August to October 2017
4 ft x 20 ft (48" x 240”)
Acrylic paint and paint markers on painted wood panels
Located in the tunnel hallway system underneath Ell Hall
Part of the permanent collection of Northeastern University

Boston winters can be tough, so Northeastern University has a tunnel system of hallways connecting the business school, the science quad, Ell Hall, the Curry Student Center, Snell Library, and other main buildings. The hallways are a dry respite from the cold, wet days outside, and many people pass through, or use the lockers, at all hours. I wanted my art to inject a colorful, joyful experience as they passed by, and hopefully push back on the grayness.

I knew the location before I started planning, so I incorporating its location in a hallway into the design. There are many elements that you can follow horizontally through the piece; I call them stringies. No matter what side you enter from, you have multiple options to follow along with as you pass by the mural.

This is my favorite mural I've done so far, and was a big undertaking. I did the central teal flower-thing first, first the acrylic paint then the paint marker outlines. However, I quickly learned that the acrylic paint smears the paint marker into sad black smudges. So I had to paint the whole mural first, before adding the outlines. I was nervous during that process; it didn't look that great, and was worried that it was going to look awful. But when I started on the outlines, I realized it would look so much better with the lines. Overall, I'm really happy with this mural, and it's my favorite so far. I tell people that my style, exemplified in Euphotic, is a mix of Dr. Seuss and Ernst Haeckl.