How did you come to get involved with this project? I had lived in Nashville before (twice). I began working with street artists in 2008. Each time I worked on a mural or exhibit I thought “This is something that should be in Nashville” I moved back to Nashville from San Francisco in early 2014 to begin The Nashville Walls Project”
How would you describe your artistic style? I appreciate a variety of artistic styles. I first started collecting works by the early Surrealists and then Pop Art. I met Ben Eine (London) and a few other prominent Street Artists in San Francisco 9-years ago. I fell in love with the open and public approach to their art.
Please describe your vision for this project. My vision is to bring the world’s top muralists to Nashville to do large scale murals around the city. Nashville is truly an “arts city”. I see this as a way to enhance Nashville’s artistic reputation. Murals by these artists decorate the great arts cities around the world – London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Los Angeles. I want to put Nashville on that list.
How did you come up with the creative concept? I have worked on street art projects and murals in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. Each time I did one of these projects, I thought about Nashville. I saw the murals as a way to advance Nashville’s image as a great arts city.
Please describe your process for fabricating/creating the project. The process was fairly simple. I worked for over a year to secure the right walls for murals and then began inviting artists. Scheduling these artists can be a challenge because they are in high demand around the world. As soon as they heard about Nashville, they all wanted to come. None of the artists had been to Nashville before. They all loved the city, the people and the response to the murals.
What did you enjoy most about working on this project? The most enjoyable part of the project was seeing the public’s response to the artists and the murals. People set up lawn chairs to watch the artists paint. Local schools brought students to the walls to meet and interact with the artists. It is very gratifying – weeks after the murals were completed – to see the number of people who stop to take pictures or look at the downtown murals.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring artists? Art should be shared with people.. don’t be afraid to put your art out there. Share it with the public!