PUBLIC ART
PEACE PICKETS
Created during the first year of Covid, Peace Pickets began as a way to bring connection and hope to my neighborhood fence. Thirty hand-painted figures, each dressed in the costume of a different country, stand side by side holding gestures of blessing. Together, they carry a message of unity, reminding us that even when the world feels divided, we share more than what separates us.
A FENCE PROJECT BECOMES
THREE BOOKS
PEACE PICKETS MEMOIR
The Making of a Fence
This memoir traces the journey of Peace Pickets from a simple idea to a community open house. Each hand-painted picket is brought to life through personal stories from my own life, weaving meaning into the project.
Alongside these stories, I share photos of rebuilding and painting the fence, sanding the pickets, and the whole process of bringing them to life.
The book is richly illustrated, filled with photographs, and shows the pickets at nearly three-quarters life-size — making it feel like you’re standing at the fence yourself.
PEACE PICKETS COLORING BOOK
The Peace Pickets Coloring Book has become my most popular title, inviting readers of all ages to step into the lives of each picket lady.
Alongside line art illustrations to color, you’ll find personal details: her name, birthday, favorite pastimes, notes about her costume, and a nibblet about the land she represents.
Like the memoir, it carries insights into the meaning of each picket, but in a lighter, more interactive way that blends creativity, imagination, and cultural connection.
PEACE PICKETS MUDRAS
Hands of Affirmation and Intention
This volume highlights the hand gestures — or mudras — of the Peace Picket Ladies. Each gesture is explored in detail, along with practical ways to use it in daily life: personally, among family and friends as a kind of shared sign language, or in public as a subtle offering of blessing and meaning.
The book invites readers to see mudras not just as symbols, but as living practices that add energy and intention to any moment.
Scroll to see page samples of all three books
STORY WALL
Alongside the Peace Pickets, The Tree of Life wall came to life. It makes an appearance in The Peace Pickets Memoir.
A few years later, I repainted the wall week by week—ten designs in all—so the mural unfolded like a flip-book. Flip through the gallery, like the mural itself, to watch the concept art come to life.
Perched on a well-trodden street in town, this Winged Bench was a commissioned piece on private property—an everyday stop transformed into a moment of whimsy.
winged bench