Red&Gold: What was your inspiration for this “virtual Spring Break” trip on your walls? Michele Bell: To give you a little background, I painted our dining room walls a pretty shocking shade of yellow a few years ago. I loved it and still do but started to tire of it during COVID-19. I thought maybe during shelter-in-place I might paint them but, before we would do that, I’ll let the kids draw on the walls. And then I thought about what to draw. That’s about the same time we knew we had to cancel our Spring Break plans. Originally we were supposed to fly to Las Vegas, rent an RV and drive to the Grand Canyon with some stops at National Parks along the way. Then, I started to get nervous about going to Las Vegas during COVID-19, so I booked a trip to New York City not knowing it would become America’s ground zero for the pandemic. So we had to cancel that trip, too! That’s when I hatched up the plan to draw a destination on our walls—those places we were supposed to go to and the ones we would want to go to. We ended up with NYC, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Japan (our favorite Spring Break trip that we took last year), Paris
(where all three kids really want to go), and Jackson Hole—our family’s home-away-from-home. R&G: What artistic method did you use to create the mural? MB: I would sketch out a few big items on the wall with a pencil and then the kids would add their creations. After that, I used acrylic paint to cover the pencil sketches. Once that was complete, we added details here and there to either fill gaps or add more personal touches to the overall creation. To help the kids with perspective and size, I anchored each wall with the big, important places in each city. These larger buildings and landmarks allowed the kids to fill in what they wanted while also giving them some sizing guidelines. For Las Vegas, I sketched the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, the Bellagio hotel, and a roulette table, and then the kids added their Vegas flare. Sanders is really into cooking so he added one of Gordon Ramsey’s Vegas restaurants. Charlie added a American Ninja Warrior course because he had hoped to see that live while we were there. Finley added a gambling table and some cards. The process for each wall tended
to work that way. It was really a collaborative project! R&G: Do you have a favorite mural destination? MB: I think the Japan portion of the mural is my favorite spot. Our trip to Japan was so magical and looking at all of the highlights on the wall reminds me of that trip every time I glance at it. R&G: Do you and the kids have a favorite detail in the murals? If so, what is it and why? MB: I added some small details into each mural for a giggle. Like Aunt Edna from National Lampoon’s Vacation on the top of the car in the Grand Canyon. In the NYC mural, I added in a Banksy rat near my old apartment. As for the kids, Finley loves the Tori gates in Japan, for Sanders it’s the Cowboy Coaster in Jackson, and Charlie’s favorite is the tram ride in Jackson. R&G: Did you incorporate yourselves into the murals? MB: I did. The whole family is in the RV, the kids are in the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Japan, and then all five of us are under the touristy antler arches in Jackson Hole. R&G: Before starting the mural project, you created a COVID-19 Coloring Book. What inspires you to create and why do you feel creativity is important, in particular right now? MB: In college, my best friend was an education major and had to make posters for her classroom frequently. She often enlisted my help to jazz them up. Recently she just finished writing a book and she asked me to do the illustrations. In doing that, I reactivated my drawing skills, which had been dormant for a long time. As soon as I started drawing these small icons for her 30 chapters, I couldn’t stop. Shelter-in-place left me feeling restless and anxious so I took pen to paper and tried to find the beauty and humor in it. That was the genesis of my coloring book. I have offered it for free
(visit: MicheleBellStudio.com). I guess the books are being printed out—for nursing home patients and preschoolers. It is a gift to me that someone found joy in them! This is why I think creativity is so important. First, it’s within everyone. When people say, “I’m not creative!!” I say, “You are. You just don’t know it yet.” Everyone can be an artist. Maybe you can’t paint like Picasso or sing like Tina Turner, but I truly believe there’s a creative fire burning within everyone. Second, art is therapeutic. Anytime I do anything using the creative side of my brain, I feel relaxed and happy. And when the project is complete, I am on Cloud Nine and ready to tackle the next artistic endeavor. Finally, what you create is yours to own. Like the saying goes, “Be you. Everyone else is already taken.” What I draw won’t be the same as what you might draw. Or sing. Or write. Or design. So let it loose however you see fit. And don’t worry about what others say or think. That takes all the fun out of it. R&G: Do you feel creativity is a skill that is nurtured by the School and its community? MB: Yes! I think Cathedral sees the value in creativity—not just in the visual arts but in creative thinking and practices. Instead of saying, “We don’t do it that way. Do it this way,” the School asks questions about how it could be done differently and why that might work or might not. And, by extension, I think the School values the differences that kids have and try to work with them to be their best selves even if that is not the norm. I can see Cathedral’s hope to grow even more in this area with the new building plans to include more breakout rooms and opportunities to show creative work throughout the School. I’d love to get the kids from kindergarten to eighth grade to help me paint a mural of them on the walls!
New York, New York
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Grand Canyon
FALL 2020 • RED & GOLD | 23
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