As a child, I used to lay on the ground and stare at the sky for hours, searching for shapes hidden within the clouds. Long before phones and tablets became part of everyday life, imagination could turn the sky into an endless world of art, stories, and wonder.
Years later, I began sharing that same experience with my daughter, Elena. During our road trips, I would ask her what she could see hidden within the clouds. She would excitedly point out crocodiles, bunnies, turtles, and dragons drifting across the sky. I wanted to teach her to use her imagination, because the world feels much more beautiful when we allow ourselves to see it that way, something many of us slowly forget as adulthood fills life with responsibilities, stress, and endless things to do.
When our family was preparing to welcome a new baby, Elena needed to move from sleeping in our bedroom into her own room for the very first time. I wanted to create something that would help her feel safe, involved, and connected during that transition, something we could build together and something she could remember as she grows older.
This mural became that project.
Over the course of six months, I hand-painted this immersive dreamscape inspired by our shared imagination, childhood memories, and the stories we discovered together in the clouds. Hidden throughout the room are animals and shapes inspired by the things Elena saw in the sky herself.
More than simply decorating a bedroom, I wanted to create a space that encourages curiosity, comfort, creativity, and imagination, a place where childhood memories could live on the walls and ceiling around her.
This was my very first mural.
