Q&A with Jiffy Lube Mural Project artist Megan Jefferson
Megan Jefferson is no rookie when it comes to the Jiffy Lube mural project. She has been with the project since its beginning back in 2016. She helped create the first few murals and now is the first muralist to have two murals at one store location.
We sat down with artist Megan Jefferson to talk about her experience painting the newest mural at our Avon Jiffy Lube Multicare location with the help of the students of the Avon High School National Art Honor Society.
Q: What other work do you do outside of the Jiffy Lube Mural Project?
A: I have a studio at the Harris Center for the Arts and I create oil paintings typically color-based, semi-abstract landscapes and floral works. I also create lots of murals around town, public artworks, and residential projects.
Q: How did you get involved in this Avon mural project?
A: So being an artist, I was asked to create the mural on the other side and then when they decided to move forward with this collaboration with the school, they asked if I would also lead students in some sort of mural that would compliment the other side.
Q: What was it like working with the students from the Avon High School National Art Honor Society?
A: They were a joy to work with. They had so much enthusiasm, they were really excited to be working on a project. They had been asked to create murals in the past, but they had no idea how to do that. They were excited to learn, they were excited to share their ideas and so it was a lot of fun. The first day, we just met and I showed them my work, talked about the mural I had created and showed them what was possible. And then we started to generate ideas. Everyone contributed and came with their own artwork and we combined all those different pieces and created one comprehensive piece from all of that.
Q: What made this project so special?
A: What made this project so special, was seeing the kids just get so excited about being involved. They loved designing the pieces, they loved seeing them come to life, and they were so helpful in every aspect of completing the mural. They climbed up the scaffolding, they learned new processes and they really did a great job in completing the final project.
Q: What do you think this project has done for the community of Avon?
A: Well, it’s brought more color, it’s brought more joy. People would drive by and honk and wave, thank us and bring us donuts while we were making this mural. It was really fun to see the community appreciate what we were doing. It brings joy and that’s what people need.
You can catch more of Megan’s work on her Facebook, Instagram, and website.
