Welcome to the Wall of Hope, Love, Joy, and Kindness

The mural on the wall that you see started with Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The severe flooding on Siesta Key killed most of the non-native plants that had once been planted along Midnight Pass Road.

Then came 2026. As a federal government employee and parent of a queer human, I was immediately impacted emotionally by the hate and pure meanness coming from Washington, D.C.

And so, I started my largest canvas - the wall outside my house. Come inside my house, and you'll find that it's a bit like an art gallery, with my paintings hanging on nearly every wall. My largest canvas until I started the outdoor mural was 3 feet by 3 feet. And, as you can see on my website, my art is typically abstract with a focus on color.

I'm heavily inspired by the Gulf of Mexico and the beach in Siesta Key. It's my happy place, and I wanted to reflect the brilliance of Siesta on the wall. The sunset scene, with dolphins, our prized sea turtle, and black skimmers came together over many months.

Next, I had the idea to extend the wall to bring in the Pride identity in our family and our hearts. Once I painted the sky and clouds, I started adding the rainbow ribbons. Each ribbon needed to dry independently before I could add another color, as the ribbons wrap through and around each other. The sky goes from lighter to darker and the ribbons extend into the words "Love", "Joy", and "Kind." These are the emotions that I most want to see in our world.

Finally, came the last panel. I started the "Hope" wall a year after I took my first paintbrush to the concrete. My vision for the third panel started with wanting a nighttime scene. If you look closely, you'll see that there is some slight difference in the deep blues throughout the wall. My idea started with creating a night scene that evokes Siesta. I always love our full moon and stars. I wanted the word "Hope" to come out looking starry. Iridescent paints create the shimmer of the shapes inside the letters. The blue waves are meant to evoke the bioluminescence that shines out of the Gulf every year. The bioluminescent silhouette is a woman rising from the water blowing love into our setting.

My original idea has been that people write hopes for our world on the "Hope" wall. I'm not sure yet if I'll follow through on that and put out markers for you. In the meantime, I hope you feel hope, joy, and love when you pass by. And if I'm out working on a new element, please stop and introduce yourself. I love the encouragement that so many of you have been giving to me.