Ruth Levy, the young muralist

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

Ruth Levy, muralist

If you have been to Christopher's at the Quad nightclub, then you must have seen the beautiful mural in the backdrop of the lounge area. This was done by the creative hands of Ruth Levy.

Levy, 31, studied jewellery and goldsmithing at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, but had a natural flair for painting and designing. She told Flair that once she left college, she was not so interested in the physical aspect of goldsmith anymore. In 2001, Charmaine Chin Loy, an interior designer, hired her to do her first mural of grapevines on an old wall in a kitchen and small dining area.

"I will never forget it, it took about four weeks to do but I absolutely loved doing it. You see, I have a very short attention span and it seems to be the only thing I can really sit down to for hours. I just love intricate detailed designs, but the end result is what always pleases me most," says Levy.

She explains that she loves doing murals as it gives her a certain kind of happiness, and that it is more than job for her as everything comes naturally. Levy says she has also expanded her business, RuInteriors, from more than just mural art to interior decorating. She does a lot of remodelling and design, just about anything, as long as she understands its functionality and mechanisms. Some of her work includes murals on railings, front doors, gates and bedheads, among other places.

An investment

Check out this love mural done by Levy at a preschool science room. - Contributed

The young muralist notes that there is no real complication in her line of job; well at least not for her. She notes that it only gets complicated when some persons don't understand why her work is not very cheap. But, she says she needs people to understand that the time, effort and attention to detail that she puts into each mural makes it so.

"Plus, it is not particularly easy to stand up in front a wall with your right arm and neck constantly working and re-working on one or several walls all day. And the fact that I pay so much attention to detail when it comes to my work, it is never as simple as it looks."

With every job there are challenges, and for Levy the challenge is to always please her clients. But, she has a small team that she works with.

Staying focussed

Another challenge is staying focussed on her goals (having a productive and efficient service that clients are always pleased with).

" It's really hard to stay focused when I get a lot of people interested in having me work for them, then at the end of the day, my work is above their budget. So what I do now is give them a few estimates before."

Despite these challenges, she loves what she does and her greatest reward is when her clients are happy with her work, and she can put a smile on their faces.

Levy has now been doing murals for the past nine years and she says she has never been more determined than she currently is. Though art is a popular field for women, she feels that people do not really appreciate mural art anymore. Plus, the popularity of digital artwork seem to be taking over hand-painted murals.

For the future, Levy is focused on making sure that she puts out nothing less than the highest quality murals.

Ruth Levy, muralist, loves painting and takes pride in the quality of her work. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Any preschooler would love to be in this room filled with splashes of vivid colours to stimulate their learning experience. - Contributed