Sandy Litchfield, The Tree Inside Me Grows, 2018, glass mosaic, glazed porcelain tile, acrylic paint on aluminum composite, PS 14 Addition, Bronx

The Tree Inside Me Grows is a mosaic mural created by Sandy Litchfield for the lobby of PS 14 Addition in the Bronx. The mural represents an idyllic combination of an urban cityscape and nature. It depicts trees, leaves, birds, butterflies and flowers in vibrant harmony with various buildings and structures. The image incorporates the colors of the seasons and represents an urban garden oasis. Made of a mixture of glass mosaic, glazed porcelain tile and acrylic paint, The Tree Inside Me Grows offers a myriad of materials, colors, images and shapes to capture the students’ imaginations. The artwork is integrated into the architecture visually and thematically. Visually, it engages with the full double-height lobby space and spreads out onto multiple surfaces. Elements are mounted onto the wall in the upper areas while along the bottom, they are embedded within the building tile. Thematically, the artwork mirrors the building’s theme of the four seasons. At the bottom of the artwork snowflakes and cool colors appear, signifying winter. As you move upwards the colors of spring, summer and fall come into play. Litchfield sought to draw attention to the school as a year round shelter and haven for children to learn and grow. The title of the artwork is taken from a 1914 poem written by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, which highlights personal growth as something that comes from looking outward: 
 
 

…Silently the birds 

Fly through us. O, I who long to grow,  

I look outside myself, and a tree inside me grows.