We recently connected with L Wheeler and have shared our conversation below.

L, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I was blessed in 2023 to align with two women on a project that opened my heart, mind and eyes to the joy of artistic collaboration with activism.

Back Story:

I moved to Walnut Creek, CA in February 2020. Six weeks later the WORLD stopped. It was a strange time as the WORLD was locked down. I was in complete isolation in a new place with no friends or family.

Luckily, my rescue dog Louis keep me busy walking around town 3,000 times per day meeting a few friendly neighbors. One day Louis and I learned about a tragic and empowering story. The story of a mother and her son- Taun & Miles Hall.

Miles Hall was killed by Walnut Creek police in June 2019 while experiencing a mental health emergency. His mother Taun had taken all the correct steps to ensure our community, neighborhood and local police were aware of Miles condition. Sadly despite a mother and family taking every step to protect their son, he was met with violence instead of compassion. I was horrified. I couldn’t believe an innocent 23 year old man was killed in the streets of of picturesque bedroom community.

The empowering part of the story was how Miles’ family responded to the tragedy. His mom Taun attended every city council meeting after Miles was killed in order to get Justice for Miles and fix a broken approach to mental health.

I was so inspired. What a phenomenal mother! How sad. Miles was an innocent man in crisis steps away his home. He was a child of Walnut Creek. Where I am from, you look after your neighbors and protect children at all costs. Walnut Creek seemed like a safe community and yet the most vulnerable of our neighbors was killed steps away from his family home.

Serendipitously, I ran into Taun, Scott and Alexis Hall steps away from my house the day before Miles’ first Angelversary. Meeting the family really made an impression on me. The sweetest family. So close. So kind and generous.

Over the course of 2020 there were events to honor Miles and raise awareness of mental health. The town was filled with yard signs with Miles Smiling face – his nickname is Smiles :-) I was inspired to create a painting in honor of Miles as I started to feel his energy everywhere. In many ways he was my first friend in Walnut Creek, whose face I consistently saw smiling back at me.

The Slain Prince of Walnut Creek “ The Prince” was the result of me interacting with and learning more about Miles Hall and the situation surrounding his un timely death. In order to build the aura of the painting I took The Prince to daily protests to demand justice from him. Link Video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDo9liyBISa/

In 2021 I became a mother to a son. Becoming a mother opened me up to unconditional love for the first time since I was very young. This intensified my emotional reaction to the death of Miles. He was the first and only son to his parents. As a new parent I couldn’t imagine living a day without my son let alone having the strength to move forward.

Late in 2022, I reached out to The Miles Hall Foundation (Link: https://www.themileshallfoundation.org/). I was very nervous to reach out, I think all ARTIST know and have come to terms with being misunderstood. However, I am a very respectful human and was mostly scared of offending the family.

Luckily the opposite was true. The Prince was well received and a became a meaningful project throughout 2023.

We created limited edition prints, posters and auctioned the original fine art painting Presenting and sharing my art and feelings about Miles and his story pushed me to emotional peaks and valleys.

I was so thrilled to have this meaningful painting touch Taun who I respect so much…and yet the reason we are all here is because Miles isn’t. This made me melancholy and sad. I was grateful to Great Sprit for connecting me to Miles and inspiring me to create art but I wish he was alive and none of this ever happened.

As the architecture of the Universe often does I was on a high professionally and life mission but at a low feeling this tragedy at the core of my heart.

Weathering this storm made me more connected to the importance of the work I do. It also made me realize how grateful I am for my talent. Made me realize this is my life purpose. The ability to transmute deep emotions into an abstract painting allows me to find gratitude for every life experience good or bad.

Working with The Miles Hall Foundation also helped me grow exponentially as an artist. Being a painter mean I spent a lot of time alone painting, processing. However, I love collaboration and working with amazing people. Patty Mitchell the communications manager of The Miles Hall Foundation and I collaborated on creating prints, presenting the painting for auction and using the image as a future Fine Art asset for the foundation. Collaborating was great for me as I had been in a hermit mode and have a tendency to get stuck on perfectionism. The project forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and prepare me for 2024 when more of my work will be made available and shared publicly.

I also feel so grateful with the outcome. Taun and Scott have “The Slain Prince of Walnut Creek” it is exactly where it should be. The painting, prints, poster generated donations to support The Miles Hall Foundation. The foundation has made our community safer since Miles’ death. We now have a non violent, non police response to mental health 988 in our county. And I hope we can see it launched across the USA.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a fine artist. An abstract expressionist painter. I literally found the definition for abstract expressionist painting and was like Oh! That is what you call what I do. I’ve loved coloring my entire life, I knew I wanted to be an artist at 11. My family didn’t support this aspiration.

At age 35 I went to a charity event, a paint night.! We painted our dogs. I had just adopted my number one boy Louis. Once I started painting I didn’t stop and haven’t.

I was also at a pivotal point of my Spiritual awakening journey. I could no longer waste time in a low vibrational career in corporate America.

I create art to raise the vibration of the planet. I started coming up with the idea of a looking at a painting to raise ones vibration when I was contemplating and enjoying regularly the effect of nature on the biometrics of the body.

The Enigma is a symbol I created in my mind. It is the SELF. It is in many of my modern neuvo art deco looking paintings. Each paiting shows how the SELF is evolving through the various stages of awakening. It represents the self that can be transformed as one taps into their infinite potential. Seeing the symbol in the painting creates a vibrational alignment in the seers body.

Whether the emotion or situation behind the piece every one of my fine art paintings radiates JOY and LIGHT because as the creator I am abundantly grateful to have painting to overcome and express even the deepest emotions. It’s healing. Mother Earth is my favorite. I have a deep, profound and unwavering love for Earth. I am an environmental activist and choose to support the work of organizations focused on Conservation and BioDiversity. In 2024 I will donate 30 percent of all sales to Re:Wild, a well established leader in Conservation and Biodiversity.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Overall we as a global community we need to buy in our local environment. This decreases the mileage goods need to travel. It is also better as a community to support our neighbors. Buying local art for your home instead of getting home decor from large box stores is better for everyone.

Local artist don’t create or bring in waste into the communities. Local art reflects a unique flare of the location therefore fills the core of a home with the life of light.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My chief aim is to operate a carbon neutral fine art business. I donate at least 30 percent of all my sales to support causes such as The Miles Hall Foundation that are creating the change we need to see in the World.

I have a deep and profound love of Mother Nature. There are a million reason why I love nature…I could go on.

I love Nature so much selfishly because it always soothes me and shows me the message I need to see. A butterfly during metamorphosis. Turtles when learning patience. Sunday school is in the canyons where I am from. Christmas morning spent flowing with snow. Summer Solstice basking in the grace of the sun. Meditation next to the Snake River to talk to my ancestors and ask for their protection.

Every painting I do has a connection to an element, place, animals all help to tell the story of the painting. The collectors of my work experience the high vibrational energy and find their own meaning within the abstract forms and color.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwheelerfineart/