In October 2021, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend working with Mending Walls on a community paint jam. The project involved about 10 artists, most of us not knowing each other prior to the event. Each of us were given a 4’x4’ panel and a very broad theme around community, empathy, and racial justice. Artists were encouraged to work together to make pieces that were unique, but inspired by each other. “Drawn to the Light” was inspired by group discussions between the artists and inspiration of the imagery of a moth being drawn to a light. The Mending Walls project is about moving towards a stronger, more equal community, a journey that to me, in a metaphorical sense, is like going toward a light.

Initial sketch of the project. This was drawn less than 12 hours before starting!

Once I got to the painting site, I just got going. The process throughout the whole weekend was rather spontaneous, besides the basic sketch being prepared beforehand.

Colors were quickly being added. Because of the limited paint colors provided for me, I decided to embrace an extremely vibrant color scheme. Once again-it was a very spontaneous process!

The weekend flew by and I ended up forgetting to take more process shots along the way. Still, the experience was so great and I was happy with the result.

Finalized piece! It was a great busy weekend of painting and meeting other fellow artists in my community.