Guess what! Jeremy Price, Award Winning Artist and I have been working together to bring my vision for a new mural to life. It’s finally done!
This one means a lot to me. For those of you who don’t know, my soul calling is love. This isnt something new that came to me after a spiritual awakening. This calling has been something I have lived for since I was a child.
In high school I was momma bear. I loved so deeply that I wanted everyone to feel included. As I matured, I went through life humbling experiences that could have stripped me of this calling, but instead it drove me even further into it. I began to give and love on greater scale.
“How do I spark a light in people’s hearts on a grand scale?”, I would ask. It’s the art. So a year or so ago, I teamed up with Jeremy to design the idea I had of the phoenix rising from the ashes.
“Still I Rise” mural was inspired after Hurricane Laura. For me, these projects are alchemy for heartache. I was hurting, not just because of the devastation we all faced, but also because I was going through major changes in my personal life. I was being attacked on major spiritual level. Not one to run from hard things, I knew I needed to turn the pain into purpose.
So I started giving back with feeding projects. Then I turned to the art. I knew we all needed to feel the inspiration that the colors bring. Heading west towards my business, Buffis Peauxboys, you can see the Capitol One tower and the evidence of the destruction from the Hurricane. I wanted us to see something different. I needed to see something inspiring.
They say that pain is a great teacher. My pain taught me how to love even deeper.
When this mural went viral, I asked the mayor for a grant for 30k. Shortly after, my bank sent me a chance to win a sweepstakes for the same amount. Talk about synchronicity. I won it.
Jeremy and I then painted the largest murals in Lake Charles.
Once that was created, I wanted to celebrate with a multi-cultural festival. I invited the best Zydeco Band around and our Famous Latino Kitchen to join Jeremy and I at the first Mural Festival in Lake Charles. I was so proud that day.
Fast forward to nearly one year later and we have just put up another huge mural in Downtown Lake Charles on the Side of the CrossFit on Broad St by Buffis.
Home is Where The Heart Is….
This one is so personal for me. Again, when I am going through major changes, the art helps me externalize the feelings. Even if it’s just my vision that has come to life, the art is a way of getting my thoughts outside of me. I needed that.
If you notice, there are 12 stripes in the bursting sun within the heart.
The number 12 represents the spiritual journey. It’s about cosmic order, the pursuit of peace, emotions and perfection in relationships.
Cosmic order and pursuit of peace are a very real theme for me. I moved to Ocean Springs for the year in pursuit of deep peace. The perfection in relationships has come by way of the perfection in my relationship to myself. The more I have learned to love Paige, the more I have to give.
I have two houses now, but only one home. Home is truly where the heart is and Lake Charles is has my heart, my people are my home. Ocean Springs is my proverbial mountain. Just like Jesus went to the mountain to wrestle with the Devil Inside so that he could come back standing in his power to change the world, I have come to wrestle in the same way so that I can truly have the highest impact with my life. The symbolism in the art is everything to me. This is a journey piece for me.
When I envision things like this I do so in a two fold manner. I know the public meaning and the private meaning. What I see for the public is this being a true blessing of the union with those they love. I wanted it to be a colorful blessing.
The private meaning evolves. At first, I was bringing purpose to pain that I felt when I began discussing the design. I wanted to commemorate my own love that I left. Then it became the translation love I felt for the city. Slowly but surely it evolved into this masterful display of how love washes over you and cleanses. Even when it hurts, it awakens a soul journey. It brings cosmic order. It returns you to yourself. The puzzle pieces are always bringing you to unity of spirit. There’s something beautiful about the love for self and the healing power it brings.
Over the years, as I have learned to love myself, I have learned to love others in the deepest ways. I ride the waves of life, giving my heart to those who cross my path. My community is an extension of everything that matters to me. My people are a part of me. Although I am on a journey that led me out of state, my home has my heart.
This piece of art is everything to me right now. It’s my love letter to my city, to myself, to God. I’m sure it will evolve and take on a life of its own through the years. I can’t wait to see what it means in the future.
Thank you for allowing me to serve!
Paige Elliott
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