Mary, an eight-year resident at the senior living community, has been immersed in the world of art since retiring 26 years ago. Susan, an accomplished art teacher, once owned her own art studio and retail store in Springfield, Virginia. Ellie, a longtime friend and fellow artist, is one of five artists (including Mary) that paint along with, and have taken classes from Susan. This group has been painting together for over 15 years and has evolved into a strong friendship now calling themselves the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Paintbrush (SOTTP)”, as they have travelled the world painting together. All have contributed to some extent to the wall mural. In addition, two other Westminster residents, Ann Cowley and John Hopkins, worked on the mural as well.
What started as a single idea to replace a four-foot letter “W” on the service wall at Ingleside’s Westminster at Lake Ridge, has blossomed into a heartfelt tribute to the staff at the Ingleside community. Resident Mary Requa, and two of her longtime art pals, Susan Johnson and Ellie Kilcline, each with a deep love of art, came together to create a vibrant mural that celebrates the employees who work hard to make Ingleside residents at Lake Ridge feel comfortable, cared for, and appreciated.
When Susan and Mary saw the large “W” dominating the empty service hall, they knew they wanted to create something more meaningful. What initially started as a mural about residents quickly shifted focus—after all, the true heart of Westminster at Lake Ridge is the staff. The staff’s enthusiasm for this project and their kind comments while we paint have meant the world to us.
The process of creating the mural has been a labor of love. Mary and Susan began the project by photographing staff members across various departments—from laundry to dining services—and used a projector to sketch the images to large sheets of newsprint to be used as patterns for transferring images to the wall. Mary and her husband began the preparation work, sanding and priming the first seven spaces before the transfer and painting began. James from Property Management, after admiring our work as we began painting, donated his own time and energy to sand and prime the second set of seven spaces. Ellie then joined us in painting the actual scenes.
The mural itself consists of 14 individual vignettes, each depicting a different department. While the original plan was to make the figures generic, the artists decided to add personal touches, changing uniforms into colorful clothing. The result is a warm, lively tribute that truly captures the unique essence of the diverse staff of Westminster at Lake Ridge.
The project, which has been in process for more than eight months, is now near completion. “It has been a fun way to bring friends together and see the joy in both staff and residents’ reaction to the art,” said Susan. “Through this mural, we hope to leave a lasting mark on Westminster at Lake Ridge—a testament to the power of art, friendship, and gratitude”.
Once the mural is complete, the six SOTTP artists will begin making plans for their next painting trip…they have tons of ideas and lots of planning to do.
For more information about Westminster at Lake Ridge visit us online or call (703) 420-7105.