Murals

More than a decade of climbing on ladders near sidewalks.

After nearly 20 years as a classroom teacher, I shifted into public art and entrepreneurship. Since 2006 I've led (or co-led) the creation of more than 70 painted murals, mosaic murals, and painted tile installations. I learned to take projects from the seed of an idea in someone’s head, to a design on paper (see example above), through all aspects of the materials collection and organizing of people and supplies in the production, until we get to celebrate the finished artwork, like this:

Not shown: the >500 students, staff, family and community members who had a hand in this mural’s creation in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Not shown: the >500 students, staff, family and community members who had a hand in this mural’s creation in San Luis Obispo, CA.

The greatest concentration of murals I’ve midwived are located in Oakland, California, in public parks and on school grounds around the city. Others brighten backyards, bedrooms, bathrooms, barns, bars, and basements, as well as ice cream shops, childcare centers, veterinary clinics, and libraries. While the inside or outside walls of a building are often our “canvas”, we also adorn shipping containers, garden fences, retaining walls, step risers, planters, pathways, and pillars.

Beyond Oakland, I've led projects in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Carlos, Stanford, San Jose, Los Altos, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego, California, and also in Oregon, Wisconsin, and the Dominican Republic! #willtraveltomakeart

It has been my great honor to engage and instruct more than FOUR THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS in the creation of these murals. All but a handful of those folks were complete beginners when they arrived for the project workday. Many were instructing other newcomers by the time they left.

Every project came with a different set of challenges, circumstances, helpers, materials, and budgets. Therefore, I learned a TON along the way. Now I want to pass it on, in the form of a handbook I’m working on, how-to videos, and coaching for your particular project.

The Nitty-Gritty

Contact me (pam@allhandsart.com) if you’d like to learn more. We can arrange a consultation via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or phone. I offer discounts for schools and community groups serving historically under-resourced populations.

Mosaic Resources

Need materials? Check my shop for mosaic kits and by-the-square-foot tile from my stash. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, please ask me! I’m a “master salvager” 🤓, and yet selling materials is a side gig. Therefore it is impractical for me to keep my online shop totally up-to-date.

Looking for video tutorials? My YouTube channel: All Hands Art has plenty of short videos on topics like “How to Break, Sort, and Store Tiles for a Mosaic Mural”, “Mixing Tile Adhesive for a Mosaic”, “How to Attach Tiles for a Mosaic”, and more!