Stairway Mural
Tulsa, Oklahoma | November 2024
Interior Stairway | Aerosol
This project took place inside a building in Tulsa’s Global District that has become home to a number of organizations doing work throughout the community, including the Tulsa Global District, El Centro, APIDA Tulsa, Avanzando Juntos, Elevate East, Eastside Rise, Art House, and others.
For the stairway, I was given complete creative freedom.
There was no complicated concept behind this one. I wanted to have fun, experiment with the space, and make it colorful.
A stairway is already an interesting surface because the artwork is experienced differently as you move through it. Instead of standing back and looking at one large flat wall, you are walking alongside the artwork, going up and down the stairs, and seeing different sections as you move through.
The painting itself was fairly straightforward. The more challenging part was everything that had to happen before and during it.
Working inside meant spending extra time on preparation and making sure everything was properly protected so the finished work would come out clean. Since I was using aerosol, airflow was another major consideration. There was a vent that helped circulate some of the air, but working with spray paint inside an enclosed stairway was still challenging.
At the same time, aerosol was the right tool for the project. It allowed me to cover the different surfaces much more efficiently than I could have with brushes while also creating the colors, fades, and energy I wanted throughout the space.
Once everything came together, the stairway completely changed.
What had been a functional transition between floors became something colorful and unexpected. We also ended up with a photo op space inside the building, giving people another reason to stop, interact with the artwork, and take pictures.
I enjoyed this project because there was room to simply create. Not every mural needs a complicated story or a long list of symbols. Sometimes the purpose can be to transform a space, bring some energy into it, and make walking through a building a little more interesting.
Especially in a building that brings together so many different organizations and people from the community, it felt good to contribute something bright, welcoming, and fun to the environment.
