Blossom

The design of Blossom by Brad Carney is an expression of childlike playful energy, mixed with floral images of colorful roses. Viewers enter Rose Playground at the base of a steep hill, and walk up to the Recreation Center and playground. This bright mural features large bold color and images that are easily identifiable from a far distance, and stretch from side to side of the building. The blue striped background of the mural acts as a reference to the sky. The transitional bands of yellow-orange dance across the building like sunlight. The green and red lines weave in and out of the design and themselves, just like the children running around the playground. The three roses are used in two focal point areas of the building. In the middle area with the grid wall, this area has tables and benches for picnics and where I witnessed a class of local students playing games. The other area is in front of the playground around the right side. There is an alternate version of the wall in front of the playground with two goldfinches parents at their nest, watching over the children as they play.

Additional Information:

This project was an educational tool for Mural Arts’ Art Education Apprenticeship and Internship program. They used mural cloth and on-site painting to teach a variety of mural making applications. This is a unique building with challenges, but it served greatly as an educational resource.

The building has four unique surfaces. Nice smooth brick for cloth application, very deep mortar brick, hardy panel and frames, and tile around the front door. All of the surfaces are covered in years of Rec Center Yellow. Each area served as an educational opportunity.