Topical mural in Vandergrift aimed at bringing people together

A Vandergrift artist has started a mural project he hopes will bring the community together.

When Vandergrift’s annual ArtFest was canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic, Alex Chaffins said he saw an opportunity. The ArtFest, originally scheduled for July 25, was created to promote art as a mental health tool and combat divisiveness.

Chaffins’ new project takes on the challenge.

He realized he had the perfect wall for a mural on the exterior of his garage, so he decided to paint a woman bearing a face mask and a bottle of disinfectant. A caption says “Wash your hands” in curly script. Every two or three weeks, he said, he will paint over the mural and depict another topical reference to what’s happening in current events. He plans to start the next installment this week.

Chaffins said he wants the mural to offer a lighthearted, humorous approach for passersby to interpret the pandemic.

“I can tell that the world right now is in turmoil,” Chaffins said. “I use my art as my weapon. I saw an opportunity to bring some light to it.”

Not everyone was thrilled with the first mural. Online, some social media users commented that they didn’t like the subject matter.

The vast majority of feedback has been positive, Chaffins said. He’s eager to begin the next project. When he paints over the current mural in the coming days, he is considering a mural in support of the Black Lives Matter movement or another covid-19 reference. He had been leaning toward painting an octopus clutching several bottles of Lysol disinfectant.

“Just to bring the comicalness to it again,” he said.

Chaffins, a self-employed graphic designer, said he has been pursuing art seriously for only the past five years or so. He paints on all sorts of media and also works in graphic design and videography. Chaffins documents his work on Facebook and YouTube, which includes a time-lapse video of himself completing the mural.

Last summer, he painted a 26-foot American flag mural for Redstone Highlands in Greensburg, a senior living community. He has painted two murals for Tiny Cause, a nonprofit in Vandergrift dedicated to dog rescue and care, and he’s in the process of painting a four-wall mural in the upstairs of the shop.

“Alex is just phenomenal,” said Darla Held, owner of Tiny Cause. “I think it’s exactly what Vandergrift needs.”

It can be disheartening to see the world so divided, Held said. She said Chaffins’ newest project on his garage wall, and all of his art for Vandergrift, “links us all together a little bit more.”