If you grew up around here, you are probably accustomed to hearing about the county park on the south side of Visalia as “Mooney’s Grove”. When I painted a mural to go inside the Tulare County Historical Museum at Mooney Grove about 10 years ago, I learned that I had been saying the name wrong my entire life.
I began my 4 part mural there this week on this building, listening to yacking Canada geese all day long. (They aren’t as bad as barking dogs in spite of being louder.)
First, the masking tape to protect the borders.
Getting the sky painted quiets the rude Voice of Incompetence and Insecurity in my head.
Next, I located the mountains, following my photos. (Of course I included Alta Peak with the elephant.)
Then, I got confused. Too many photos, too many viewpoints, too many options. So, I took a break to enjoy my surroundings at Mooney Grove, a park set aside for its Valley Oak trees.
The clock chimes every hour. It is pleasant, a nice alternative to the fire whistle in Exeter which almost knocked me off a scaffolding at noon until I learned to climb down and cover my ears at 11:59 each day while painting there.
The hills continued to confound me, so I just started covering things with paint to sort out later. 
Standing back helps me to see what needs to be adjusted.
Eventually I was able to find some hills and figure out the right colors. The wide band of green on the bottom will become an orange grove.
Not bad for one day’s work! So, I went for a walk around the park. When the mural is finished, I’ll show you a collection of photos of this lovely piece of somewhat cultivated nature on the outskirts of Visalia. 
2 Comments
Looks like a beautiful place to work with all the green grass and blue skies! Your adding your wonderful artistic touch to these walls, and I love to see the transformation. Thank you for improving our surroundings, one place at a time!
Thank you, Jess! There are many walls remaining, so I’d better pick up the pace here. 😎
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