The Story of a Dolphin
When we moved into the house, there was this concrete dolphin fountain in the pool area. The fountain didn't work, so Brian disconnected it. It sat in our pool area looking very forlorn for several years. I knew I wanted to do something with it, but I just didn't know what. I also needed a name for the dolphin.
When we created the front landscaping plan, we left a circular area for something to spotlight. At first, we wanted a fountain. Brian really likes water features. We looked and looked, but could never find the right fountain for our design style (which I call "Flori-fornia"). It's a mix of California and Florida. We just needed a touch of whimsy.
So the circular area sat vacant, first collecting weeds, then just covered with stones, while we tried to find something that would work. The neighbors would ask us now and then what we were going to do in the circular area. Eventually Brian moved the dolphin there, just so we had something to show. But she was just so plain.
After a while the dolphin grew on us both. We liked seeing her cute face smiling at us when we were coming and going. I decided to try and come up with a decoration plan.
I've always loved folk art and so I decided to try my hand at painting the dolphin. It took me many, many months to build the courage to start. In 2025, my word of the year was "create." I used that word as a catalyst to start many creative projects I'd been putting off out of fear, including knitting, art classes, home improvements, and painting a dolphin statue. (Even this blog came to be because of that word "create.") Here's a link to my pinterest inspiration board: dolphin inspo
Finally, one day, I sketched out my ideas on paper. Of course, sketching a 3D object on paper just wasn't happening. But problems aside, I came up with some general ways to section the dolphin, and found the color combinations I liked. I drew out some large images to surround features. Those images ending up morphing because I hadn't looked at the statue carefully enough. For example, I drew concentric flowers at the base because I didn't want a realistic looking wave-area like most dolphin statues have. However when I went to paint, I saw that was impossible. So I repositioned the flower to surround the blow-hole. It worked out!
After more research, I decided to use Outdoor Patio Paints from Decor brand, which I bought at Michael's. I selected bright citrusy colors (because that's what I love). I also bought a set of cheap paint brushes. I've never painted before, really, so I had no idea what I should use. I ended up using several sizes of the paint brushes, and a foam brush for large areas.
With plan and paints in hand, I finally started! I started off by outlining the large sections with a pencil, then began filling them in. Later I added extra design elements, and lots of dots.
It's Florida, so of course there were days when it rained. And rained. I knew I had to do this before the rainy season officially started, but I also had to have a plan in case it rained while I was painting. So I moved her from the circle towards the house, and when it rained, I pulled her into the little porch area so she wouldn't get wet.
It took a week from start to finish. Most days, I painted for 2 hours or so. The final part was the wave area which I really didn't want to detract from the dolphin. So I decided to just paint it blue and highlight the curves in the concrete with dots of color from dark to light. When I finally finished, I wasn't sure if I was done. But I moved it to the circle and I haven't gone back to it. It felt so good to finally do this! And I think our little dolphin lady enjoys being the center of our front landscape! Now, she just needs a name...
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