I snapped these photos of the work-in-progress a few days ago, so it's rather further-along now, but I don't want to give too much away before the official opening of the show next Saturday. As you can see, I'm using a Reyna color palette.The task at hand is to create a mural depicting "what Galveston means to me." Based on my having lived here for all of four months, (and in all honesty--still not totally sold...there was some really nasty black, tarry crudd washing up on the beach yesterday,) I decided to focus more broadly on what community means to me. 
My mural will depict ways I enjoy participating in my community, such as getting books from the library, biking, growing a garden, and buying food at the local farmer's market. All these things have been important and satisfying to me in each place I've lived, from Wisconsin to Savannah to Florida, and now here. If I have to give it a title, I might call it, "a place to grow."To be honest, I'm still wishing for a nice shady bike path around here, or even a safe commute to downtown. The locals keep telling me Galveston is a GREAT place to bike--they just do it on the streets, in the blazing sun, around the ubiquitous both-sides-of-the-street-parking, I guess.
I was invited by a fellow Galveston Hangs artist to go on a ride last week, but unfortunately I was too busy painting this mural! As soon as it and the Shands project are done, I will try it out. Until then, my painting, as it does so often, will portray my idealized world.
(Cos my tomatoes were never that bountiful!)
