I love my special seascape that seizes the senses

NATASHA DURGAN, 42, is a teacher and lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, Daniel, who works for a construction consultancy, and their two sons aged 19 and 11. Natasha says: DURING gloomy weather or tough times, looking out of the window can sometimes be a bit depressing. But I only have to gaze at the huge seascape mural that I hand-painted in my conservatory and I’m transported back to happy holidays abroad.

The 5 m-wide mural is inspired by photos I took on breaks in Italy, Ibiza and Croatia.

I had never been any good at drawing or painting, but three years ago I decided I’d like to improve as a bit of a hobby. I ended up devouring library books in a bid to teach myself.

I had noticed the wallpaper in the conservatory of our four-bedroom home was starting to peel off. So, feeling brave, I ripped it all off and put my newly learned skills to the test by painting a mural.

There was no question that I’d paint the sea and mountains because I miss both. But rather than risk making a mess, first I practised on a canvas measuring 60 cm by 60 cm. That’s when I realised I also wanted to add in 3D Roman-style columns.

After sketching the scene on the walls, I created them using huge amounts of plaster of Paris, which I applied directly to the walls using a trowel and palette knives to shape it. You have to work quickly because it dries extremely fast. I used household emulsion mixed with water-soluble oil paints for the rest of the mural. In all it cost around £200.

For six weeks, I painted whenever I had a spare moment, often working on it from 9am to 6pm at the weekend. I’m quite proud of the result.

Friends and family imagine they are standing somewhere sunny with a cocktail in their hand. My husband and sons love it, but tease me that our house is starting to feel like an art museum.