Local artist Jordan Lansing has completed a creative mural on the climbing wall of the new Dolores Community Playground.
The painting combines fantasy themes and nature scenes with a bridge connecting the two worlds.
“One side represents reality and nature, cross the bridge to the make-believe fantasy scene,” she said.
Lansing, 14, was commissioned by the Town of Dolores to create the mural. She is a freshman at Dolores High School.
The castle-style playground was inspiration for the fantasy portion, and the natural beauty of the Dolores Valley was motivation for the other half.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and really love the outdoors,” Lansing said.
A large bald eagle, hummingbirds, bears, fish, rabbits and butterflies come to life against a background of rugged mountains, including the Sleeping Ute range. The Dolores River flows through both worlds.
The beloved Black Goat of Dolores is shown crossing the stone bridge into the fantasy world. The feral goat was a fixture on the valley hillsides for more than a decade.
Flying dragons and mermaids are featured along with colorful mushrooms and a landscape of rolling grassy hills with giant pink trees shedding leaves and flowers.
“This piece means a lot to me. It makes me proud to know it will be here for a long time,” Lansing said.
She has been interested in art all her life, and learned to paint and draw from her father, Gene Lansing, and Dolores Schools art teacher Kim Sheek.
“My dad does amazing detailed artwork and I learned a lot from him,” Jordan said.
She also helped to create the mural on the Montezuma Food Coalition building in Cortez.