Paint Encinitas: Local art scene blossoming

Hello and welcome! My name is Jax Meyers and I’m the founder and coordinator of community supported mural arts program Paint Encinitas (paintencintias.org).

In January 2014, I started the group with the intention of bringing artists and local businesses together to beautify walls in our city with thought-provoking public art. I was inspired because we have never had a structured mural arts program in our town and I couldn’t understand why.

In 2014, the Encinitas art scene is on the cusp of a renaissance.

More public art is adorning our walls every year; talented artists are flocking to our shores like seabirds; copious amounts of art events are taking place in alternative spaces than ever before; and there is finally the prospect of a city-owned arts center at Pacific View on the horizon.

To say the least, these are compelling times!

I feel honored to be chosen by the Encinitas Advocate to document what are certain to be exciting developments. This column will take you backstage at events in the local art world where you will meet leaders and unexpected players who are making big things happen.

We’ll experience together the unfolding of a burgeoning art explosion that unites through community engagement.

My interests stem from a long history of starting conversations and bringing the community together. Although this has always been of interest to me, it has taken many life experiences to bring me where I am today.

Once I committed to pinning down those treacherous walls of self-doubt and fear that shoot out taller than skyscrapers around ant holes, that’s when the clouds parted and the sun reclaimed its tan on my Vitamin-D deficient skin.

Dr. Seuss once wrote, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

I love this quote because when we give ourselves permission to choose, we have the choice to unbuckle our inner creativity and step into our power, to become an artist, and to be a part of something greater.

I look forward to connecting with you and building a more artistically vibrant Encinitas together. Please get in touch with me about your ideas, suggestions or questions at jax@paintencinitas.org.

For without community, without the ability to share and be connected, we are immobile. We need each other in this art movement, and most importantly, we need you.