Local artist paints a meaningful mural for Chimo Youth & Family Services
What was once a long and dull hallway leading to Chimo’s offices is now alive with colour and beauty. This change is thanks to local artist, Jess Spagnolo, who has painted a mural that reflects the hope offered by Chimo Youth & Family Services in Lindsay.
Chimo Youth & Family Services provides various mental health services focused on supporting children in need and their families. While progress in the field of mental health can be challenging and disheartening at times, it is a process that one should be proud to undertake.
Spagnolo’s mural is a visual representation of just how beautiful the process of personal development is. At the entrance, a hand is outstretched, representing Chimo’s gentle guidance in the lives of individuals. From the hand grows a cherry blossom tree, symbolic of the growth that each and every one of us is capable of.
The mural extends down the significant length of the hallway with ribbons of vibrant colour. Along these ribbons, blossoms and butterflies adorn the hallway, reminding us of the fluidity and beauty of metamorphosis. These images fill the hallway with life.
Spagnolo has been working in the mural-painting business for over ten years. Initially, she worked for a Toronto-based company, but, after moving to Lindsay in 2019, Spagnolo started her own business. Spagnolo offers custom murals, graphic design/illustration, and fine art commissions. Her business can be found on Instagram @jspag.art and Facebook at “Jess Spagnolo Art.”
Drawing inspiration from her Mexican and Italian heritage, Spagnolo’s artistic style can be described as both whimsical and realist. As her website states, her artwork “tells of the beauty around us, above us, and beyond us.”
As Spagnolo worked on the mural, she received many comments from passersby accessing Chimo Family & Youth Services regarding the beautiful colours, pretty butterflies, and the impressive size of the art. One particularly special remark came from a parent who went to Chimo as a child, and now attends with a child of their own. They remarked that “now, the hallway doesn’t look or feel nearly as daunting.”
It’s comments such as these that are the reason Spagnolo loves what she does. For even though she is undeniably talented, the true meaning of art lies in the impact on its audience.
