My living room has one huge wall that has always been the focus of the room. Last year I decided to paint my version of “Paris – THE GEORGE POMPIDOU CENTRE” by my favorite artist from Goa – Mario Miranda.
My living room wasn’t always a living room. It was initially built as a terrace that connected my brother-in-law’s (who has moved out into his own house long before I and Rohit got married) and Rohit’s rooms. It was the place where the clothesline hung and the grains were dried!
It was the place where we had our first candle-light dinner and our first barbeque!
When we moved our kitchen upstairs, we got it covered. Only because it connected our bedroom to the rest of the house. The other alternative was to walk down and up a flight of stairs!
I spent an evening painting the wall with the traditional Warli design.
The room, more like a covered terrace, was a very informal space that we lounged in!
When we re-did the house we converted it into our living room.
Two years back, I decided I wanted to make it more colorful. I have been a huge fan of Mario Miranda’s paintings. He did the illustrations for our school text books and I have loved his paintings.
Deciding which one to make was a tough one. On our trip to Goa, we visited Mario’s Gallery and I went through all the available paintings. I loved the one titled Paris
The moment I saw the print, I knew I had to buy it! And I also knew that this would be the one to be painted on my wall.
It took me more than 6 months to gather the courage and start the painting.
It took me a day and a half to just get done with the sketch. I used pencils and washable markers to mark it. It was an excruciating process. But was absolute fun!
End of Day 3 saw some colors visible! But finishing was a long way away! I survived by drinking loads of water, juices and binge watching HBO. I think I saw any and all movies that aired during that week!
End of Day 5 and it was almost done! I couldn’t wait for it to be finished!
But then it took longer than I thought it would. All that outlining took almost 3 days!
And at the end of 8 days, my living room had the vibrancy and fun element that I had always wanted!
It was a fun week! I worked really hard – about 8 to 10 hours (I think I pulled a 16 hour day too in that week) every day. But I think it was the most that I had enjoyed in my house!
All the effort that I put into making this wall has been totally worth it. It has been the backdrop for so many memories that we have made! It has been a conversation starter, a selfie background, a kid entertainer, an i-spy adventure and focal point that our lives revolve around!
But most of all, it has played a monumental role in making our home a home! It has elements that each of us love and can relate to. It brings back wonderful memories from our annual trips to Goa. It is what binds us as a family!
Do you have a special something in your house that you made and are proud of? I would love to hear about it!
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