Giving to Arapahoe County Veterans Center

During the summer of 2025, the Creative Director of the Veterans Arts Council(VAC) Jim Stevens referred me to the Arapahoe County Veterans Center to take on a commission request for a mural painting. collaborated with Joshual Medina and came up with a pencil sketch and a few colored-in ProCreate- utilized options of thumbnails. Once the decision was mand to proceed with the mural painting , I executed the project on the 5th floor inside the Altura Plaza center located off 15400 East 14th Place in Aurora, Colorado.I am thankful for Colored Red paint store,-located off 13960 E Mississippi Avenue in Aurora for supplying me with the paint, brushes and other equipment.

A brief video of part of the process of the mural.

For this project, I used Benjamin Moore brand acrylic interior latex house paint in a satin finish, blending primary colors—red, yellow, blue, black, and white—provided by Colored Red located on Mississippi Avenue. I began painting larger areas using 1/4 inch nap nylon rollers and Wooster or Purdy nylon/polyester blend brushes while using Royal & Langnickel white nylon brushes. This work was executed without grid techniques or projection; instead, I paintbrushed fundamental structures of each subject wafter paint-rolling the background and advancing from larger to smaller elements, ultimately moving from back, to mid, to foreground.

I titled the mural, “Services United”, which aims to illustrate camaraderie and morale among veterans and U.S. citizens, emphasizing mutual respect for diversity in personality and beliefs. The depiction of a salute is intended to represent respect for one another, transcending hierarchical boundaries, while individuals in varied attire—including Department of Defense trade uniforms and cultural clothing highlight the value of “United We Stand.”

The Reopening of the Veteran Services allowed an opportunity for service members, their families, non profits, and even those who conduct operations for the state government to not only take a look at the finished results of my painting, our community has expanded and learned ablut the services that was offered that none of us knew about. A tour was given throught he facilitiesto show rooms where therapy sessions occur, thereare resources available such a s financial management, and veterans who are struggling with unemployment. I also received some awards for taking some time after my regular job to donate my skills and energy to paint this mural.