We caught up with the brilliant and insightful WHITNEY HERRINGTON a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

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

“The most meaningful project I have worked on has been my “Punch Bug” mural in Centerville, Tennessee in 2020. This project came to fruition through the non-profit, Do More Art (DMA-events, Inc). The founders of the non-profit, Kristin Luna and Scott van Velsor, asked me to be part of their 2020 mural trail project that celebrated 100 years of women’s suffrage and the ratification of the 19th Amendment by allowing all-female artists to create original art throughout the state of Tennessee. I am proud to be one of the ten women artists on this mural trail.

My mural is located in Centerville, Tennessee. It is a giant nod to the 70s, VW Bugs, and the classic game of “Slug Bug.” I am very much inspired by designs of the past and love to weave my life into my art. One of my first purchases as an artist was my 1974 VW Super Beetle named Alice, after Alice Cooper. When Kristin told me I could create anything I wanted for my mural, I knew I wanted to do something that was 100% me. This was my first opportunity as a muralist to create something all my own without a client telling me what to paint. It was also my first experience operating a lift, painting in another city besides my hometown of Columbia, and seeing that there is so much more to public art than what I had thought.

My “Punch Bug” mural is significant to me for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why it is so meaningful to me is that I learned a lot painting this piece – A lot about small towns, politics, and that my voice as an artist is valid and matters.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Whitney Herrington and I am an art educator and full-time artist. I have been teaching art for ten years and painting murals since 2018. Murals just kind of happened naturally for me. As an art teacher, I am constantly asked to paint them in my schools and one day I was asked to paint one for a new business in town. And then another. And then another. My entire mural career has snowballed from one project to the next, but not without hard work! I believe I have been successful because I consistently create beautiful, clean pieces and make my clients happy.

What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and my ability to paint super clean, almost sticker like, images. I work with my clients closely from the beginning to bring their visions to life. I want my clients to come back to me time and time again.

In my short mural career, I have worked with 1075 the River and iHeartRadio, Vanderbilt Medical University, and Shepard Fairey. In 2021, I was selected as the nationwide winner for an RFQ in Casper, Wyoming. I am constantly applying to mural RFQs/RFPs because I want to top the last project with a bigger one and I want to be a traveling artist. Currently, I am working on my exit strategy from teaching to painting murals full time.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist, a female one at that, is when I am on a boom lift 30 feet in the air and a little kid notices. It makes me so proud when people pass by and say that their child wants to be an artist too. It is also rewarding for me to show my students that I am a working artist and art is a valid career where you can and will make money.

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

I think that for society to support artists and other creatives, it should launch campaigns that highlight the importance of the arts, develop affordable workspaces and shops for creatives to collaborate, and to fund public art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oldsoulmuralco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldsoulvtg