“Make Something Beautiful” – painted by Christina Carroll, is found on page 35 in the Painting for Peace: A Coloring Book for All Ages, and is one of the original murals painted on the boarded up buildings in Ferguson in November, 2014.
Christina Carroll’s painting is, quite literally, a study in black and white. She said, “I wanted to create a painting utilizing black and white in order to express the feeling that my community can create something more beautiful if we work together, rather than going it alone. Our community is stronger because of our diversity.”
Christina has drawn Zentangles for years, and is training to be a Zentangle instructor.
“The philosophy behind the technique is that ‘Anything is possible’ one stroke at a time. It teaches that anyone can create beautiful images by using structured methods of creating patterns.”
Christina’s location was only a block from her house in Ferguson.
“My co-worker brought her two daughters and husband to paint, and the two girls were quite worried about coming to the area, given what they had seen on the news. I was so deeply saddened that my beautiful community had such raw wounds. Over the course of the next few days everything was boarded up . . . band-aids if you will . . . while my community healed. It was amazing, on the day of the mural paintings, to watch as my community was transformed from a place of pain and sorrow, to the most beautiful gallery of art. It was such a beautiful way for us to stand up for peace, healing, and compassion. My friends left Ferguson with the knowledge that it is a lovely place, and that they did what they could to support our community.”
This painting, along with others, is featured in our coloring book, Painting for Peace: A Coloring Book for All Ages. 100% of profits from the sales of this book and Painting for Peace in Ferguson are donated to support Ferguson and surrounding communities.