@Marina…I did just that immediately after having my yard landscaped. My neighbors garage wall abuts my property and it was just a big blob of yellow. I got their permission to repaint the one side. They would not be able to see it anyhow, but I also wanted to make certain they did not have plans to put in a window, or modify the wall some other way, or even demolish the whole thing. I found an ad of a local mural painter who came by the house. The 85 year old Mexican American artist had a very impressive portfolio but the gentleman only did interior murals. He referred me to another artist who did exterior murals. A 90 year old Mexican-American artist came by, shared his like-wise impressive portfolio with me, we agreed to a price and I hired him on the spot. I reasoned that the worst thing I could do was give an artist very specific direction and curtail his artistry and creativity. I gave him a theme only, a tropical landscape with palm trees in the distance and birds of paradise in the forefront (my planned planting in front of the mural) and if possible to do something to blend in the adjacent bouganvilla.. Other than those directions, I gave him carte blanche to do as he pleased. A few days later he showed me a sketch of Diamond Head, Hawaii and showed me magazine photos of plants, etc., he would be working into the mural. He went to work that same day.
He loved the project and was very animated as he worked. He set up scaffolds and was climbing up and down and stretching over adjacent plants and to see him move, you would never guess he was 90 years old! He had an audience everyday. I would lay out a blanket and chair, get some sun, play with the dogs and watch the artist at work. The two neighbor boys, aspiring artists themselves were over often and loved to chat with the artist. Other neighbors would stop by every few days to see the progress. The artist could not stop adding more and more detail, he loved what he was creating and the attention it was getting along the way. And the result was and still is (about nine years later), gorgeous. He said he ended up putting in nearly twice the amount of time he had anticipated. I paid him a very large bonus, allowed him to use me as a reference, and I allowed him to show the mural off to his friends and the entire congregation of his church (I surprised them with refreshments and had set up extra chairs and benches for their comfort). We stayed in contact for several years, but I haven’t heard from him in the last four or five. He’d be nearing 100 years of age, if he is still with us. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he is….he acted like a young man with a tremendous passion for his art and it was obvious to all, he loved his work and he loved life.