Bloom In Flight
Flamingo Swirl Mural
Madison Flower Flash, 2021
Describe your image.
Mural Installation View. Photo courtesy of Madison Public Art Project
Photo Credit: Cut The Deck Creative
​​​​
Installed November 1, 2025
4607 Monona Dr.
Monona, WI 53716
​
Julie Vornholt is a full-time Madison-based muralist specializing in floral and nature-inspired work. Her artistic projects feature painted walls throughout Madison, Middleton, Chicago, Sparta, Cashton, New Glarus, Indianapolis, and Nashville. As a floral artist, her designs feature flowing elements that, much like nature itself, adapt and grow around windows, doors, and building utilities. Vornholt creates her work freehand which, she says, allows her art to grow organically.
​​
Vornholt was interested to express the Indigenous agricultural planting technique called the "Three Sisters” that includes planting corn stalks, squash, and beans all together. You can see this trio featured in snippets on the right of the mural with a corn stalk and squash flowers at the bottom, and beans with their flowers growing at the top. The other flowers include, from left side to right, the bright orange Butterfly Milkweed, Purple Prince Crabapple flowers, White Snapdragon, Common Blue Violet (the State Flower of Wisconsin), and Red Chokeberries which flourish with the Corn, Squash and Bean flowers.
The flora represented are species that attract pollinators; there is even a bumblebee pollinating one of the flowers. The Black-capped Chickadee is a nod to Monona’s Bird City status and further brings this wall to life, inspiring the title of the wall, Bloom In Flight. The artist wanted to give a special nod to the native land we occupy, mixing the both the wildness of nature with traditional practices of farming that the Ho-Chunk Nation practiced. The composition uses warm and bold contrasting colors to draw the eye upwards as flowers climb alongside a deep yellow strip and are blooming against a bright blue sky in this beautiful garden flora expression.
​
This project is commissioned by Noel Development and managed by the Madison Public Art Project. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Detail image of the Black-capped Chickadee, Red Chokeberries, Butterfly Milkweed, Purple Prince Crabapple flowers, and White Snapdragon tops. Courtesy of Madison Public Art Project
Photo credit: Cut the Deck Creative
Bloom in Monona. Ariel View. Courtesy of Madison Public Art Project
Photo credit: Cut the Deck Creative
Bloom In Flight.
An Exterior South-facing mural. Courtesy of Madison Public Art Project
Photo credit: Cut the Deck Creative
Artist, Julie Vornholt works up on a lift painting the flora mural wall at Bloom.
Photo credit: Madison Public Art Project
Artist, Julie Vornholt, working on a Boom Lift for the mural painting days talking with MPAP Project Director. Courtesy of Madison Public Art Project.
Photo credit: Cut the Deck Creative
Mural Rendering
Photo courtesy of Madison Public Art Project and the Artist.
Mural Installation View. Photo courtesy of Madison Public Art Project
Photo Credit: Cut the Deck Creative
About the Artist @julie.vornholt.art
​
Artist Statement:
“My artwork features vibrant compositions where nature seamlessly intertwines with bold elements. With a brush in hand, I feel most myself, allowing me as an anxious person to feel fully present, connected, and grounded in the world around me; a truly important space to have. It’s this immersive, transformative experience that I aim to share with my viewers, hoping to add a moment of happiness in a time that can be overwhelming and disconnecting. I am especially drawn to flowers for their expressive shapes and initial simplicity, but I’ve continued to explore them due to their unexpected complexity in form and color. With every flower, I challenge myself to grow - refine my technique and push my own skillset. My goal is to breathe life into blank walls and reintroduce nature back into our urban landscapes while bringing a feeling of happiness to our community.”
About Bloom
​​
“Bloom is a 4-story, 98-unit multifamily development in Monona, WI offering a selection of studio, one, two and three-bedroom luxury apartments for rent. The mixed-use development also includes 7,500 square feet of commercial space anchored by a new BMO Bank branch. Building amenities include a full-sized fitness center, club room with coworking space, outdoor grilling area and patio, a dog run and pet wash. The building also features several sustainability driven initiatives including a 62.8kWdc rooftop solar panel array, smart thermostats, EV charging stations, a shared electric “Zipcar” vehicle, and a community garden.”
Learn more at: https://www.bloommonona.com
​​
Art & Music
The artist was excited to join the MPAP Artist Spotify channel.
Listen to Julie's music playlist here that she listened to, (in addition to her podcasts!) when creating this gorgeous flora mural. ​​
​
Upcoming Monona Mural Arts Tour!
​
Stay tuned for guided mural tours, upcoming events to meet the artist, and learn more about this impressive mural project.
​
FREE Coloring Book Pages!
​
Download coloring book pages created by the artist.
You can paint and design your own flora mural wall inspired by the gorgeous mural art!
​
All Photos â“’ Madison Public Art Project