mural.
At the Base31 Sensory Garden grand opening, attendees of all ages listening to me speak about the the mural, “Exploring the Senses.”
Children exploring their sense of touch in a play-based learning station in the Base31 Sensory Garden. This is the bilingual “Touch” sign I painted.
This is the “Move” sign. The bilingual sign also includes a non-verbal symbol at the top for non-readers. I linked all of the signs, mural, and digital borders by continuing the colour palette and floral motif throughout the art installation.
This is the “Smell” sign I painted. This photo was taken at the 2023 Grand Opening of the Sensory Garden. There are a lot of mature plants now.
October 2023 – In this photograph of the Sensory Garden, three of the five sensory station signs are visible: “Look,” “Touch,” “Smell.”
Winter 2026 – Checking the Durability and Condition of the Art Installation
January 2026 – Here I am in the Sensory Garden nearly 2.5 years after the initial installation. The artwork continues to bring light and life to the frozen winter landscape. The sensory station signs and colourful graphic illustration borders look as vibrant as the day they were delivered in September 2023, proving the long-term value of my professional technical execution.
This bilingual “Touch” sign demonstrates cohesive placemaking by colour-matching the art installation to the restored WWII barracks building, integrating the storytelling art installation seamlessly into the historic property.
The “Smell” sign utilizes deep cranberry and pink hues to complement the forest green and seafoam backdrop, while the floral wreath motif at the base connects the installation to the “Exploring the Senses” mural while providing non-verbal imagery for child explorers who cannot yet read.
Nearly 2.5 years after installation, the Sensory Garden installation remains in pristine condition, demonstrating the high-quality materials and technical standards that clients depend on for permanent public art.
The “Exploring the Senses” mural remains in stunning, pristine condition even during the winter of 2026, injecting intense colour and life into the winter garden.
Here I am with Jessica Pelchat, CEO of Wild Child Regeneration, celebrating the 2023 Grand Opening of the Sensory Garden, featuring the completed “Exploring the Senses” mural in the background.
Here I am standing with the “Exploring the Senses” mural in Spring 2024; having triumphantly withstood its first winter, it remained in beautiful condition. This piece has become one of the most photographed and shared murals on the Base31 property.
Bring Your Vision to Life
The Sensory Garden stands as a vibrant testament to what is possible when professional technical skill meets a heart for community-driven storytelling art. From the initial conceptual research to the final installation handcrafted in my Kingston studio, my commitment is to deliver a finished work that remains 100% faithful to the original design – ensuring your organization’s vision is realized with precision and durability. Whether you are looking to transform a public space into an impactful landmark or require a mural that enlivens your property across all seasons, I am ready to bring my expertise to your next project. Let’s collaborate to create something that inspires connection and reminds us all that life just feels better when we smile.
I value a positive, collaborative process that respects the direction and stories of every business, organization and collector with whom I work. My clients trust me to provide the technical know-how and professional oversight required to move from an initial creative concept to a high-end execution – delivered on time and as envisioned.
I hope that you find my artwork inspirational, uplifting, welcoming and most of all, BEAUTIFUL!
I am often asked why I create attention grabbing, beautiful artworks, that generate discussion and the mutual sharing of stories. My response is:
“LIFE JUST FEELS BETTER WHEN WE SMILE!”
Portia “Po” Chapman, Kingston Artist
Specializing in: Community Placemaking, Storytelling Art Research, Project Execution
To Start Your Project, Reach Out via the Contact Information Below:
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