Sandra Cinto’s Mural at the Seattle Art Museum

After a long and exhilarating day playing in the ocean, I laid in my bed at my grandmother’s beach house completely wiped out. With my window wide open, the beach breeze blew in and I could still hear the water hitting the rocky shore, the tide moved in overnight. As I fell asleep, I still felt the sensation of going up and down with the crest of each wave.

A team of 22 people over the course of two weeks, assisted Brazil’s Sandra Cinto in a wondrous marina mural at the Seattle Art Museum‘s Olympic Sculpture Park Pavillion. She calls it Encontro das Aguas (or Encounter of Waters) saying its meant to symbolize “hope, survival and human endurance.” Every detail is hand drawn with silver pen, in the form of countless lines.  It was a labor of love with a staff dedicated to the “big picture.”Her inspiration stems from historic works from various artists including French painter Theodore Gericault’s The Raft of Medusa. She incorporates parts of this particular project by having imagery of a raft printed onto the interior of the wooden boat that sits on the forefront of the mural. Another addition in her piece comes from Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave by highlighting the gigantic wave destine to swallow everything in its path.
Sandra’s pleasant disposition about the mural presents us with a humble message packed with a massive punch. Don’t give up. We can. Even better, you can. We are challenged by her adoration for the little things, the small things that matter, the quiet gestures in life that slowly move mountains.

via