High Meadow

Since I have visited Peoria many times, it feels like home when I return for more murals. When I arrived to the unit and became geared up for another grand experience, Chris Damle sat and smiled at me and just sat there smiling. Then he asked, “Are you ready to see where we are looking for your next mural to go?” Of course I agreed, then I saw it – it was a two-story wall.

Great Caesar’s ghost, I nearly fell over. I looked up and thought about how tall it was and the pain of going up and down a ladder many times. But, the Chris’s smile soon revealed another surprise. No more than 20 minutes later, a little blue contraption appeared which turned out to be a scissor lift. Needless to say, height became my friend within the encapsulated carriage.

This experience has left me seeing how much I can actually achieve in my being and doing this work. There is nothing that I won’t try once. I cannot wait to share the Olympia, Washington mural that I’ll complete this summer – it’s going to be outdoors and 32-feet tall.

I’ll think fondly of this mural in Peoria because I put the best part of the scene above the building lights, so when it is low lit at night the scene almost glows.Many thanks to the Peoria group. Always a pleasure to be in the presence of greatness.

Lucy Schwartz

Lucy is a Peer Recovery Specialist at RI International and has spread her mural magic in RI International crisis facilities across the United States.