Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Skye Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Skye, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were the original power couple. Morris and Lynn Walker were musicians and entertainers who traveled around the USA and the world performing original songs and entertaining thousands of people on stage long before my sister, Amoris, and I were born. Their passion for art, music and Mother Earth permeated their lives and that trickled down to my sister and I as we grew up. When we were little, my parents made us part of the family band and together the Walker family became The EarthWalkers. We also traveled and performed all over the USA and entertained schools, community centers, special events, colleges and many other spots from coast to coast. We had a focus of saving the environment as a theme in our shows.

While this wasn’t a typical upbringing, the lessons, adventures and values we learned along the way would stick with us forever and would shape us to be who we are today. I’ve always been an artist, but learning about the environment while we traveled influenced me heavily. My dad was also an artist and muralist and once I got into high school, he taught me how to paint large scale murals. Something I did for fun in college to make money, but it would ultimately become the focus of my career as an adult.

What did my parents do right? They encouraged our interest in the arts and music. They encouraged us to pursue whatever made us happy. The never stifled our growth or tried to push anything on us. Well, I didn’t want to take banjo lessons like my dad wanted me to when I was 8 years old… But I’m glad I know how to play it now. And their love and support for both me and my sister as we grew up is something I will always treasure and remember.

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

I have a background as a fine artist and a BFA degree from Oregon State University in Graphic Design. After working as an art director and designer in the Action Sports Industry for 9 years, I switched gears to become a full-time muralist in 2009. This change wasn’t planned, I lost my job with the economic downturn of 2009 and went back to freelancing. As fate would have it, I was referred to the creative team at Whole Foods to create murals for their Encinitas, CA store and I ended up painting all the art for the store. This sparked my love of painting murals again as I had in high school and college with my dad.

Since then I have painted over 350 murals from coast-to-coast and have worked with brands such as Whole Foods, Sierra Nevada Brewing, CBRE, Melin, Keep-A-Breast Foundation, High Fives Foundation, Mark Taylor, Mammoth Mountain and many more. I specialize in large scale murals that connect with the space and business the art is living in. Each project is new and has its own challenges but in the end, creating art on a large scale where people have to stop and take it all in is really powerful.

Painting murals in different communities across the USA also helps elevate the vibe and energy of those areas. Art creates conversations, inspires people and brings a sense of pride to the places they are in. In 2018 to 2019 I did a mural tour across the USA called the ‘Sea to Sea Mural Tour’ and I painted 30 murals from coast to coast. I met some amazing people and enjoyed all the diverse landscapes and adventures in between. But mostly, I loved seeing how people responded to what I painted. Seeing their eyes light up at a large wall with art on it always brings a smile to my face. And while I’ll paint it and leave, that art can continue to live in that community and hopefully, inspire at least one person to pursue their dreams of being an artist on some level.

While my portfolio is very diverse and the projects range from large building developments to cafes to large branded pieces. I specialize in helping clients realize a vision for their space while bringing in my ideas to help make each mural installation unique and special.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, when I finish a mural or painting and someone sees it and is really compelled to tell me how it makes them feel, that is very rewarding. Money pays the bills, and being paid to create art is amazing in this crazy world. But you can’t pay someone to feel a certain way about the art they are looking at. So to receive an honest comment of appreciation from a person about the art you’ve created is, for lack of a better word, priceless.

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

Art can be seen as a luxury, I get that. You have a choice to buy food or art, you’re going to buy food. But, art is woven into our complex societies around the world and without it, our civilization would crumble, In my eyes. Artists are sometimes looked down upon because they aren’t politicians, lawyers or scientists… and those careers are all good, but for those of us, like me, that are artists… it’s all we have to go on. I’m not a scientist and I’m terrible at math. But, I LOVE to paint and draw. And somehow, I have molded my life to create art not just for my personal need to be an artist, but for my livelihood as well.

Communities need to support the arts on any level they can. Not only can it change the landscape of a town by having the arts as a featured element, but it can change the lives of the artists that live there. Social media, with all its pitfalls, has also done wonders for artists around the world. Opening doors, connections and exposing people to art they otherwise may never see. Mural festivals in cities are an amazing way to bring artists into the limelight and showing people the power of art on huge scale.

For my senior year of high school, they cut the art budget and gave that money to the football team. I was devastated, it was my favorite thing in school. When you sacrifice the arts to further sports or other avenues, this leaves artists feeling useless. The arts are on par with any other thing in the world. Everything plays a part in our ecosystem… and the power of art transcends time and space in a way that is unparalleled.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.skyewalkerart.com
• Instagram: @skyewalker_art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyewalkerart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyewalkerart/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAAIQx2uhN3mdWptBvMIWeQ
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@skyewalkerart

Image Credits
Brad Smith, Cort Muller, Amir Adib, Jordan Drew