Help Flowers Blossom, Not Algae Bloom was created for Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture and the Town of Chapel Hill to bring awareness to stormwater pollution and the ripple effects it has on local waterways and the ecosystems that depend on them. Anything that enters a storm drain can flow into nearby waters, setting off a chain reaction that affects not only the water itself, but the plant, fish, bird, and insect life connected to it.

In developing the concept, I spent time researching the Town of Chapel Hill’s materials on stormwater, including information about algae and algae blooms caused by pollution. One of the creative challenges was finding a way to speak truthfully about that issue while still creating a mural that would feel visually inviting and engaging. The title emerged from that tension: a contrast between healthy blossoming landscapes and the harmful reality of algae blooms caused by polluted runoff.

The mural’s circular composition became an important part of the concept. Within that form, I wanted to suggest both the cycle of water and the cycle of life it sustains — from rain to waterway, from waterway to evaporation, from clouds back to rain; and from water to flowers, to fish, to birds, and back again. The imagery includes flowing water, fish, and a blue heron surrounded by vibrant flowers and plant life, all working together to express the interconnectedness of the ecosystem.

The interior drain pattern was inspired by the iridescent oil-slick shimmer often visible on roads after rainfall: visually striking, but also tied to the reality of pollutants moving into the stormwater system. That tension between beauty and warning became central to the piece, using a vibrant, whimsical language to invite viewers closer while carrying a deeper environmental message.

From the very beginning, it was clear this mural touched something meaningful for the community. An older couple stopped to talk with me as I began painting, and the woman shared how important it was to her that the creek named in the mural was being recognized. She and her husband had spent years pulling trash from it themselves and understood firsthand why public awareness matters. Moments like that are a reminder that storm drain murals do more than brighten infrastructure — they help make invisible systems visible, encourage stewardship, and invite people to care more deeply for the waterways that sustain all of us.

Title: Let Flowers Blossom Not Algae Bloom
Size: 11' h x 14' w
Site/City: Eubanks Park & Ride, 2000 Eubanks Rd., Chapel Hill, NC. 
Medium: Interior latex paint.
Date: May 1-13, 2024.