Murals
More than a decade of climbing on ladders near sidewalks.
After nearly 20 years as a classroom teacher, I shifted into public art and entrepreneurship. Since 2006 I've led (or co-led) the creation of more than 80 painted murals, mosaic murals, and painted tile installations. Some are in private residences, but the majority are in public spaces. You can check out many of the public projects on the interactive map below, by clicking on any of the colored pins. (Thanks, Marisa, for your help setting it up! 🙏🏽) I’m still adding photos and descriptions to some of the pins, so bear with me. 🤓
Along the way, I learned to take projects from the seed of an idea in someone’s head, to a design on paper (see example at the top of this page), then through all aspects of the planning and execution, to celebrating the finished artwork, like this:
Not shown: the >500 students, staff, family and community members who had a hand in this mural’s creation in San Luis Obispo, CA.
The greatest concentration of murals I’ve midwived are located in Oakland, California, in public parks and on school grounds around the city. Others brighten backyards, bedrooms, bathrooms, barns, bars, and basements, as well as ice cream shops, childcare centers, veterinary clinics, and libraries. While the inside or outside walls of a building were often our “canvas”, we also adorned shipping containers, garden fences, retaining walls, step risers, planters, pathways, and pillars with paint, mosaic, or both.
Beyond Oakland, I've led projects in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Carlos, Stanford, San Jose, Los Altos, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego, California, and also in Oregon, Wisconsin, and the Dominican Republic! #willtraveltomakeart
It has been my great honor to engage and instruct nearly FIVE THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS in the creation of these murals. All but a handful of those folks were complete beginners when they arrived for the project workday. Many were instructing other newcomers by the time they left.
Every project came with a different set of challenges, circumstances, helpers, materials, and budgets. Therefore, I learned a TON along the way. Now I want to pass it on, helping you design and complete your particular project.
Mosaic Resources
Need mosaic materials? Check my shop for by-the-square-foot tile from my stash, or visit your local salvage yard. I prefer sourcing tile that would otherwise be headed to the landfill (and have gotten quite good at it). I made a video called Where To Find Cheap Tile that gives you some of my tips and resources.
Looking for video tutorials? My YouTube channel: All Hands Art has plenty of short videos on topics like “How to Break, Sort, and Store Tiles for a Mosaic Mural”, “Mixing Tile Adhesive for a Mosaic”, “How to Attach Tiles for a Mosaic”, and more!
