HANDS ON FUN

Check Out This Global Art Project

I’ve always loved creating things with color – even though others haven’t always appreciated it. Ha! When I was young, Zippy, my little Character #3, must have been doing handstands whenever she saw an empty palate.  The shiny wooden window sills in our living room were perfect for my colorful happy faces done with Crayola crayons.  And the big white wall beside my bed was perfect for the vivid masterpiece I did with Revlon lipstick. 

Thankfully, my middle school art teacher wasn’t able to discourage my joyful right brain cells when he said, “Honey, you’re just not very good at this!”   I guess as Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor shared in her book Whole Brain Living, my right brain hemisphere saw the possibilities, not the limitations. 

And that’s exactly what happened recently when I  discovered the Global Art Project by Mural Mosaic – limitless possibilities. You see, artist Lewis Lavoie welcomes everyone each year to “(Re)Connect the World through the joy of bringing mosaic tiles together.”  So I immediately bought some of the 6x6” tiles in the America Love & Family series  for several of my friends and me.

When the kits came with the empty tiles, acrylic paints and tiny easels, my Character #3 – the one that feels the magic of sunsets, mountain tops and warm hugs, who loves walking in the rain, watching sport recaps of spectacular plays and laughing at hilarious You Tube videos — couldn’t wait to get started creating an original tile – because no one was going to judge it.

After my friend Kathy and I finished  painting our tiles with the specific colors we were given, we had to email pictures of them to the  digital artists who would  design the mural that would be installed at a chosen location at a later date.  Since The Global Art Project was conceived in 2003, hundreds of murals have been hung permanently around the world.

 I was so excited when our mural was unveiled  at the Columbia Mall on June 9 in  Grand Fork, N. Dakota this summer.  Until we can actually visit the installation, I  loved seeing the grid that showed  how our tiles fit in to help  “plant trees of love, hope and inspiration around the world to connect our families, communities, teams and long distance loved ones through the joy and legacy of these collaborative Mosaic Murals.”  ~The Global Roots Team   We will be receiving prints of our mural in a couple weeks.

My tile #813 is positioned on the far right side almost halfway down

Kathy’s tile #102 is positioned at the top middle

Honestly, if there’s a part of you that loves to – or needs to --  experiment, connect with others, check out next year’s murals – “America (or any country you choose)  Connects Nature” and let your inner “Zippy” expand its heart. You can find out information about the project, see past murals and sign up here.

You’re never too old or too young to help paint a tree…

It’ll Be OK.

~~~

“The earth without art is just “eh.”  ~ Chris Chalk – Art Studio

COMMENT: WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU HAD FUN CREATING?