ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- With Mural Fest less than two weeks away, people will not only be able to see art covering the walls on Railroad Avenue but also meet ten artists working on murals, part of the Elmira Shines Project. Twenty-one-year-old Alex Taylor is one of those artists, who on Wednesday morning, put his crayon to the canvas for the first time to start work on his mural. 

“Putting those first marks on the wall is nerve racking,” Taylor said, adding, “It’s going to be really nice.” 

Taylor has a passion for painting farms and rural landscapes, having his first mural displayed in the Community Arts of Elmira's window gallery, back in 2019. When he was asked to feature his work on the Elmira Shines project, he knew he had to leave his mark. 

"I knew that I would feel more comfortable and more confident doing something with a landscape.,” Taylor said, adding “So, it was a matter of figuring out where to find a landscape.” 

All the murals across Railroad Ave provide a snapshot in time and tell a story about Elmira. Janowski Gardens is the landscape Alex decided to feature in his mural. 

"I had the chance to visit and walk around the property and get to know what Janowski Gardens means to Elmira,” Taylor said, adding, “It was special, and I could tell just being there that I had to paint something that made you feel... that warm summer day going to Janowski Gardens."

People will be able to see all ten artists working on their murals that will be featured in the Elmira Shines exhibit, during mural fest on June 3rd, 2023. Elmira Shines is part of the Community Arts of Elmira’s Infinite Canvas Public Art Program.