Local artist Caitlyn Howard says she drew too big as a kid.
“You know, when you were in elementary school in the art classes, they’re like, ‘That’s too much. That’s not going to fit on what you’re trying to do,’” Howard says, laughing.
But that came in handy when the opportunity came for her to create her first mural, which now adorns the walls in Lawrence Gymnastics Academy’s preschool room.
“I didn’t realize how much I missed painting, and especially on a big space,” Howard says. “I didn’t realize how much I would be able to visualize something.”
Howard is a senior at the University of Kansas, majoring in illustration and animation and double minoring in sports management and dance. As a recreation teacher at LGA, she leads classes for youth beginning at age 4. She’s now able to translate skills she learned as a young gymnast to her students and mentor them along the way.
When Howard heard her boss, LGA owner Randy Laggart, was looking to replace the preschool room mural, she took initiative. She submitted designs and worked with Laggart to narrow them down. Ultimately, they chose something simple, yet vibrant.
The mural depicts figures — meant to represent young gymnasts doing exercises — surrounded by shapes such as hearts, squares and squiggles. It spans across three walls in a rainbow of colors.
The goal was to capture the room’s playfulness without adding too many overwhelming elements that would clash with the gym floor, mats and other equipment.
Art brings joy to spaces, Howard says.
“It’s something that’s nostalgic — something very freeing — to see just a whole bunch of colors,” she says. “I think it’s just this big hug for some people. And art’s something that we were encouraged to have as kids, too.”
As a student in the KU School of Architecture & Design, Howard says she’s honed in on her skills. Her professors connected her with Kansas City muralists who provided guidance and encouraged her to do research during her mural planning process.
The hardest part was covering the previous mural and priming the walls; after that, she free-handed the figures and shapes, Howard says. Family members then helped her fill those in with paint for the completed mural, and the process took a little more than a week.
“We’re blown away with how good it looks,” Laggart said via email.
Painting felt like working on a coloring book but on the wall, she says. Sure, she had to stay in between the lines, but at least the space was ample.
Although the LGA mural was her first, Howard imagines it won’t be her last.
Heading into college, she didn’t expect to land on an arts major, but life had other plans. She’s currently planning to pursue a graphic design career, creating brand logos and letter designs for a company after graduating.
Howard plans to launch a website and Facebook page for her artwork before the summer. For now, those who’d like to stay updated with her can follow her Instagram page, @caitehoward.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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