Based in Atlanta, Megan McKeithan paints murals on site and on canvas for installation anywhere. This spring, Megan hit the road to paint a Tuscan mural in the dining room of the new Golf Club at the Toll Brother’s Parkland Golf and Country Club in Parkland, Florida…
Located between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Parkland is a beautiful country club situated at the edge of the everglades around a Greg Norman Golf Course. All of the homes and amenities buildings in the development are Tuscan style architecture and provide perfect opportunities for murals…
Megan painted the mural in five niches inside of a curved stone arcade. This space connects the foyer and pro-shop to the dining room and bar area. The mural incorporates elements often found in Tuscan murals; cypress trees, rolling hills and cultivated fields make up the landscape. Olive branches and a fig branch drape in the foreground to help add depth to the mural…
The interior designer, Yvonne Portwood, also asked Megan to integrate the feeling of the Florida landscape in the mural. While the client didn’t want to include palm trees and other Florida details in the mural, the designer wanted to help connect the Tuscan theme with the Florida landscape right outside the window. Toll Brothers, the design client, also asked for the colors to brighten up the somewhat dark arcade area. So, Megan used the beautiful blue and bold clouds of the Florida sky in the mural, echoing the rich blue tones of the accent colors used throughout the golf club…
You can see cobalt blue and cerulean in the art work featured around the mural and in the banquette upholstery. She used those same blues in the shadows while infusing the landscape with hints of vibrant violets as well, evoking the feel of the light in Florida…
She also incorporated the limestone railed stone walls and rich tones of the beautiful Saint Augustine grass found throughout the country club into the design of the mural. The mural also features two views of a beautiful lake like those found all around the golf course to help connect the mural to its Parkland Golf and Country Club home…
While working on the mural the client also requested an antique finish on top of the painting to help make it feel as though it wasn’t brand new. Megan’s friend Tinsley Dempsey was on site helping paint the mural and created an antique glaze on top of the mural. Here you can see two panels; the one on the left before glazing, the one on the right after glazing. The glazing added texture and a touch of aging to the mural…
One other consideration of the project was keeping the mural within a tight budget. Megan was able to accommodate this request by keeping the sky large and the foreground simple. With a larger budget, more detail could be included in the foreground; perhaps flowering plants in Tuscan urns or sculptures could be added in front of the stone wall in the future. Or, stone pavers like the ones outside could be included to add even more depth in the foreground, with other items perhaps painted on the railings. Whenever she is planning a mural, Megan considers all of the requests of the client and comes up with the best solution to fit the architecture, the interior design, and the budget.
Megan can paint murals for homes in the Parkland, FL area on canvas in the studio and then install them on location like wallpaper. Murals painted on canvas fit right up to the edge of the wall or trim and do not appear to be any different from those painted directly on the wall yet allow you to take them with you if you move. Megan’s art works can be found in 48 cities around the United States and at www.VisionaryMuralCo.com.
