JOSH BINDER
"Slumber Island"
LATEX ON DRYWALL
14‘x12’
SPRING 2007
Assistant:
Ben Marcus
Description:
This was commissioned by Heather Callahan. She wanted an island scene for her newborn Tommy’s room. She allowed us a lot of creative freedom and didn’t mind us working late. Listening to the Wiggles and a crying baby made us go a little insane but the beer and home made sandwiches made it all worth while.
First day of the mural Ben brought this crazy idea of a big head floating in the water with volcanos in the background. I think my first sketches were too serious and he was trying to get me to loosen up and make the island more imaginative. Much more suitable for a kid's room. He was right, as we sketched this story started to unfold on the wall: There was an island with volcanos and tiny invisible people who live in mushroom shaped huts. The tiny invisible people spent their days fishing, making turtle soup, and carving stone idols of their rock gods. They made defenses to protect their idols but the pirates had more canons so plundered the island. To protect their island the tiny invisible people built a magical bell tower, with bells so loud they could wake even the heaviest sleeper. For their island was part stone giant. But they couldn't ring the bells themselves for they were too heavy. So the little people trained an Orange and Black Toucan to pull the cords and keep a bird's eye view of the island. We figured if we made up this crazy story, as Tommy grows up he would look at it and start making up his own stories as to what this mural is about.