I wouldn't say I'm done with the mural I did for my 2021 Individual Art Grant, but I did make it to a good stopping point for the year and am looking to get funding set up to add more to it next summer.

For this particular grant I requested design and subject suggestions from the public and by the time I’d compiled them all and gotten a design approved by the Town Board, I didn't really get started till September and could only work on non rainy days when I didn't have classes. I also got really sick partway through, which threw things off quite a bit.

I knew Postwood would make for a good location because so many people walk by this building every day, yet it’s painted plain white. The location is beautiful and I was hoping folks would want a design that reflects the surrounding area.

Thankfully many did suggest I make something that reflects the beach, native plants, and animals. So I decided to make a background of the beach at sunset and have Postwood written with each letter being a plant native to the area. This coming summer I am looking to add more native plant and trees as well as resident animals doing beach activities like beavers building sand castles and raccoons picking up trash.

I also got sugestions to do something that showed people of all cultures and ethnicities are welcome here. I’ve gotten this suggestion previously but I don’t paint people all that much and I also think while art is powerful, it’s only a starting point for making a community welcoming. I have been hesitant to create something that may not reflect the actual experience of people who live and visit here. However this particular location and design did feel like the right place to finally incorporate a multicultural element so I after researching vintage travel postcards, I decided to fill the word WELCOME with a variety of people. I drew them in pencil first and then painted them in stages, working from general colors to details like the eyes. They looked super creepy when I had the skin tones and hair down but just white for the eyes.

It did eventually come together and folks on social media helped me decide how to make the word TO simple and easy to read.

I like using doughnut trays from Kaneb Orchard for my paint mixing, mostly because I get to eat the doughnuts first.

For this particular project I applied for and received an Individual Artist Grant from SLC Arts. It was pretty rough pulling together an application while working on school during the earlier pandemic times, but I’m glad I pushed through. If you are curious about this specific grant, from their application,

”The Individual Artist Grant represents a “live & work” investment in local artists. They are designed to increase support for local artist-initiated activity, and to highlight the role of artists as important members of the community. These grants are intended to support creative artists (not interpretive), interested in working within a community setting. Community engagement is an essential element of this grant opportunity. The project must engage a segment of the community through a public program, such as a public exhibition or performance, and/or the inclusion of community involvement in the project’s development and creative process.”

The 2022 grant application is open until December 10th and I’m currently working on getting an application together. I’m also potentially doing a smaller mural for the Potsdam Public Museum over winter break and would love to do something in the Potsdam Public Library’s beautifully renovated spaces. If you would like to help make any of these happen you are welcome to donate directly to me through Paypal at saraelynch@gmail.com, purchase gift cards from Lowe’s and Ace Hardware for me, or make a donation to the museum saying it’s to be put towards funding mural work by me. Any amount is appreciated and will be used to make more art happen in our community.

From left to right, white pine, an acorn, a birch tree, tamarack, sugar maple, painted trillium, red pine cone, and milkweed. I want to do something to incorporate that window too somehow, so sugestions are welcome!

Thanks so much to everyone who submitted ideas, came by with snacks, kept me company, and even joined me for a few late season dips in the pond! I look forward to real cold weather starting soon so I can take the doggo skiing and eventually getting back to work in the spring!

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

Postwood Park Mural!