Ellwood Thompson’s Blog

It usually starts as a idea, (you know what I mean) it starts as a spark or fleeting thought that usually fades when the work day is upon you and you’re in the grind!  But what if an idea comes to mind and it sticks? What if it’s brought up with others and rather than the “a” typical “that’s cool”(and than back to water cooler chat)it takes a life of it’s own? Than suddenly, it’s got a life, a direction and it connects us all together.  What if that idea that connected the office expanded to connect a community than possibly a city, maybe all the way to connecting a country!  I know, I knows it’s a little ambitious at this point, but you get the drift…What am I talking about?  Murals, community murals at that, what are they really? They’re  a communication tool, they’re a marketing tool to some, they’re a way to connect and make an impression on the mind and leave you with images.  Now most murals are corporate tools to try to get you to purchase (through impressions) there goods and services, but what if they were used to unite the community they were in??  What if a corporate logo, was replaced with a local artists impression of a community landscape?  One that would show a new way of thinking about community, food, sustainability and the connection from farm to city?  That would be powerful wouldn’t it???With the help of Ed Trask and (local artist here in Richmond) and in conjunction with ET and ET community coffee we are creating 3 individual murals that form one entire picture starting from the back of the coffee shop (facing Cary street) than continuing on the south walls of the expanded ET (facing Thompson street).  These murals are in planning stages, but when finished they will be a Cary Town institution and will connect to the city in way that city murals should; about the community, for the community and because of the community.  Now that’s an exciting spark!!We will keep you posted on the progress with some pictures in the future  Power to the people!Ryan