Recent Community Murals

Ascending with the Light

acrylic on polytab cloth 8 x 6 feet 2026

This mural is part of an amazing beautification and restoration project in westside Charleston, WV. Representatives from EchoLit and Marigold Creative in Charleston received a Ripple Project grant from the West Virginia Creative Network to create a mural fence comprised of 8 murals, each 8 x 6 feet. The mural fence will be an entry way to the Westside Arts Park, which will brighten the neighborhood for everyone.

I wanted to portray a diverse group of people climbing and lifting each other to a higher place, full of color and light.

Building Our Future Together

A warm and colorful 13 x 80 ft. image of togetherness, history, and co-working now greets everyone who comes near to the GATEWAY Center along U.S. Rt. 60 in Smithers, WV. Titled Building Our Future Together, the mural features brightly-colored building blocks with words of inspiration coming from people in our history. The diverse group of figures on the right side receive those building blocks and build a beautiful new structure with them together. The mural was completed with help from Carly Racer's elementary art students and a group of about 15 adult volunteers.

The historical figures are represented by a coal miner, a Cherokee woman, and pioneer legend Mary Draper Ingles — who escaped captivity by the Shawnee in 1755 and traveled over 500 miles through West Virginia along the Midland Trail (what is known today as Rt. 60) to return home in North Carolina.

Those driving to or through the small town of Cowen in Central West Virginia are now greeting by this stunning mural that combines aspects of Cowen's history as a regional industry hub with its present as a great place for recreation. Created with the help of 12 local volunteers, the design shows the different facets of Cowen being connected by roots and branches.

Deeply Rooted 16 x 28 feet acrylic on polytab Cowen, WV 2024

Deeply Rooted

Golden Wind

Located at the busy intersection of High and Fayette Streets in downtown Morgantown, Golden Wind shows a vibrant gathering of people following their creative passions. They are all touched by a yellow-orange ribbon that weaves through Morgantown with its rolling hills and buildings. The hot air balloons reference the annual hot air balloon festival in town.

Golden Wind 18 x 20 feet acrylic on polytab Morgantown, WV 2022

KENetic Renaissance: Building on the Past

Detail image showing some of the local nonprofit agencies inside the New Ken letters

Memorial portraits of Brian Shaw - police officer killed in the line of duty; Eddie Adams - Pulitzer Prize winning photographer; Stephanie Kwolek - inventor of Kevlar

The town of New Kensington, 18 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, is seeing a resurgence after many years of deterioration and blight. Fueled by building renovations, a brewery and other new businesses, outside investment, and community mural projects, the outlook for New Ken is bright. I joined with CARP (the Community Arts and Restoration Project) and community leaders to complete this 35 x 64 ft. gateway mural at the entrance to downtown New Kensington.

Over 100 local residents contributed to both the design and the painting of this mural, which shows aspects of New Ken's history like the aluminum and steel industries. The design also features 10 detailed portraits of current and past New Ken residents that represent the positive changes happening in town.

Carina & Tommy West, instrumental in the establishment of the New Kensington Arts Center

KENetic Renaissance 35 x 64 ft. acrylic on polytab New Kensington, PA 2021

Baptismal Hands

Eastminster Church in Pittsburgh, PA asked me to do a mural for the baptism area in the sanctuary that shows the cross-cultural mission of the church. The design shows the living water from Jesus poured out and filtering through open hands down to the baptismal font at the bottom.

Baptismal Hands 20 x 7 ft. acrylic on polytab Eastminster Church 2022

Building and Growing Together

Over 40 people contributed to the creation of Building and Growing Together for Eastminster Church in Pittsburgh, which reflects the co-working and cross cultural nature of Eastminster's ministry. The design shows people offering pieces to construct the church building on the left, which shows aspects of Eastminster's iconic architecture.

The figures on the left are made with both glass mosaic tiles and paint. The hand on the left holds a plexiglass mirror that suggests everyone can see themselves reflected in the mural, and are part of the vision and mission. Isaiah 58:10-12 winds through the sky, guiding the figures in the mural as it inspires the mission of Eastminster.

Building and Growing Together acrylic, glass mosaic, and mirror plexiglass on polytab 9 x 33 ft. 2019

Recent Studio Work

Sanctuaries of Light

Innerscapes series

My recent paintings and mixed media works, called Innerscapes, feature bold colors and strong contrasts to show life, space, and energy inside physical bodies. The work reveals vibrant spaces beyond the surface of the skin to show the vitality and connection that exists deeper inside us. Unseen sources of light pervade the internal areas of the body, alluding to an expanse of space and bioluminscence that suggests a larger, potentially healing perspective in the midst of carnal pain.

Seeing beyond surface appearances has always come naturally to me. Part of my practice as an artist is to look deeply at everything, myself included. Looking deeply at the frailty and fragility that we all share reveals a beauty that exists both in our vulnerability and in our journey of inner growth and healing. The Innerscapes series illuminates the inner life inside us, while showing the interconnectedness we inhabit.

Light Revealed Acrylic and Spray Foam on Polytab cloth 60 x 33 in. 2023

Inner Sense (self-portrait) Acrylic on canvas 22 x 28 inches 2019

Determined Synapses Acrylic on Polytab cloth 4 x 6 feet 2019

Luminescent Oil on canvas 14 x 18 inches 2023

Inner Expanse Oil on Polytab cloth 8 x 10 inches 2019

Illuminated Ribcage Oil on canvas 16 x 20 in. 2023

Pulse (Healing Wound) Acrylic on Polytab 88 x 60 inches 2023

Memory of the Skin: Beyond Pain Acrylic, gelatin, glycerin on polytab cloth 5 x 8 feet 2020

Incubation Oil on polytab cloth 8 x 10 inches 2018

Banded Together digital painting with ink drawings 2021

The paradox of spiritual, formless energy being contained within a fleshly, frail body fascinates me. My recent paintings and installations address this paradox and look beyond the surface of the skin to what is deeper and expansive in us, which binds us together. Covid-19 has caused indelible social distance between us, but Banded Together portrays a diverse group of people that is still connected energetically.

Theology of Pain Acrylic and plaster on drywall with looping video 6 x 8 feet 2018

Baptism Acrylic and spray foam with slowly dripping iodine water 4 x 16 feet 2018

The dripping iodine water, which evokes blood, is 'cleansed' as it hits the bowl on the floor, which is made of bleach water.

Farther In Acrylic on canvas 20 x 16 inches 2017

Cave Acrylic on Polytab cloth 36 x 60 in. 2024

Dream: 6/11/25 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 48 in. 2025

My recent paintings and drawings explore the intimate moments when human figures encounter light, color, and energy within secluded and liminal spaces. These images are meditations on solitude, transformation, and the quiet power of presence. By placing figures in environments that are set apart — in caves, the open sky, or empty rooms — I aim to capture the profound sense of awakening that may arise when the outside noise recedes and a deeper connection emerges.

The interplay of light and shadow is central to my work, symbolizing both revelation and mystery. The luminous forms that appear in these spaces serve as metaphors for insight, hope, or the spiritual unknown. I am drawn to the potential of still moments, where a single beam of light or a subtle encounter with the natural world can alter our mental state and elicit feelings of connection or contemplation.

Through my artwork, I invite viewers to consider their own moments of encounter—times when silence, space, and light have transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary. My hope is that these works offer a visual sanctuary, encouraging reflection on the ways we find meaning and connection in the quiet corners of our lives, where the light touches us.

Among the Clouds (Awakening)

Acrylic on polytab 40 x 56 2026

The Healing Light Acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 in. 2026

Sunset - Lake Erie digital painting 2023

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