Meghan Meier’s “Escape.”
Artist Meghan Meier is painting a mural titled "Escape" on the north and east walls of Undercover Beds and Spas at Garfield and Second streets in Laramie.
Designed specifically for the location, the work is part of the Laramie Mural Project, a partnership among local businesses and artists, Laramie Main Street and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.
Meier says her new work was inspired by walking or biking by that corner several times a day.
"Not only did I want to paint something that I was proud of, I wanted to paint something that would make me smile every time I saw it . . . (and) I wanted the mural to make other people smile as well."
Last summer, Meier also created the mural “Grainery Grove” on the alley wall of Whole Earth Grainery.
The new mural incorporates the three things the artist loves most -- bikes, rocks and trees -- whimsically portrayed in a Vedauwoo-inspired landscape.
"I drew an aspen tree escaping his grove (a reference to the “Grainery Grove” mural) for a pleasure ride. The rocky landscape he rides through is certainly unrealistic, but familiar. He’s free for the day and stoked about it. Hopefully, (it’s) reminding everyone to get out and play; enjoy what’s around us; and smile at least a few times a day," says Meier.
“Escape” is the first of as many as four murals planned for the downtown area this summer. It has been funded by the Guthrie Family Foundation, City of Laramie and the Wyoming Arts Council.
“Imagine learning from the masters” is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum’s programs. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.
For more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum and the blog at www.uwyoartmuseum.org. Follow the museum on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/uwyoartmuseum.
