The Great fish mural commission of 2021 with diane sonnenberg
It started with an ask…
In June 2021, Dianne Sonnenberg asked the artists of Helios to join her in creating a tile mural for Hermann Memorial Children’s Hospital in Houston. Her project was not just expansive in scope, with the final installation covering 72 square feet; it was highly specific. The three 4ft by 6ft aquatic panels were to depict an underwater landscape specific to Texas, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Working with a marine biologist from the Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston, TX and a local water color artist, Dianne solidified a vision of over 70 distinct species found in the Texas Gulf waters at the expansive, yet little known, gulf reefs.
Bring in the support…
Dianne corralled artists from across Texas to help bring each creature to life. Helios artists were tasked with 52 of them and a deadline of a month and a half.
From tried and true powdering techniques to precise cutting down to the millimeter, from heat-soaked vitrigraph pulls to powder slurries and murrine set-ups never before attempted, these determined artists added their creative touches to this incredible undertaking.
Follow along their journeys of creation in this gallery of pictures.