Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, November 7, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Being pink, the house is already easy to spot, but now there's another reason for people to take a look.

Rae Braden, right, painted a mural for the front of Judy Murdoch's house. Murdoch wanted three ravens in the picture to reflect her three sons, and said she loves the intelligent, playful and clever nature of Northern ravens. - Jessica Klinkenberg/NNSL photo

The front of Judy Murdoch's home on Matonabee Street now sports a mural of ravens.

"It makes me smile and I hope that it makes others smile too," she said.

"The mural came about because I have three boys; Brendan, Michael and Aaron.. For the last five years I thought it would be nice to have a picture that reflects my three boys."

Part of the inspiration for ravens came from Brendan's name, which means "little raven."

Murdoch's artist of choice was Northern and also knew her sons.

"She just seemed like the perfect person to do this," Murdoch said of the artist, Rae Braden.

"It was just a matter of the right time and the right person."

Braden said it took her 40 hours of painting to complete the mural. The conceptual sketches took a year, during which she took her time and submitted several different options to Murdoch.

From there the mural grew.

Braden said that it was her first commission "and my first mural," which made it twice as special.

Murdoch said that people have been paying attention to the mural since it's gone up.

"I've gotten a few calls about it," she said.

Other people have asked her about it while she's been outside the house.

She said she's always quick to tell them that Braden was the artist.

Murdoch said there's a reason why she has decorated her house's exterior with bright pink paint and art.

"I've always wanted the outside to portray who we are on the inside. That it's a fun, warm home," Murdoch said.

She also loves the colours.

"So much of Yellowknife is white and beige and dark," she said. "I love colour."