Dan Fontes:

Project: Undersea Mural in the Collection of Deborah Finney - 2007
Dimensions: Walls and ceiling of interior room space approximately 6' x 10'
Medium: Acrylics on Sheetrock
Location: Eastshore Drive, Alameda, CA

In the Summer of 2007 I met with Deborah Finney who wanted a small restroom in her home painted with an underwater theme.  Over the next two weeks I created a fantasy that included jellyfish, dolphins, sea turtles, snorkeling humans diving off a boat overhead and a wide assortment of tropical fish, sharks, corals, a line of migrating whales overhead, and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.  It was one of the better commissions you get to do in this profession.

The room was small and everything in the space is custom madefrom fixtures, materials and surfaces.  Everything is in perfect condition so care in production is a high priority.  The customers are fine art collectors of glass with motifs that include a lot of environmental themes. 

Lots of visual research goes into a mural like this and dozens of books and photographic reference materials were required.  Unfortunately for me the mural is in a private home where you can’t have dozens or hundreds of people seeing it.