Between the Marks
Title: Between the Marks
Year: 2024, expanded 2026
Commissioned by: Gardner Skelton PLLC
Location: Charlotte, NC
Type: Interior mixed-media sculptural mural
Materials: Painted brick, embroidered and upcycled fabric, handmade paper, hand-carved rigid foam, acrylic paint
Dimensions: 12' × 105' × 6"
Created for Gardner Skelton, this mixed-media mural grew out of an expressive arts workshop with the full Gardner Skelton staff. During the workshop, we played, made marks, drew, and created together. Those marks and images became the starting point for the mural, with some of the actual paper drawn on during the workshop later transformed into handmade paper and incorporated into the finished work.
The mural moves through the architecture of the building, beginning where the carpet ends on one side of the space, traveling up and across the brick walls, and reconnecting with the carpet on the other side. The colors were pulled from the upholstery throughout the building, allowing the work to feel connected to the space while still being playful and unexpected.
About the Work
I wanted to push beyond a traditional painted mural and explore how fiber, paper, texture, and sculptural elements could become part of the wall itself. Painted brick is layered with embroidered fabric, upcycled textiles, and handmade paper. Three-dimensional forms move across the brick columns, hand carved from lightweight rigid foam and covered with fabric and paper. From across the room, the larger shapes and colors carry the work. Up close, there are stitches, textures, bits of handmade paper, and small details to discover.
I worked closely with Amy Johnson of Strata Project Management Group and Nicole Gardner throughout the project. Their willingness to trust me with unusual materials and ideas gave me room to experiment and play, which is a big part of my creative process.
What I love most is that the people who live with this artwork every day also had a hand in creating it. Their marks are embedded within the work, not simply used as inspiration for it. The finished mural holds a little piece of the time we spent creating together and gives those moments a permanent place in the building.
The Mural Grows
In 2026, Gardner Skelton expanded their offices and invited me back to expand Between the Marks into the new space. The mural grew another 45 feet, continuing the materials, movement, and visual language of the original work while responding to the architecture of the expanded offices.
