Murals Artist Statement

The images featured here are of murals and mural proposals. I have painted murals in children's hospitals, a restaurant, an elementary school, and in private homes.

These paintings are packed tightly with images so that the eye will have a lot of territory to wander. I use bright colors and impossible perspective to grab one's attention and hold onto it. I try to highlight the bonds that make a community, whether between people or between people and the natural world.

Each mural should fit its space. The one titled 'Archives' was proposed for the Transylvania County Public Library in Brevard, North Carolina. It's divided loosely into three sections: knowledge, culture, and nature, to represent different aspects of the area. The Forest Mural features plants and animals of the southern Applachians, and the Ocean Mural shows fish that live off the southeast coast.

The elementary school mural was based on student's drawings, combined in ways that implied stories. As children walked by, I'd hear them say 'That's my drawing!' Though they couldn't have climbed the ladders to paint it themselves, the students were given a sense of ownership of the work. Many of the murals are in hospital waiting rooms. Parents point to the wall and ask their child to spot the octopus, or the bear, or some other animal. This gives the opportunity for a game between parent and child, and provides a focal-point for children worried about seeing the doctor.

These are just a few of the ways a mural can enliven a public space.