We had so much fun creating this mural on the campus of Envision Science Academy with the 5th graders. We were inspired by Wake Forest’s quaint downtown shops. We also included the eagle- the schools mascot- and the gears- which are a symbol the school uses. We used a Van Gogh inspired palette and brushstrokes to bring life to the design.
Richmond county community college- REACH
We had so much fun creating this mural with early college students in Richmond county, NC. The mural highlights some of the career paths that the college offers. These kids are all so talented and full of good ideas. We created this in 3 days!
Washington elementary urban/ treehouse path!
Washington elementary has a unique campus! Located in close proximity to Raleigh’s urban core- they also have woodland areas in their campus. This design was a collaboration- Keith Norval designed the city skyline and I drew the treehouse section. We worked with the 5th graders and Sonya Drum- the art teacher. Each student created an animal native to NC to be placed in the landscape. They had a choice of making their animal more natural or personifying it by giving it clothes and human characteristics.
Some students also helped to paint the background- which we did in layers. We are crazy about the final product!
Celebrating diversity at Turner Creek elementary
We did a fun legacy project with the 5th grade students at Turner creek elementary! They painted self portraits on one side of a wooden circle, and personified animals on the other to create a dynamic and interactive installation for the school!
Library mural for Camden public library
We just finished painting a nature/ literal mural for Camden Public Library with the help of the community! It was a lot of fun and we are so happy with the results.
Outdoor STEM bird mural at York
We started this mural by drawing trees on the fence. Then we assigned each 5th grader a specific bird from our area to paint in the trees. We finished by adding some leaves. The kids worked hard and this one was super fun to create!
Secret Libraries mural at Brassfield Elementary
Im my painting life I’ve been so inspired by good literature. With this mural I wanted to share my love of reading with the next generation. It’s been a dream come true to paint in a library.
Reading animals and a tree for Holly Springs ES!
We had a great time
In March working with the 4th graders at Holly Springs Elementary! Some of the kids helped paint textured backgrounds that we used to create the ground, sky, tree and leaves. Other kids drew their own animals reading books and painted them. We are very pleased with the result, which will hang in the reading courtyard!
Painting birds with the library community in Camden NC!
We have had the pleasure to work with the community at Camden county library a few times now and are always impressed by how people come together to make art! Our most recent project happened on Jun 22. I painted a sky background and telephone wires on a 30 x 40” canvas and drew a bunch of birds. Every kid that wanted to got to paint one. We also made corn husk dolls with them. We had a great time and already have plans to return soon and make more art in this awesome community!
Nature art experience with kindergartners at Root elementary!
If you know me at all you know how much I love being in the woods. It’s so important to me tho have that connection with nature and to foster that connection with kids. During this week at Root we took the kindergartners outside, to spend time in a naturalarea on their campus and be inspired by the fresh air and trees. We read nature books, did leaf prints and made “litter critters”. It was a magical week!
Cougar mural at Apex elementary!
We worked on this mural with the entire school at Apex elementary. It’s big- 8 x 12’- so we needed all the help we could get! The cougar is their mascot. The colors and designs in the background were inspired by Wassilu Kandinsky, Yayoi Kusama and Jacob Laurence.
1rst Grade mural at Root elementary!
This is our first mural with first graders and they amazed us with their painting skills and creativity! Each student was assigned a NC forest creature to draw and paint. We also painted sticks, leaves, pine ones and other natural ephemera. I painted the raccoon, and the background and trees, but everything else was painted by the students!
Art project with a kids dance non profit!
We had the pleasure to work with the kids from the NC Arts in Action’s dance troupe. The goal was to work with them for 2 hours and create a 24 x 30” artwork that can be auctioned off at their upcoming fundraiser. To prepare we came up with a design that used silhouettes of some of the dancers. We cut several pieces of the design out from paper- since there are 13 kids in the group we couldn’t all fit to gather around the canvas. Each kid completed a section of the painting and then Keith and I assembled it. We incorporated themes of “mountains to sea” and “first in flight” as well. The kids were a talented group and a pleasure to work with. We are happy with the results!
Self Portrait mural at York!
There’s almost nothing better than a kid self portrait! At York- this mural will help to make all kids feel welcomed into the library by the 5th graders- and some famous book characters.
Self portraits are and art challenge and these students rose to the occasion by putting forth their best efforts. The results are stunning! We are so proud.
Birds at Douglas!
The purpose of our bird project is to introduce bird ID and familiarize kids with the birds that live in their area, to introduce sculpting with newspapers, tape and plaster, and finally painting the birds in an interpretive and expressive way.
The kids love these processes and had a great time- the birds turned out beautifully!
Holly Springs- hot air balloon!
We did this 6 x 4’ mural with the 4th grade students at Holly Springs elementary school. Their theme is hot air balloons and the school gave us creative freedom to design anything in that theme. We opted for a nature balloon with Shasta daisies, birds, butterflies and dragonflies. The students also created texture paintings for the backgrounds.
It’s our last mural of the school year. We are humbled and proud to have had the opportunity to do projects at 15 different schools this past year. The kids at these schools were amazing and inspiring and we will remember these experiences forever! Here’s to the power of art!
Vandora Springs- Stronger Together!
We had a lot of fun working on this with the 5th graders at Vandora Springs! The theme was stronger together. Each kid painted unique designs on an outline of their hand. We used the hands to form a tree. The students also made texture paintings for us to create colorful leaves with.
The last image shows the mural we did last year at Vandora- it’s in the hall by the front office. We love this school!
Combs elementary birds!
We enjoyed sharing our backyard bird project with the 4th grade students at Combs elementary. This time, instead of a permanent installation, we did a temporary install in the trees around the building. They will be up for the week of the art show, and then the students will be allowed to take their birds home. I hope the whole school gets a chance to enjoy the birds! The kids did a great job and worked so hard!
The four seasons of Douglas elementary
Douglas elementary has 4 fifth grade classes- each class worked on a season. They painted us some native plants and forest creatures and also created texture paintings for us to use to make bark, moss and grounds. The results are epic!
Ballantine Elementary fireflies!
Working with the kids at Ballantine was an incredible experience! We worked with the whole school to create this mural. The inspiration was “Starry Night” but with fireflies (their school mascot) lighting up the sky instead of stars. Big thanks to Ballantine’s amazing art teacher Monica Rehl and Ballantine’s PTA’s cultural arts director Amy Bailey. This mural was fun and whimsical but also took meticulous planning to create- so thanks so much! Also the fireflies glow in the dark.
