Butterfly Dreams Mural

Christchurch Public Hospital, Children's Ward — 2012

There are paintings you make for yourself, and paintings you make for others. This one was for the children.

In 2012, I was approached by a new organisation called SmileDial, which had put out a call to artists to help transform the waiting areas in the children's ward at Christchurch Public Hospital. They had almost nothing — no budget, just a guy with an idea and a genuine belief that sick children deserved something better than bare walls.

I said yes. It was also the first painting I completed after my back operation, which made it even more meaningful.

The concept I came up with was a young girl in a dream state, her hands releasing butterflies that drift and swirl all around her. I called it Butterfly Dreams.

The idea for the girl came from closer to home. One of my students had a daughter who was just the right age and had the kind of presence I was imagining. I went to visit them one afternoon while she and her brother were playing in the yard. With their permission, I took a few reference photos. One of those images became the basis for the girl in the mural.

My goal was to create something that worked on two levels — the butterflies catching the eyes of young children, while the figure of the girl, painted with real technical care, gave adults something to quietly appreciate during what are often very long, very hard days.

I painted it over weekends. Spending that time in the ward gave me a real sense of what families go through — the waiting, the worry, the exhaustion. It made me more certain than ever that SmileDial's idea was a good one.

The staff were incredibly supportive during the time I worked there. Over the weeks I spent painting in the ward, I got to know many of them, and it was clear the mural had become something families and staff connected with.

SmileDial has since grown into a registered charity supporting families with children who have ongoing medical conditions or disabilities — putting smiles on the faces of mums, dads, and siblings, and reminding them they are not alone.

I'm proud to have been part of it from the very beginning.

Butterfly mural before and after photos

So what is SmileDial?

SmileDial began as a project to brighten up children's wards at Christchurch Public Hospital. Utilising artists and local companies to donate goods that will be used to put some smiles on the dials of sick children and their families. So far, artists like me have donated their time. Others have provided framed artwork. The companies involved have helped with paint and lighting. SmileDial now works on many projects. It is a registered charity that supports families who have a child with an ongoing medical condition and/or disability. SmileDial understands that having a child with special needs can be stressful on all family members, and we put Smiles on the Dials of mums, dads and siblings (rather than focusing on the family member with special needs). SmileDial also provides a community where parents can ask for advice, share good times and bad, and know they are not alone and that others understand the challenges they are facing. You can find out more about SmileDial on their FaceBook page here. smiledial