Shades of Enchantment
This 63’ wide, hand-painted, exterior mural at Franklin S. Edmonds Elementary School celebrates themes of Fairytales, folklore and Black is Beautiful.
This mural was brought to life in collaboration with the students of Edmonds Elementary in the 2023-2024 school year. After developing concepts and creating a design, it was scaled up and printed on 50+ sheets of parachute cloth. Sheets were individually painted by Isabella, Edmonds students and Mural Arts assistants.
“There are countless moments during this process that will live in my heart forever. For example, while we were all painting together, one of the students excitedly told me that his mom participated in making the mural at the front of the school when she was a student here - how special it is to see this multi-generational connection through public art at the same site!”
The sheets were individually installed over the course of 6 days by the REC Crew, using adhesive gel. Meanwhile, Isabella continued to touch up the painting with students and assistants.
Isabella’s first invitation to Edmonds was in early 2023, as a visiting artist for the Mural Arts After School Program. She facilitated a three-day workshop, exploring illustration techniques, paper making, and had insightful discussions about what it means to be an artist. With these discussions, she wanted to introduce the perspective of a full time artist and emphasize that there is no right or wrong way to create art. Stumbling along the way is an inevitable part of the process, but it’s never considered failure unless you choose to stop believing in yourself and give up. During that 3-day workshop, not only did the students learn new art making techniques, but more importantly, they learned to be more confident in their own abilities and trust their greatness.
A few months later, Isabella was invited back to Edmonds in autumn to develop an exterior mural with these clever and talented students. She felt that it was important to guide them through her whole process as a muralist - from brainstorming to installation and everything in between. Every element depicted on this mural was born from collaboration with the brilliant minds of these students. It’s their vision of Fairytales, Folklore and Black is Beautiful, that will live on this wall and be their legacy.
Concept Process
First, students brainstormed a list of motifs and ideas that come to mind when thinking about the themes: Fairytales and Folklore and Black is Beautiful.
Next, students did some drawing exercises based on the list, both on paper and on an iPad. It was important to see the students interpret the ideas in their own style to utilize their individual creativity, and then identify how the ideas can be meshed together and overlapped.
