The mural and water play areas at Paine Park were conceived of as landscapes in which an interplay of art, culture, symbols, children's drawings, toys, and the detritus of a day at the park are represented. The wall painting alludes to the familiar vista for the Charles River, embellished with numerous references to art and architecture from
western and eastern sources, and incorporates the drawings of thirty local children. Central to the theme of the piece is the fountain, painted in the middle of the mural and the fountain/water play element centered in the stained art work. The fountain represents a gathering place: a source of sustenance and a place of community. The "fountain" also represents a source or spring; suggesting the spontaneity and sense of possibility that is youth. The art work moves full circle from the past and old sources of creativity to the new as seen in the children's drawings.
Mela Lyman earned her fine art degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Tufts University. Her work has been exhibited in over 40 exhibitions in New England museums and galleries and has been reviewed extensively in Artforum, Art New England, New Art Examiner, The Boston Globe, and many other magazines and newspapers.
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