Plaza Walls Mural Expo: introducing Mrs. Collins

By Kadence Morris

One of Owasso’s very own art teachers, Mrs. Collins, was accepted last week to be in the 2022 Plaza Walls Mural Expo in Oklahoma City! 

The Plaza Walls Mural Expo is a non-profit organization that brings artists of all ages, art styles and different places around the country together to tackle the challenge of painting an individual mural on every Plaza Wall District building. People that had been chosen to participate years prior would get to paint their mural, and then the next year, new artists would be brought in to paint over their masterpieces and create something new.

“I applied in May of last year and was accepted this July,” Collins said, “but honestly, the experience was more stressful than fun because of the time crunch.”

The Expo took place on Saturday, Oct. 1, and lasted through the weekend. Mrs. Collins, among 45 other artists, came together and completely changed the outlook of the Plaza District. A conventionally abstract artist, Collins went with a multicolored 21’ x 12’ piece that stretched across the entirety of an exterior brick wall. Facing challenges like windows, doors, and even electrical equipment, Collins was able to pull the mural together in only 48 hours.

“The overall experience was challenging but rewarding,” Collins said, describing her experience in detail. “I did feel a bit out of my comfort zone, though.” 

Collins took a different and, ultimately, more challenging route than the other artists. Most of the people there were young, full-time street artists, meaning they used spray paint. Collins, however, did her entire design using paint and a brush.

Although aesthetically her choice was wonderful, Collins realized something.

 “I learned that I needed to use spray paint on  my next mural…my work was more labor intensive because I painted with a brush.”

Overall, Collins had a wonderful time and could not stop talking about how amazing it was to meet other artists and how inspiring the whole experience was. She said it was the perfect opportunity for her artsy personality. She took this time to show off her amazing talents and knowledge of the arts, and boy, did she. Just look at this masterpiece!

Picture of Mrs. Collins mural in OKC taken by Mrs. Collins