Bookshelf Mural

Large 2.5' books appear to rest on a faux wood shelf surrounded in characters including the Three Little Pigs, Ebenezer Scrooge, Puss in Boots, The Ugly Duckling, A steam engine from Around the World in 80 Days, Mowgli, A Little Woman, and Black Beauty. Morning Glories complete the scene from an historical fiction book written by the school Secretary, Lisa Olson.

Coon Valley Elementary School wanted me to paint an over-sized bookshelf in their library, including many classic books with characters that come to life. I used trompe l’oeil techniques to break away part of the wall behind the books so characters would really stand out. Black Beauty peeks in, Puss in Boots is reading a book, and Mowgli is climbing a vine that is growing out of The Jungle Book. The Principal hoped I could incorporate the letters “LMC” somewhere since it is technically the Library Media Center, and most of the students had a difficult time remembering that. Therefore, I painted these large books in the shapes of the letters LMC.


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