Art At Your Feet

Julia Virginia Win is a watercolor and collage artist, originally from Edison. Julia is an avid upcycler and is passionate about the creative reuse of materials! She believes in public art for all.

For this project, she created a peaceful green scene, inspiring viewers to check out the green spaces of Highland Park but also to reflect on their own ways to go green. This year, she was the winner of the Middlesex County Mural Design contest. Her completed mural is in Raritan Bay Waterfront Park along with three other public & recycled art displays on the Middlesex Greenway, in Metuchen and in Princeton. Julia also teaches local art cycle classes for children.

Check out @JVWcreates for more.
Website: https://jvwcreates.my.canva.site/

ART LOCATION: Irving School

Scott Brustein practiced orthodontics on Staten Island for over 30 years and having recently retired looks forward to pursuing a lifelong fascination in the arts. Past interests have included drawing, photography both underwater and on land, wheel thrown pottery and community theater. He has lived in Highland Park for 15 years and looks forward to learning from our creative art community.

ART LOCATION: Bartle School / 5 th Ave

Peichi Waite is a fine art photographer who believes in the healing power of art and nature.

Her Instagram, @photowalkhp, documents her nature walks around Highland Park and beyond. 

ART LOCATION: The HP Community Center

Gianni Boy Vee is a freelance illustrator and was commissioned to do pieces for various clients. He specializes in using watercolors, acrylics, and other types of art media, such as colored pencils.

Gianni Boy Vee also creates comic books and is in the process of working on some new series. He is the owner and editor-in-chief of his brand, Highland Pop Media. To see his work, visit his website www.highlandpopmedia.com

ART LOCATION: High School / Montgomery Street

Nikki Gonzalez has a rule when she teaches her Psychology students at Middlesex College: She won’t ask them to do anything that she’s not willing to participate in right along with them. The same is true for her projects she organizes on behalf of the Highland Park Arts Commission – including asking the community for street decal art. She’s no artist. But she loves Highland Park and wants to see it colorful!

ART LOCATION: Karsey Street Park

Jackson K. is a student here in Highland Park. He loves to draw, build with Legos and make 3D crafts out of paper, cardboard, repurposed household items, etc. His creations are often inspired by his adventures and time spent in nature with his family. He is also half of “The Bilderz” – a father and son team that create original designs and “Bildz”!

Check out his YouTube Link HERE.

ART LOCATION: Coming Soon

Mayu Burr was born and raised in Japan and has lived in NJ for the last 20 years and her favorite medium is water-mixable oil. Her favorite subjects are animals (especially her pets), and the lovely things that she finds around her, such as vegetables from her garden.

This is a portrait of some of Mayu’s chickens. From left to right, their names and breeds are: Georgia Peach (Australorp), Madeleine (Jersey Gold), Cookie (Ameraucana), Beryl (Barred Rock), and Andromeda (Jersey Black). If you look carefully at this painting, you will see that Georgia Peach is standing the farthest back from the other chickens, while Andromeda is closest to the front. This establishes a vanishing point and perspective.

ART LOCATION: Bridge Turkish & Mediterranean Grill; 315 Raritan Ave

By Ruth Abramowitz; bio coming soon!

ART LOCATION: McKenna’s Gym; 407-409 Raritan Ave.

By Alma Valles; Bio Coming Soon!

By John Marron; bio coming soon!

Rukiya Raghunath, pseudonymously known as 'Sunday Rue', is many things. A biochemist, a zinester, a writer, a romantic, an idealist, and a wonderful melting pot of the history and cultures she has inherited... Rukiya is inspired by all forms of art and the community that a love of art can provide. For the past few years Highland Park has been that community, along with the embrace of its talented artists, and passionate community members. "I was in awe of Highland Park. Everywhere you walk, you see the heart of this town's history and future".

As a first-generation Guyanese-American, Rukiya's digital drawing made for the sidewalk decal project was inspired by her own ancestry. It is an ode to the wonderful complexity of diversity, one's ancestry, and knowing that we are what existed beyond the horizon on that voyage so many of our ancestors took. To see more of her portfolio CLICK HERE.

ART LOCATION: Soma Vayu Garden; 73 Woodbridge Ave.

Sonya Elefante is a mental health clinician and artist who is passionate about creating art and helping others. She provides therapeutic support to adults and adolescents, and believes art has the power to heal.

This photo was taken in the wooded area by River Road and the Albany Street Bridge in Highland Park NJ in the Fall of 2021. I love to incorporate pattern and texture into my photography, and especially enjoy the vibrant opposing colors in this photo. When taking photos I try to capture the beauty that exists in a small piece of the world, as opposed to just capturing an image of the subject. To me this photograph is not of a tree branch and leaves but instead an abstract combination of shapes and colors and lines that I hope is engaging for viewers to look at.

More of Sonya's work can be found on her instagram: @son.yart

ART LOCATION: Dunkin Donuts; 55 Raritan Ave.

Arielle del Rosario created this acrylic paint pour piece inspired by the wonder of what lies beyond our galaxy. She specializes in acrylic animal portraits and wildlife photography. Arielle loves living in Highland Park and is a proud parent to several rescue dogs, fish, and a human baby. She regularly donates her art pieces to charity.

Instagram: @art.by.ayee

ART LOCATION: TBD