Every year ViBe Creative District selects 10 artists to do 10 murals in 10 days. Senior Elora May was one of the 10 students selected. From September 27th to October 6th May perfected her mural which is located near Zero subs at the oceanfront .
May’s mural depicts day lilies. A flower that has many meanings to her.
“I was inspired by daylilys and tigerlilys which are of course the focus of the mural,” said May. “When I was going through a dark time I would see these flowers everywhere and they were like a little shimmer of light. And I wanted to share that and I hope that this mural is a light for someone else.”
Beyond inspiring people and creating joy with her art she also is known for being the light for many of her classmates
“Working with her is always nice, she’s a very cheerful and upbeat person. I feel like she brings up the mood anytime we work with her,” said senior Emily Johnson.
As an academy art student, she experiences many different types of art and works with many different people. As an artist, she frequently goes out of her way to try new things, including the mural.
“Elora [always] stays true to herself and creates art that is authentic to her. She consistently challenges herself and is open to trying new media and materials,” said VPAA art teacher Melissa Schappell.
Using this academy experience, May decided to bring it outside of Salem and submit the mural for the festival.
“For the process, I had submitted a sketch, biography, and my artist website to the VIBE and once they had chosen me I got to go out and get a feel for the location. After that, I got started and it was a lot different to be painting on a wall than on a canvas,” said May.
