Tip Jar: Grafitti-Cover Mural by Stephanie Reed

Hi, I am a professional New Orleans artist. I volunteered to help a group of community members organizing to beautify the Franklin Ave area by the Edgewood Park neighborhood. They wanted to cover the graffiti with something more community-minded. I found them online in posts asking for artist interest. This group raised some donations from neighbors for paint and supplies. They did not, however, have a budget to compensate their mural artists

DESIGN:

The art concept that this community group had was to represent the streets nearby that have a flower theme: Wisteria Street, Jasmine Street, Verbena Street, Gladiolus Street, Jonquil Street, Lavander Street, Clover Street, Acacia Street, Myrtle Street, Elder Street, Sage Street, Bay Street, Clematis Street, Lotus Street, and Iris Street. I researched the various flowers and designed a mural for the middle pillars of the overpass. I wanted to represent these flower streets in a lush and whimsical garden with a few fun animal surprises.

THE FINISHED MURAL!

The community got together to clean up the train overpass. They whitewashed some graffiti, cleared a lot of junk, and cut back weeds in the area. Painting began on October 2nd, and I returned many more times to complete my portion of the site, but I've finally finished all five pillars!

Pillar 1: Gladiolus, Sage, and Clematis

Pillar 2: Elder and Verbena

Pillar 3: Myrtle, Clover and Lavendar:

Pillar 4: Jasmine, Iris and Jonquil

Pillar 5: Wisteria and Lotus

MOVING FORWARD: I want to help paint more of this overpass. There are still ten side columns, side walls, and outside walls. We have discussed writing the names of the flower streets on the side pillars with graphics of the various flowers, which I think would work great to clarify the connection to the neighborhood. However, any time I've spent doing this, I haven't been making money; I need to pay bills just like everyone else. That's where I hope the community can support me for my time spent and show that they value my professional skills. Art is my livelihood and not just a hobby. Since the community group did not budget in compensation for the mural artists, and the motivation behind this endeavor is community-minded, I am willing to paint for tips on work accomplished. Please consider pitching in if you like what I've done so far. The center pillars mural would represent about $5,000 worth of work at my professional rate.

I recommend that this group create tip jars for each artist/mural as it is completed, so I made a dedicated tip jar for the McCormick family, who has been working on the large waterfall painting at the site.

THANKS!