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Bobcats, chipmunks, geese and deer have joined the residents at Willow Commons in Portola Valley — in murals painted by Palo Alto artist Flo de Bretagne.
Across three pillars in the courtyard of the affordable housing project, de Bretagne created scenes that incorporate the natural landscape and environment of the town. Her whimsical style adds personality to the murals, de Bretagne said.
Willow Commons is Portola Valley’s first affordable housing complex to provide supportive housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It welcomed its first residents in June 2025 and aims to encourage social interaction, community and autonomy.
De Bretagne, who has been painting for 30 years, is the artist responsible for the murals displayed in Peninsula schools that include Encinal Elementary, Lower Laurel, Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy and Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion. She said her work is designed to inspire positivity and love.
“My work is very colorful and very joyful, and I see it as an opportunity to bring hope to people,” de Bretagne said. “I feel that I really paint for other people, not for myself.”
At Willow Commons, she invited the residents to be a part of the project by having them choose the themes they wanted. The final decision: Local animals, wildlife and landscapes. Residents even chose which kinds of animals would be featured on the pillars.
Although she typically uses bright colors, de Bretagne said she stepped outside of her normal style to blend the mural into the natural landscape of Willow Commons. She opted for neutral tones such as beige, brown, sage and olive green, rather than her go-to choices of orange, yellow, blue and red.
While working on the murals, de Bretagne said she has been able to get to know some of the residents and has enjoyed listening to their comments as they walk past her work.
“One of the residents said that the two chipmunks remind her of her and her mom when they chat,” she said, pointing out two critters painted at the bottom of one of the murals.
De Bretagne has been working on decorating the pillars since November and said she’s been able to learn from the residents how to enjoy the simplest things in life, something that’s especially welcome when there is so much anxiety outside the bubble of Willow Commons, she said.
“Everyone is very peaceful, joyful and loving. Some of the residents, sometimes they just express so much joy. It’s like a life lesson,” de Bretagne said.
This is not the first time de Bretagne has incorporated wildlife into her pieces. In a previous art series, she used animals as symbolic figures of power and tenacity to highlight a message about the “very fine line between power and strength and vulnerability.”
“I paint to bring a message to people. It’s not just a nice, pretty painting. It’s really filled with meaning,” said de Bretagne. “I think the animals have a lot to teach us by their perseverance and strength.”
