Comptine d’Étés Passés / Lullaby of Past Summers

A pair of bright blue running shoes anchors the center of "Comptine d'Étés Passés / Lullaby of Past Summers," a mural by Dom Laporte in Concord, North Carolina. The shoes rest among Russian Mammoth sunflowers rendered in saturated yellows and golds, their petals rendered with naturalistic detail. To the left, redbud and American Beech foliage emerges in deep magentas and forest greens. An Eastern Bluebird in azure blue takes flight across the composition, while a pollinating bee hovers near the sunflower's center. A picnic-patterned handkerchief in red and white gingham weaves through the lower portion of the scene.

The mural's 30-by-9-foot horizontal format stretches across a concrete wall at Les Myers Park, its scale commanding attention while remaining proportional to the chain-link fence it adorns. Laporte employs acrylic and spray paint (MTN 94) to build layered botanical forms that transition seamlessly from photorealistic detail to softer, more impressionistic passages. The native flora and fauna are rendered with careful attention to color variation—the warm yellows of sunflower petals contrast sharply against deep charcoals and slate tones that recede into shadow.

The surrounding parkland—mature trees, open grass, and recreational facilities—frames the artwork naturally. Rather than competing with the landscape, the mural echoes the environment's green palette while introducing warm accent colors that draw the eye to the laced shoes at its visual heart. The work speaks to the specificity of place through the selection and careful rendering of local species.