by James Coulter
The Bird of Paradise is an elegant bird that loves to be seen and loves to be heard, as the old Disney song goes. Visitors to Downtown Lake Wales will certainly love to see the bird of paradise in a newly-painted mural.
A tropical mural grace the outside of The Oasis Spa building with palm trees, blossoming flowers, and an elegant bird of paradise.
The mural was funded by both Erica Schindler, the owner of Oasis Spa, and by Downtown Main Street to help accentuate the city’s downtown beautification efforts.
The mural itself was designed by Caley Churchy, who runs a local marketing firm, and painted by her mother, Laura Beatty, a former art teacher at Lake Wales High School.
“I am sure if you have seen anything in Lake Wales, you have seen my work,” Churchy said.
Churchy has been longtime friends with Shindler, who approached her about the mural and, along with the help of Lake Wales Main Street, commissioned her to paint it.
“She wanted a jungle vibe. She wanted something that tranquility, something to do with her spa that exuded luxury and tranquility,” she explained.
While Churchy was able to create the digital design for the mural, actually painting the mural itself would prove to be another task entirely. She would need extra help with that task.
As such, she decided to enlist the help of her mother, who had served as a fine arts teacher at Lake Wales High School. Together, they brought the mural to life.
“I think the thing we are most excited about is just we got to be a part to beautify downtown Lake Wales,” she said. “They are going through a huge revamp and they are doing a lot of stuff.”
More importantly, the new mural, aside from helping promote Oasis Spa, will also aid in the overall beautification of Downtown Lake Wales. Anything that makes Lake Wales a more beautiful place is always a beautiful addition.
“I think more than anything, we are excited to be a part of that process,” she said. “The only thing that is most important, Erica Shindler and Downtown Main Street are getting highlighted because it is all their vision, we are the ones who get to do it, they are the ones who made this happen.”
The new mural is located outside The Oasis Spa at 245 E Park Ave, Lake Wales, FL 33853.
