Prince Edward County – Love Art by Po

How Portia Po Chapman Made the Mural Warbler Watching for Base 31 Picton

Portia Po Chapman Posing Beside Mural “Warbler Watching” at Base 31, Picton

The above images compiled some of my research prior to designing the mural. I like to immerse myself in the space, story or activity that I am painting. These photographs were take in early May 2022 during the Prince Edward County Birding Festival along Long Point Rd. You can see how my visit influenced the subject matter that I chose to include. The photograph immediately below was taken at the Lookout. As soon as I stepped out of the car, the green in the lake was awe inspiring. I knew at that time, I would paint the lake and sky in the background. Prince Edward Point is so beautiful, one cannot help but paint and/or photograph the landscape and waterscape.

As you can see, the above photograph inspired the composition of the mural. The image below is my initial pen and ink drawing on paper. There were many lilac bushes along Traverse Ln too. However, they had not yet bloomed as depicted in the drawing below.

The image, immediately below, is the digitally coloured rendering of the above pen and ink drawing. Since the mural proposals were rigorously assessed by a jury of artists, the proposal image was to depict the final mural as closely as possible. You can see that the actual mural mounted at Base 31 in the Aviators Garden is very similar to the proposed image. When commissioned to create a piece of art, I try to produce what the client had first desired to have in the beginning. In this case, supply chain issues made paint colour duplication a very challenging hurdle over which to leap, but I came close.

The initial digital sketch created from the hand drawn planning image.

The series of images below were taken in my Bay of Quinte studio.

Before drawing the image onto the MDO plywood, I primed the board 2 times – front, back and sides – sanding between coats on the front and edges. Then I caulked the edges and levelled them off smooth with a trowel. Again, once dry, I sanded and then sealed. The face of the board, in the first image, is slightly green because I had the bright white primer tinted. This made the process of drawing and painting a much more peaceful and enjoyable experience. Because my style features smooth, flat colour blocking and draping deep lines elegantly pulled by a variety of brushes, the mural ended up having about 5 coats (7 including the primer coats) of exterior translucent paint using a clear base. You can notice how the first coat appears to be streaky but the objective for the first coat is to capture the flow of the desired image while assuring minimal brush stroke ripples. The thinner the first coat, the better. For exterior murals such as this one, I prefer painting multiple thin coats to assure durability.

Processed with MOLDIV

My Mom and I Carrying Out the Mural On Delivery Day. Having a Studio at the Top of a High-rise Overlooking the Water Can Present Some Challenges.
I Can’t Wait to Move into My New Studio
Where Clients Can Readily Visit!

“Warbler Watching” by Portia Po Chapman – 36″X64″ – Exterior Acrylic on Exterior Signboard Plywood

I find such joy standing beside my artwork after it has been installed on the desired site. This photo was taken at Base 31 in Picton, Ontario, during the Aviator Garden murals’ unveiling event.

For art commission inquiries, please visit my About/Contact page. I would be thrilled to create a piece for you.

Left Side Image is My Digitally Coloured Rendering Proposal That I Sent for Jury Review.
Right Side Image is the Completed and Mounted Acrylic on Board Mural.
You Can See That I Stuck to My Plan Once Selected by the Jury to Paint
“Warbler Watching.”
I Even Prefer the Final Mural.
Please Note that My Flat Colour Block Style
Has Extremely Crisp Lines in the Finished Painting.
The Acrylic Mural Was Entirely Painted
by Using Small Brushes and Custom Mixed Colours
That Bring the Mural to Life!

To read about my experience at the mural’s unveiling ceremony at Base 31 click on this link: Portia Po Chapman Mural “Warbler Watching” – Photos of Unveiling Ceremony in Aviator’s Garden at Base 31 PEC, Picton, Ontario, July 9, 2022

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Portia Po Chapman Mural “Warbler Watching” – Photos of Unveiling Ceremony in Aviator’s Garden at Base 31 PEC, Picton, Ontario, July 9, 2022

*See Blog Post for the Mural Creation Process and Photos:* How Portia Po Chapman Made the Mural Warbler Watching for Base 31 Picton

I was overflowing with excitement during the unveiling of my newest mural commission at the Base 31 PEC Community Open House in Picton, Ontario, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. My mural entitled “Warbler Watching” was part of a collection of 6 murals commissioned to hang upon the exterior of the former Officer’s Quarters of the WWII flight training site. An additional mural was mounted on another building as well. The collection of murals entitled, “Nature’s Aviators” celebrates the flying wildlife who call Picton, Ontario home. In my piece, I am sure you can guess which natural aviators I chose to celebrate…you got it right, WARBLERS!

The day was such a wonderful experience for me. I was grateful to be a part of the festivities and the Community Open House for this newly branded historical location. From the moment I stepped on the grounds to the end of the day, I was on the go. The festival atmosphere included musical entertainment, street artists, food and beverage booths, tours and of course, the unveiling.

When I first arrived to Base 31, I had an interview with Base 31’s videographer, Ophelia Spinosa, lined up in the Aviator’s Garden in which the wall of commissioned murals was located. I was overjoyed to share the inspiration and process of creating “Warbler Watching” with Spinosa, a high school friend of mine who I hadn’t seen since my Grade 12 Graduation from Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville, Ontario! Funny how the Creator works, isn’t it?! My interview appropriately took place with my mural situated behind me. After the unveiling ceremony, Spinosa interviewed all of the additional artists who were in attendance.

Just before the ceremony, I was delightfully introduced to some of the other mural artists and we all sat together at what I like to call, “The Artists’ Table.” It was really cool being the youngest artist to attend the unveiling ceremony. Sitting at that table was like finally having moved from the kids’ table to sitting with the adults for Christmas Dinner! OH, BTW, I invite you to watch my performance art video “Turkey.” It features the day in the life of a Roasted Christmas Turkey at my grandmother’s table (music and video by me and fam).

After the unveiling ceremony, during which the Base 31 Manager of Public Art and Placemaking and curator of the mural project, Christophe Doussot, and the Chief Placemaking Officer, Assaf Weisz shared their words about the project, I proudly posed with the other artists.

One of the best parts of the day for me, however, was having the opportunity to talk about my artwork with the many viewers and hear about what they see in or feel from the mural. Thank goodness I had my bright pink, classic Po, business cards ready to give out!

It was also special to talk to one of the head gardeners of the Aviator’s Garden, where the murals are located, who planned the placement of the beautiful indigenous plants that were recently planted in the premises. Many of those plants I had included in my mural such as cedar and lilacs.

It was an absolutely wonderful day and I hope that you too have the chance to see our murals and visit Base 31, Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario.