After stirring in her brain for nearly a decade, Renee Audy found herself in the exact right place, faced with the perfect project to start her “I AM” murals.
Inspired by American artist Robert Wyland and his more than 100 large sea life murals dedicated to raising worldwide awareness to the plight of whales, Audy aims to create 100 murals to empower positive mental health and well-being.
“We’ve been chit-chatting over the last few years and I’ve been mentoring from afar,” Audy said.
The Victoria resident and owner of Art Success developed the I AM Mural Project to help empower people, support mental health, spread positivity and foster self-awareness through impactful murals. Committed to 100 murals, the project officially launched this summer.
As an artist, she’d been wringing the concept back and forth in her mind long enough that the first bits of her series came to fruition rather easily. The opportunity presented itself when she travelled to Millet, Alta. for her brother’s wedding.
She created four murals fulfilling three “I am” statements – I am grateful; I am the author of my story; and I am the creator of my dreams.
The bright works, featuring the affirming words, wrap the civic building in Millet.
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I Am Community is the largest and most detailed, depicting a five-year-old girl and a retired school teacher from the community itself as they count, smell and play in a local wildflower garden.
For Audy it embodies the value and importance of intergenerational connections as well as the importance of fostering connection with nature.
The other three murals that wrap civic centre show flowers that bloom to represent the flourishing nature of Millet along with the continual growth within their community.
With these positive messages, the I Am Mural project supports mental health, self-awareness and community building through art. Audy believes reading and seeing positive images and messages counteracts the “garbage” abundantly visible in society today and positive artwork can be more impactful on community.
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“Youth and adults need this kind of reminder because we sometimes lose ourselves,” she said. “If we infuse a little more positivity, our actions start to change and our thought processes start to change and it helps to create that pathway we more individually desire.”
“I’m three down and I’ve got 97 to go,” Audy said knowing she’ll integrate into her practice.
“I think that with positive intention art is such a powerful tool that we should use it.”
Anyone with public space within the community who is interested in hosting an I AM Mural can contact Audy through www.artsuccess.ca.