Muriel Baker, a country girl at heart, has always found solace in nature. Now, at 94, she can enjoy the beauty of a garden without the demands of upkeep, thanks to a stunning mural that adorns one side of her home.
This grand artistic creation serves as her ‘dream garden,’ a vibrant escape that requires no watering or weeding. “I can sit out with a cup of coffee and enjoy looking at my garden on the wall,” she shared, appreciating the blend of art and nature that now graces her home.
The mural is the work of local artist Jon Minshull, who had previously painted another piece on the property 18 months ago. That earlier mural captures a cherished family memory: it depicts Muriel’s late father, Arthur Napstone, in the act of milking a cow.
Muriel, like her father, was born in a farmhouse nestled in Meare, near Glastonbury, Somerset. Today, she resides in a self-contained annexe that was once the cheese room and dairy. Her son, David, 68, and his wife Jenny, 64, share the main part of the house.
Like her father, Mrs Baker was born in the farmhouse at Meare, near Glastonbury, Somerset.
She now lives in a self-contained annexe converted from the old cheese room and dairy. Her son, David, 68, and his wife Jenny, 64, live in the main part of the building.
She said both murals costed £2,000 but they are ‘well worth it’.
‘I know about roses but I can’t garden at my age’, the divorcee said.
Muriel Baker said the new mural had drawn lots of compliments from passers-by
‘It reminds me of the view across to the Mendips which you see from the end of the road’, the pensioner said
Artist Jon Minshull (left, with Mrs Baker) also painted another mural on the side of the property earlier last year
‘I just thought it would be nice to sit on my patio and still have a garden view. I let Jon decide on what he pained but the little details he has put in are incredible.
‘There are butterflies, deer, a robin on top of one fence post and a wren on the other.
‘I’ve had lots of people come to look and they have even offered me donations. But knowing it’s given people a bit of pleasure is good enough for me.’
Mrs Baker has two great-grandchildren, three grandchildren and two children, Maureen Huxtable, 71, and her son, David.
She said her next task was to replace the fence around her patio after it blew down in a recent storm.
The pensioner said she decided to get he first mural done after seeing another of Mr Minshull’s paintings on a property in the local area. That painting took around six days.
‘He asked what I wanted and I told him I rather liked the idea of him painting a small picture I had of my father milking in the dairy’, she said.
‘It’s really lovely’.
Mrs Baker said people who have come to look at the mural have offered her a donation, but said ‘knowing it’s given people a bit of pleasure is good enough for me’
Mr Minshull, 61, has painted thousands murals around the UK and the US and his themes usually feature nature and wildlife
That mural includes images of geese kept by the family of an old friend from the town – who Mrs Baker recently saw for the first time in 18 years when she returned to Glastonbury to visit her mother and the pair went to look at the latest mural.
That lastest mural took five days to complete.
‘It reminds me of the view across to the Mendips which you see from the end of the road’, Mrs Baker added. ‘It’s great.’
Mr Minshull, 61, has painted thousands of murals around the UK and the US and his themes usually feature nature and wildlife.
‘Because she’s got such a small garden area she just wanted a nice garden and a nice view’, he said.
‘It was wonderful to see her face when it was completed.
‘To bring happiness to people is why I do what I do. When you see their expressions it makes my world so it’s really good.’
