This year, I had the honor of receiving the Arttooth Artist in Business Grant to create a mural for the 4Eleven, a restored 1920s warehouse in Fort Worth's Near Southside. The building is home to several small businesses, including Emporium Pies, Dusty Biscuit Beignets, Bocca Osteria Romana, a therapy event center, and a wedding venue.

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This project was especially meaningful as it addresses the need for more "third spaces" in our communities while also helping to increase foot traffic for local businesses. The grant also included a mentorship component for emerging artists, and I had the pleasure of working with two graduating students, Austin Davis and Meillene Ferrer, who later joined the project as mural assistants.

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Commissioned by Art Tooth’s Artist in Business Grant, the mural is located in a newly developed public space called "The Squeeze." This small street facing alleyway sits between Emporium Pies and Texas Academy of Figurative Art on South Main Street, serves as a connector to Bocca Osteria Romana, Roots Coffeehouse, and other Bryan Avenue businesses. After community efforts secured a public easement, the space has now become a much needed gathering spot for people to enjoy a slice of pie, relax with friends, and take photos. The project received financial support from Near Southside, Fort Worth, and the NTCF Arts Fund.

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I was given creative freedom for this mural and also needed to consider the needs of the businesses at 4Eleven. My goal was to make a bold statement at the street entrance to draw people in, while transitioning to more muted earth tones as the mural progresses down the alley. This transition creates a neutral backdrop for wedding photography and complements the colors of the surrounding buildings.

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Spanning nearly 60 feet, the finished mural is an ambient, hazy piece that celebrates native plants and regional geology. Abstracted forms of the Blackland Prairie emerge through references to native grasses, botanicals, and rock formations. Blades of bluestem, flowers, and cacti float atop layers of transparent color fields, enhanced with metallic paints that shimmer in the sunlight during the day and glow under overhead cafe lights at night.