Mural Madness

Last week was intense. Myself and 5 other artists had the opportunity to make the community more colorful with an outdoor gallery at the Neighborhood House. The challenge: paint a mural in 3 days.. Yeah it sounded like a lot of work but it seemed do-able. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Somehow within those three days I completed three job interviews, yeah not my ideal situation but I wasn't about to turn away potential opportunities. So I lost some painting time. Then there was the rain.. Mother Earth always wins. The rain was constant and so much that it washed away our first attempt at laying down paint and later the rain washed out all of my sharpies when I attempted to at least trace the outline before calling it a night. The following day was amazing. I was so far behind but my family came to my rescue (as they always do) willing to help any way they could even though none of them are artists. They helped paint, run for supplies and meals, setup lights, clean up and of course offered moral support. Finally on our last day, the community came to see the work. I listened as a couple of small girls chatted about which character they were in my mural, I never felt so proud of my art before! I did it! My only hope was that at least one child would see my mural and imagine herself as one of my characters. I wanted to inspire young girls to believe they can be doctors, engineers, scientists, etc. And then the news came that the House was willing to let me finish my work the following morning before their big tent fundraiser. Yes! I completed my work and spent the evening admiring all of our murals with the other artists. How great is it to work next to other creative people but also those who share the same passion for community as yourself?! It's amazing, that's how great it is.. And I can only hope for more work together in the future. So yes here it is, my mural, art for the community, named by the community, #Steminism.