Gallery Shows, Commissions, Mural Installations, & other works by Selah Laurel
For those that do not know, I used to be a full-time student athlete from 5th grade until sophomore year of college. I went to play basketball for 2 years at a JUCO and ended up tearing my ACL and Meniscus.
That injury as well as the lovely politics that go with any competitive sport, ended my career. I do plan/hope to get back to the game and coach at some point in my life, but for right now, I'm kinda loving this art thing.
I have always been an artist at heart. My family and even my very first art teacher would tell you that since a young girl art flowed very easily through my body. I loved to dance, sing and make music. Even more than that though I loved to draw, paint and create with anything I could.
It was very hard to do much art with as much basketball as I played. I would take as many classes as I could, though that ended when the art program was cut from my JUCO my freshman year!
Once I stepped away from basketball I had taken the summer to really determine what I wanted to do next. I had zero clue, and the world just kept going.
Protests began following the death of George Floyd. My cousins and I attended almost every single one from the start. About halfway through the protests random black boxes began to pop up around every light pole in Civic Center Park.
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Black Love Mural Festival
It had gotten to the third day of protests and these random black boxes began to pop up all around Civic Center. I ran around the entire park looking for who was in charge because I had a feeling they would be used for art.
I would eventually run into a man named Rob who is apart of the IRL Art team. I showed him my art, which he liked.He then said he was a busy man, but if I blew his phone up he promise to give me a shot.
About 2 days later I got a response saying I could be apart of the festival and that I would be collaborating with a more established artist.
I began my very first mural with a very talented artist named Vincent Gordon. He was very kind and let me showcase my talent in the center, adding just the perfect touches to the background.
Black Love Mural Festival
It was so much fun watching him paint. I got to meet a bunch of a different artists, curators, and collectors throughout the week. We had held block parties and candle light vigils in the park, all which would help my art be seen.
Eventually, I met many great artists who would lend a mentoring-hand. Lindee Zimmer, Detour, and JustCreatedIt. I also met someone that would later become my boss, mentor, and friend Moe Gram.
Black Love Mural Festival
I was quickly thrown into the world of art once Rob had connected me with the right people. My art spoke for itself, and the people seemed to appreciate it.
I loved working with Vincent, he taught me we work in layers when it comes to the larger paintings. I have a very artistic approach to creating a piece of work sometimes. I do not always start with a background first... or at least I didn't.
I learned what kind of paint works outside in the sun and for larger walls, and which paint does not.
I learned that painting on different surfaces sometimes requires different techniques, brushes, and paint to cover completely.
