Sustainable Art in Washinton D.C.

Working on these three murals for Novel Apartments has been a labor of love — and a major sprint to the finish! My team pulled some long days and late nights to bring these pieces together in time for the install at 2601 14th St NW in DC.

Hope Hummingbird paints custom tiles

The entrance mural, a 15-foot freeform piece celebrating DC culture, is about to hit the road with me—I’ll be driving it up personally to make sure it arrives safely. This mural is layered with repurposed tiles, diverting 100lbs of ceramic, stone, and glass from the landfill. Custom tiles handmade by The Mosaic Workshop team and ceramic artist Hope Hummingbird depict iconic D.C. venues, community members, iconography, and more, including the iconic graffiti artist Cool Disco Dan, Dischord Records, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and Dupont Circle fountain statues.

I wanted it to capture a sense of DC's spirit and character, balancing detailed custom work with a sustainable, gritty edge that reflects the city’s own layers. It's been a massive project, and every tile feels like it’s telling a piece of DC’s story.

The second mural spans a staggering 350 square feet with over 60,000 hand-placed tiles! Located in the apartment courtyard, this water wall is created in a pixel style, flowing with color in a way that extends the narrative of sustainability across the whole project. We used vitreous glass tiles to replicate the oversized repurposed tiles, giving it a cohesive feel that connects different parts of the apartment complex visually and conceptually.

Lastly—and maybe most exciting for me—is the pool mosaic! This one covers the exterior pool wall and part of the interior of the pool, with shimmering, iridescent tiles that reflect the water’s light. I wanted residents to notice its colors shifting and catching the eye up close, blending together the themes of sustainability and beauty in a way that feels fun and inviting.

To get everything to DC, we packed up the courtyard water wall and the pool wall murals into 20 hefty boxes, each around 30 pounds. It’s been a physical and creative push for our whole team—and for my new studio—but seeing these murals come together has been worth every hour of effort. I’m thrilled for their debut, knowing they’ll bring vibrant color and character to this community.

Projects like this are why I got into mosaic art in the first place. Each piece of repurposed tile holds a bit of history, and the handcrafted nature of each tile connects with viewers in a way that a plain wall or decoration can’t. Knowing that these pieces will be part of daily life at Novel Apartments is incredibly rewarding, and I’m grateful to contribute a lasting piece of art that brings color, character, and connection to the heart of DC.

I’ll post an update once they’re installed!