ArtHouse Pool
Tulsa, Oklahoma | July 2025
Approx. 15' × 15' | Aerosol and acrylic on concrete
This was one of those projects that was just fun from the beginning.
ArtHouse was putting together a gathering for artists, and around that time there were also different tours and events happening around the Art Houses. For this one, the swimming pool itself became the canvas.
The space was shared between Dan Rocky, Getar, and me, with each of us taking a different approach.
That was probably my favorite part.
Our styles are very different, but somehow they worked really well together. Instead of trying to make everything look the same, each section was allowed to have its own personality while still becoming part of one larger piece.
For my section, I painted VNICEWORLD using lettering inspired by metalcore graphics.
I kept the background completely black and painted the lettering in white, creating a really strong contrast. I wanted it to feel heavy, bold, and almost aggressive in its simplicity.
Then I added a colorful beetle into the composition.
The beetle gave the piece something unexpected. It broke up all of the black and white, added a little color, and intentionally threw the balance off just enough to make the whole thing more interesting.
I liked that contrast.
The heavy lettering felt loud and structured, while the beetle brought in something organic and colorful.
One thing I definitely remember about this project was the heat.
It was around 100 degrees at times, and working inside a pool that was becoming basically a giant black bowl made it feel even hotter. There were days when I would come in early in the morning to get ahead of the heat, and other times I would stay late into the night just to keep working when the temperature finally started to drop.
Painting inside the pool was physically different from working on a traditional wall. The concrete surface, the shape of the space, and the heat all became part of the experience.
Once everything came together, the pool felt more like an installation than a mural.
You were not just standing in front of the artwork. You could step into it and be surrounded by it.
The finished piece ended up getting quite a bit of attention too.
Tulsa Flyer later came out to interview me, and the pool was featured in one of their articles. It was cool seeing something we originally created for an artist gathering reach a much wider audience afterward.
More than anything, I enjoyed getting to share a canvas with artists whose work looks completely different from mine and seeing all of those styles exist together.
Shout out to Dan Rocky, Getar, and ArtHouse for making this one happen.
