Thanks to the efforts of a young local artist, and the aid of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council, a wall of the new Hernando County Administration office has become a canvas of a fine acrylic mural; it is a large-scale artistic collaboration and the piece truly represents Hernando County.
When county administration staff recently moved into the Airport complex, 15470 Flight Path Dr. in Brooksville, they set about remodeling their lobby–and in a decidedly artistic fashion.
Adorning the office lobby would be an artistic rendering of the county logo, a brightly colored circular logo that portrays a lone boater sailing across crystalline waters, surrounded by florals and seabirds, sunshine and azure skies.
“We wanted a local artist to paint our logo in our new space,” said Tobey Phillips, Deputy County Administrator. “We reached out to the arts council for ideas on how to find a local artist. They were happy to help.”
The arts council, in fact, posted a call for artists on their Art Opportunities page; a paid opportunity to create an artwork set to be seen by countless visitors to the administration office.
“When Tobey contacted us regarding the mural at the county office, we were elated to find a way to help! Her project sparked a new idea for the council– we created a new page on our website titled ‘Art Opportunities.’ https://www.hernandoarts.org/art-opportunities,” said Allisa Babor, Founder of Roots Creative Co. and Art in the Park Chair & Hernando County Fine Arts Council member. “This page is a place where artists will find art-related opportunities right here in Hernando County! All project details are listed along with the direct contact information so artists can easily get in touch with whoever is looking for a service, commission, etc.”
Of the artists who responded, Jasmine Bradley–who resided in Spring Hill at the time of application and now lives in Port Richey–fit the bill perfectly. An acrylic artist who counts animals and nature among her primary inspirations, she completes commissioned work over Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pixelzandglitter/) and also designs jewelry and epoxy work.
“We wanted someone local, and I loved her ideas,” said Phillips. “She loved to work with bright colors. She was also a new mom in our community. She was the right person to spruce up our new logo.”
Indeed, community partnership formed the very heart of this project.
“The arts council is a community agency,” she said. “This is how we work together.”
After beginning the mural project, Jasmine Bradley–mother to two-week-old son Link–completed the project in two days, painting the entire 3 by 3 work in five hours.
“This is the first logo I’ve ever done professionally,” said Bradley. “I’ve painted a few on my bedroom walls.”
The mural was just the latest artistic challenge for Bradley, who says she has been painting “ever since I could hold a paintbrush.”
This project was a special one for the artist.
“It’s there for everybody to see,” she said. “I wanted to get it as close to the original logo as possible.”
The Hernando County logo mural ranks among her personal favorites.
“Acrylics are my favorite, and I love the colors of the logo,” she said. “I also love the arts community here.”
And Allisa Babor loves the idea of providing many more arts opportunities for area artists.
“If you are interested in listing an opportunity on our site, simply visit our website and fill out the form on the Art Opportunity page! We will share the opportunity on this page as well as on our social media and our master list of artists in the county! There is no cost for this listing,” she said. “This is an effort to meet our mission to encourage, promote, and support all the creative arts in Hernando County.”
