Carolyn Lewis is a master visual storyteller. With each new piece created, you can feel yourself going on the journey with her. Every composition begins with an intention. Emotion is encouraged - sometimes demanded. And, finally, when it is complete, a new perspective is offered.

Art has been therapeutic for Carolyn for many years and her love for the creative process has grown into her full time business — Carolyn Lewis Designs.

To learn more about Carolyn and her art making process, take a minute to read this Made In St. Louis column featuring Carolyn Lewis Designs.

Little Art Gallery STL

Take some art! Make some art! Leave some art!

Let’s brighten our community with colorful works of art. All are invited to take a piece of art and share it with someone or enjoy it in your home. Anyone is welcome to display their artwork in the Little Art Gallery STL.

It’s FREE, so keep spreading the random acts of creative kindness.

Follow @littleartgallerystl and witness the art filled magic happen!

If you are interested in showcasing your artwork, please contact Carolyn Lewis through Instagram @littleartgallerystl or Little Art Gallery STL on Facebook.

Located at the corner of Milentz and Gardenville in St. Louis, MO.

To learn more about the LAG, click here to read the article featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Anyone is welcome to display their artwork in the Little Art Gallery STL.

Take some art! Leave some art!

Check out some of the amazing work that has already visited the gallery!

Empowerment Mural

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Seven Empowerment Birds dance along the fence at Wherry and Delor Avenue in the Southampton area of St. Louis. Each bird has a meaningful word or quote painted on the wing that was chosen by the Freise’s, owners of the fence. The Empowerment Birds bring a whimsical and positive vibe to the neighborhood. Swing by and check it out!

Love is Love Mural

Love is Love.

Love, gratitude, and community made the Love Mural come to life. Neighbors and family members jumped in to add their own color-filled hearts. This mural is a celebration that LOVE is powerful! May this mural bring a smile to your face and remind you that -

YOU ARE LOVED!

Located in St. Louis, MO at the corner of Milentz Ave and Gardenville Ave.

Activating Spaces

Fence Feature

Working in the morning’s first rays of sunlight and fueled by coffee, Carolyn transformed what was once a bland space into a beautiful field of wildflowers near Gardenville and Milentz in St. Louis. Check out this post by Locality Studio to hear more about Carolyn and her public artworks.

Sit Down and Listen Bench

Love one another. See each other. Take the blinders off. Have the hard conversations so that awareness and action can take place. My language is art and the thing I knew to do was create a space for people to sit and listen to one another. My hope is that the “Sit Down and Listen” bench moves around the city of St. Louis for folks to connect and truly listen to one another’s stories. Follow her travels around the city by checking out the Events page.

To hear more about the “Sit Down and Listen” bench, take a minute to watch this feature on KSDK, visit YouTube here, or read this article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

If any businesses, restaurants, or individuals are interested in hosting the “Sit Down and Listen” bench, please reach out to me at CarolynLDesigns@aol.com

42 Doors of Hope

It all started when…

In 2004, I was working as the Art Therapist on the pediatric oncology unit at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and had the honor of meeting a 12 year old girl named Kira that forever changed my life. Kira was in the hospital following a brain tumor diagnosis. We developed a fast friendship. She would often share things with me that she was too scared to share with her parents.  She fought her battle like a warrior. I worked with her through some challenging days, tense and scary moments, celebrations, and hard goodbyes. She was a spunky, kind hearted, creative kid that loved life to the fullest degree. She was the oldest of four kids and showed her siblings what bravery truly meant. Kira passed away in July of 2006, just over a year after she was diagnosed with cancer.

On days when Kira was too tired or weak from her cancer treatments for us to work together, I would sit with her mom, Katie. Naturally, her mother was scared. But, she never let Kira see that side. Katie and I have remained in contact all these years. We keep Kira's spirit alive by sharing funny stories about our time together. Kira made such a positive impact on every person that came in contact with her. What a blessing! Recently, I began making a series of mixed media pieces called The Flock of Empowerment. I used fabrics and dried paint palettes from past work to create these birds. The words on the wings were inspired by those that shared their own empowering stories with me, from a daily meditation, or an experience that propelled me to examine a different perspective. The empowering words are pulled from my grandmother’s dictionary she used in the 1940s. These dictionaries and their whispers encourage me to fly, to recover, to reflect, to become, to witness, to listen, and to keep going. My red shoes remind me to keep putting one foot in front of the other and you'll see this reminder on each of the birds too. I asked Kira's mother, Katie, to share some empowering words with me. She replied with “resilient,” “joy” and “bravery.” Kira's favorite color was purple, so shades of purple are prominent in these birds.

 My intention is to re-create and paint these birds on each side of the door with acrylic paint in memory of Kira and in honor of her mother, Katie. They represent the brave kids and the resilient parents walking the cancer journey.

A door is a symbol of a journey, a transition or metamorphosis. These are the same feelings that many cancer patients and their families experience on their quest for wellness. A door is also a symbol of our city welcoming guests to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in St.Louis to be a part of our community during their time of treatment and care.

As part of the Hope Is Home initiative, the Society has partnered with local artists to create 42 doorways, symbolizing the 42 guest suites available at the new facility. Each door is unique, as is each patient’s journey to wellness. However, the doors are part of a collection — a community — representing what each guest experiences at Hope Lodge St. Louis.

My “Wings of Empowerment” door is permanently displayed outside Hope Lodge St. Louis at 4207 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108.