Not a lot of backstory for this piece. I had applied to the mural project with totally open expectations on what it could be and was pleasantly surprised to get the wall that I did, and a wall owner who loved my work and trusted that I would do something cool. Total creative freedom. A unicorn of experiences, honestly. Cherry on top, we had over a month available to paint our pieces (though most of us only used 2-3 weeks). 

The concept, for me, was simple. Dancing - specifically, jazz dancing. The region has a strong history in jazz and the building is a dance studio, so out of the styles of dance taught, jazz dance (in an older Lindy Hop style) was what I connected with the most despite the studio only teaching modern jazz dance. I spent weeks researching jazz dance and learning as much as I could, talked to dancer friends, and tried to make a piece that would FEEL like dancing. The energy itself. Rather than focusing on a scene or frozen moment. I wanted to make the painting move. The wall was perfect for it, aside from one challenge - the windows. 

After some playing around with visuals, I came up with the final design used in a composition that focused on the movement and legs of the individuals with some complementary yet bold colors. The mural is located in the city center and is visible from several directions at quite a distance, so I wanted to take advantage of this and make this wall a focal point. 

Painting design aside, I really appreciate Pam, the organizer of the project, Cheryl, the wall owner, and everyone involved in selecting me to come and paint. It was great to spend a few weeks in your town, to meet and hang out with the other artists (several of us stayed in a large house while painting, Big Brother-style) and the Sherwin Williams manager who will never see this, but who set me up with a sick discount. This was a big blending of styles for me and I appreciate the freedom and trust given to explore and push beyond what I've done in the past.