BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lauren “Ren” Beck has put brush to canvas — and various other surfaces — over the years, but every so often a different kind of project comes her way.
“Everything I work on is a challenge and an experiment,” Beck said Friday as she unveiled her latest work of art — a mural inspired by this year’s Musikfest poster painted inside the 1st Street bus shelter.
“I was super nervous [to do the poster] because there’s been some amazing artists that have come before you, and when you have all these examples of this one thing and you’re asked to do it as well, you’re like, ‘What’s my voice?’”Artist Lauren “Ren” Beck
The shelter proved to be a difficult object on which to paint, mostly because of the prep work involved and the curved surface.
“I really don’t know what I’m doing," Beck said with a laugh as she added the finishing touches.
"I think anyone who thinks that they know exactly what they’re doing at all times as an artist is just playing it off. I think they might be lying.”
Like the poster, the mural features a textured night sky and stars, as Beck carried the theme from the poster to the curved beams of the bus shelter.
“I was super nervous [to do the poster] because there’s been some amazing artists that have come before you, and when you have all these examples of this one thing and you’re asked to do it as well, you’re like, ‘What’s my voice?’” Beck said.
Night sky inspiration
She said she drew inspiration for what she really enjoyed about being outdoors at a festival, including looking up at the sky and just being part of nature and the outdoors.
“I think the night sky is really cool, and a lot of the things happening at the ‘Fest are outside at nighttime," she said. "So I started playing with celestial stuff.
“Then I thought about the constellations, but everything was really looking blue and gold, so I wanted to add a pop of color to it.”
The Northern Lights were the influence for the shades of orange, red, pink and blue that now dot the structure, she said.
“I realized they sort of looked like — and it turned into — an audio wave, so I just kept going with it,” Beck said.
As she erected scaffolding and worked on the mural in the days leading up to the start of the festival, Beck also was able to get live feedback from people walking by.
“I’m someone who believes there’s nothing like bringing together a space with art, and I love the part of actually physically doing it because you do get to talk to people and get the reactions," she said.
“And there’s a message, right? This is not just something for you to enjoy, but this is real physical proof of supporting artists in the community, and that’s really important to remember.”
A grant through Creative Communities and the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts made the work possible, and Beck said a “spray bomb” coating will help protect the work from exposure to the elements and everyday wear and tear.
“I hope it will be in good shape for a while and that visitors will appreciate it and care for it. I think they will," she said. "It’s nice to see here how people tend to respect public art.”
