I’m painting libraries. When I tell people this they look at me like, the walls? A mural? No. I go to the library with my easel, stand outside and paint a picture of the building, usually from the parking lot. I try to capture a view I think is flattering. It wasn’t hard to choose this topic. I love libraries. I love books. I love reading. When I moved to San Antonio in 1998 I got a library card and discovered a treasure trove of resources inside those walls. I’d always thought that libraries would carry outdated books as opposed to new releases, but I was wrong. I found new books, especially new self-help books, which in the 90’s and early 2000’s were mostly what I read. I also found video tapes, DVD’s, cassette tapes, and CD’s. Every three weeks I would drive down Broadway Street to the Central Library (nicknamed the ‘giant enchilada’ because of its red color) and exchange my stack of books for a new stack. I’ve been a library nerd, geek, bibliophile, whatever you want to call it, ever since. So when I started telling people about painting libraries and they didn’t get it, I decided I needed to find more ways to articulate my admiration and appreciation for them. It’s not enough just to paint them. I feel the need to be able to tell you why. They have everything you need to learn and grow and expand, and all you need is a library card. My plan is to paint all 29 library branches in San Antonio. I’ve included the oldest continuous library in Texas, which is located 60 miles away in Lockhart. Who knows, I may include other libraries in and around Texas, but for now I’m focused on San Antonio and surrounding areas. I want people to see what I see, to love and appreciate what I love and appreciate.
I also plan on painting historical churches and courthouses. I am drawn to these buildings because I believe that at some point in time, these important places in a community were vital to our make-up. They helped define us, not just as individuals, but as united groups. Villages. Families. Communities. I like the idea of searching, of looking within, or to the past, for answers to big questions. The biggest questions we ask as humans are asked and answered in libraries, churches, and courthouses. Why are we here? Does my life have purpose? What does it mean to be part of something bigger than myself? What’s possible? These questions and more are questions many of us only asked when circumstances arise that force us to. Most of us would like to stay cocooned in ignorant bliss from trials and tribulations, from trauma and disappointment, but when the inevitable circumstance arises, we have resources: books, stories, collected research and data, the law, religious texts.
I hope you’ll join me as I journey around my city and state to pay tribute to these buildings, these pieces of art in their own right. Who knows what will come of it. Who knows what we’ll learn, how we’ll grow, or how we’ll expand.