A granddaughter’s creative gift

Prairie Wind resident Marianne Trent treasures her granddaughter Mary’s artwork. And when she made the move to Western Home Communities in the summer of 2022, they decided Marianne’s new residence needed something creative and personal from Mary, a painted mural.

It was Marianne’s idea to feature cherry blossoms. Mary, a talented and creative high school student, designed a digital image to look the way Marianne wanted before she began painting. But time spent with her grandmother wasn’t all about painting. “It took three or four days and maybe five hours a day to paint. But we also had dinner together, hung out and played a game or watched a movie during that time,” says Mary.

They chose a narrow wall near the door for Mary’s mural that held only a clock and didn’t compete with furniture. The freehand painting was vibrant and reflected movement through the curve of its branches and blossoms. It was discovered later that the clock was a perfect fit, complementing the branches.

The timing of the mural’s completion in 2022 was fitting. As was the hope for the family when Marianne moved, they all gathered at Christmas again, this time at Marianne’s new home. “As a gift for Christmas, we had it covered with a tarp. The family was here Christmas Eve and we unveiled it,” Marianne recalls.

Marianne’s amazed with the detail in Mary’s artwork, including in the four pencil and ink drawings that also hang on Marianne’s wall. One was created during COVID and the others during family vacations. “When Mary was about eleven, I commented that I was going to go home and be a vegetable, so she drew me as a carrot, sitting and knitting. That’s one of my favorites,” laughs Marianne.

Marianne says not many of her neighbors know about the mural yet. She chose Prairie Wind as her home because everything is nearby – The Market, Gilmore’s Pub, Grosse Wellness Center and an underground, easily accessible garage. Mary enjoys visiting, too, knowing they can go out to eat together by just walking down a flight of stairs to Gilmore’s Pub.

Marianne and her granddaughter Mary pose next to the mural Mary painted as a Christmas gift.