COMMUNITY

“Also, working with kids as a (camp) counsellor, before and after school supervisor, I love creating art that sparks joy and excitement in children through uplifting subject matter and vibrant colour schemes ” To prep for the project, she used the same technique she uses with any watercolour painting. She created a preplan, a small scale 10x12 inch painting, and wrote a list of materials required to complete the job She received valuable feedback from her family and tweaked certain aspects of the painting that needed improvement before submitting it to the county just on time for the deadline.

Speaking of deadlines, the entire project has been somewhat of a whirlwind for McCullough, who is living and working in London while she completes her post secondary education. She comes home to visit her family in Paris on weekends and with some excellent time management skills, as she juggles work and some extra school credits during the summer break, she’s been able to make it all work.

“My family and boss for this project, Jake Cerson, have been extremely helpful and flexible picking up supplies for me and being available to help me get into the facility,” she shared. This isn’t McCullough’s first crack at a project this size It’s her third mural after completing two at Paris District High School, both also expressing messages of diversity. Read the Paris Independent story about her PDHS mural here With the project near completion, McCullough plans to continue working with children at camps this summer, before returning to her third year at Western this fall. Once she completes her undergrad degree, she plans on attending teachers’ college to become a junior/intermediate schoolteacher, while continuing her art business Karlie Jeans Paintings, an endeavour she started when she was 15 years old.