Paint the Trail

Being an avid cyclist, I find myself on the Seminole Wekiva Trail pretty frequently. Over the past year I have watched a section of fence behind a house in Longwood, FL become covered with wonderful artwork, a couple of panels at a time. It started slow, one or two, and then it took off! Now the art has completely covered two adjacent yard fences and has moved on to another.

I always stop and admire the art on the trail, it makes me smile with it's big bold images of actors and musicians, comedians and recognizable figures. Most have funny quotes on them as well. Recently I read an article in our local Lake Mary Life magazine, that told me where to find the artist on Facebook. And that's all it took.

I checked out the page and then reached out to Jeff. I wanted to purchase a fence panel from him to display in my yard. Since my house is full of original art and I have no more wall space, I've moved on to outdoor art. What could be more perfect?

Jeff Has a Vision

"I see  people getting exited about what's going on.  I'm doing as much as I can to let those who want to get involved.  It's morphing into some bizarre community project.  I visualize artists and residents alike displaying artwork on the trail. I've set the impossible goal of 5 miles. Even if it only reaches a mile , wouldn't that be something worth packing up the car , grabbing the kids and going to see ? I think if everyone gets involved people will be amazed at what this community has done together.  It's something fun we can do and it's something others will want to see."

See a great TV interview with Jeff here

So what did he say when I asked him about purchasing a panel? "No." Truly, he did. He said he just wants to put them on the trail as part of a community project, he doesn't want to make money from them, he doesn't want to take commissions. Heck, he said he doesn't even see himself as an artist. 

What happened next was kind of fun. Jeff said to me, "You're an artist, why don't you paint a panel for the trail?" That's when he explained to me that he can't get to his vision of 5-miles on his own, so he's recruiting help. Not just from artists, but from anyone who wants to give it a try. Jeff is not only providing the panels, (some are saved from the land fill) and the paint (all is saved from the recycling station) but he's also willing to sketch the panel out for you and give you detailed instructions, if you are not an artist. He's handed out many panels, paints and instructions, in the hopes of getting the entire community involved in his project. 

Jeff not only provided me with the fence panel, but he gave me the paint!

So I went over and picked up a panel, dug through the paints, and threw it all in the back of my van. Why not? It will be like a great big under painting, only on a fence.

Are you a local artist in Seminole County or someone who just wants to be part of this great project? Get involved, get a panel, contact Jeff through his community Facebook page

here's my panel, ready to go in my van, what will I paint?

Spread the word, share this with a friend. And visit my Facebook page for an album of photos from my visit to Jeff's shop. I'll continue to add my in progress panel photos to this album. So check back!

and PS, how did I get myself into painting a fence panel when all I wanted to do was buy one?

Stay tuned, and thanks for being a part of my art journey.