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Growing up on the Eastern Shore, Preston artist Jennifer Lenderking was inspired by the natural beauty she found all around her.
That may be why her drawing, competing with three others, was chosen overwhelmingly by town residents for the Meditation Garden mural on the east end of James T. Wright Memorial Park.
“The closer you look, the more there is to see,” Lenderking told the small crowd who gathered for the mural’s unveiling Saturday, Aug. 10, during the town’s free SummerDaze outdoor festival.
Starting in the spring and working during the hot summer months, Lenderking began by preparing the concrete base. Shore Construction Services LLC constructed the concrete wall and platform.
She painted with exterior acrylic, sealed it with a UV mural shield and added a sacrificial graffiti coat to the 12 feet long and 7 feet high wall. The vibrant colors and design with details of life on the Shore capture the spirit of Caroline County.
Two waterways illustrate the slogan, “Prayer is talking to the Universe, Meditation is listening to it.” Details include both commercial and pleasure boats, and a crop duster trailing a banner that reads, “Town of Preston Meditation Garden.”
The bounty of fruits and grains grown on the Shore are clustered in the middle of the bottom section, while a bright sun hovers on the horizon; the viewer can decide whether it’s rising or setting. The beaches and fields along the banks of the waterways team with native flora and fauna.
The meditation garden is anchored by a gazebo and a sidewalk that leads from the walking path to the mural. Benches allow visitors to stop and meditate or pray.
Lenderking hopes visitors will bring their own meaning to the art. “I really love to leave some of it up for the viewer’s interpretation.”
“That’s part of the point – to cause that thought, that chain of thought, to cause the reaction in the viewer,” she said.
The garden project was a decade in the making and was encouraged by former town commission members, the late Kathleen Barry and the late Gary Waltemeyer. Town Commission President Savannah Winston called the mural “wonderful.”
Town leaders worked the Caroline County Council of Arts, Inc. to write a public art planning grant, and the community voted for their favorite design. The town was awarded a $30,000 public art project grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The park mural is not the only example of Lenderking’s work in town. She also designed the “Great Food, Better Times” mural on the Messick Avenue side of the new Roadhouse Bar and Grill at 201 Main St., Preston. She painted it during a break from the garden mural.
For more information about Jenn Lenderking and her art, visit jenniferlenderking.com, illustratorsink.com or LenderqueenStudio on Etsy.
