I'm painting a mural!
Olivia Wilkins
I’ve long thought it would be really cool to paint a mural. One of my favorite parts of my science classes in high school were the murals painted on the front of the teachers’ benches at the front of the classroom. They were beautiful, and I would sometimes take a mental break by studying those murals during class, paying special attention to how the shading, orientation, and color brought so much life into the classroom. The one in Mrs. Gadow’s biology classroom was especially lovely. It was a rainforest scene with lots of frogs and other rainforest critters. (Kelsey Wailes is the artist, and I highly recommend you check out her work on Etsy and Facebook, especially if you are into fun and sometimes weird critters and SciFi stuff!!)
Kelsey’s rainforest mural. When I was there, the mural was at the front of the classroom, on the front of the teacher’s desk. The science wing has been renovated since then. (Photo by Jim Colburn, Acknowledgement: Janis Gadow)
It’s been about 14 years since I first set my eyes on that mural, and I’m finally getting to create one of my own!
In May, I’ll be spending time working on a mural at the Simpson Public Library in Mechanicsburg, PA, as part of their Beautify the Barriers project. I applied to be a part of the project in February, and I found out a few weeks ago that my proposal was accepted!
The Simpson library has a line of concrete barriers at one end of their property, and so they invited local artists to paint murals to cover up the library-facing sides of the barriers. All murals must conform to the theme of the library’s summer reading program: “Tails and Tales” and will be up for about a year.
Sketch of a tardigrade, like the ones that will appear in the mural.
My design features a comet (comets have tails, right?) soaring across space. In the foreground, a couple of tardigrades (AKA water bears) are floating around, reading all kinds of books, perhaps ones with tales of space exploration. I chose to put tardigrades on the mural because they are super weird but also because they are the first known animal to survive exposure to outer space. Not only can they survive the cold vacuum of space, but their DNA is protected from solar radiation by proteins that form a barrier around their genetic code.
I’m really excited to get started, and I’ve gotten some help in both the design and execution of the mural. My patrons are helping me decide which books to include in the mural, and I’m also accepting assistance in purchasing materials.
Since this is a public library, and public libraries are underfunded, I have to purchase painting materials myself. I expect that the paint (about $50), new brushes for outdoor use (about $10), sealant (about $15), and gas ($15; $50 using the mileage rates) will require a total of $90 (or $125 using IRS mileage rates). I’d appreciate any help towards these costs, and you’d get to help shape the final design of the mural! I have some fun tardigrade swag to share — a tardigrade doodle keychain, tardigrade sticker, and a limited-print mini-zine — with people who help me purchase supplies. AND everyone who helps, whether my monthly patrons or folks who want to help out with this project specifically, gets to choose a child-friendly (but not necessarily for kids) book to be featured in the mural.
The rough sketch of my mural idea that I submitted with my application.
I’m eager to get started, and I’m honored to have my proposed design included in the library’s Beautify the Barriers project. I can’t wait to share pictures of the final mural with you :)
Cost breakdown (estimated, not including taxes)
Black paint for background (about 8 fluid ounces): $16
Paint for comet (4 colors, about 2 fluid ounces each): $8
Paint for tardigrades (4 colors, about 2 fluid ounces each): $8
Additional colors for books (9 colors, about 2 fluid ounces each): $18
Brushes: $10
Sealant: $15
Any contribution makes a difference!
$3 covers 2 ounces of paint (and you get to choose a book title!)
$5 covers 4 ounces of paint (and you get a limited-print mini-zine and to choose a book title!)
$10 helps cover brushes or about 4 ounces of paint (and you get a keychain, a limited-print mini-zine, and to choose a book title!)
$12 covers most of the sealant or travel or 7 ounces of paint (and you get a keychain, a sticker, a limited-print mini-zine, and to choose a book title!)