The Art of Gratitude Turns Heartfelt Messages Into a Lasting Symbol In The Woodlands

The Art of Gratitude, a new permanent public mural at the Kevin Brady Community Center, is turning heads in The Woodlands. Created by acclaimed local artist Marlo Saucedo, the two-panel, six-foot by six-foot mural is woven with heartfelt messages of gratitude submitted by people in the community.

Using her signature word-based painting style, Saucedo incorporated messages celebrating family, freedom, friendship, nature, creativity and community throughout the mural. That lets viewers discover new words and stories each time they visit the community center.

This Woodlands Arts Council project was launched with a $1,776 grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.

Community support really brought the project fully to life, though. Thanks to The Woodlands Arts Council’s Giving Tuesday campaign. Local donors helped fund the mural while contributing those messages of gratitude that became an integral part of the artwork.

“Public art has the power to tell the story of a community,” The Woodlands Arts Council executive director and CEO Jenny Carattini-Wright says. “What makes The Art of Gratitude especially meaningful is that it wasn’t created only for the community. It was created with the community.

“Every message represents a personal expression of gratitude, and together they have become a lasting work of art that reflects the spirit of The Woodlands.”

Inspired by Life in The Woodlands

Saucedo designed the piece around ideas she felt represent The Woodlands. She presented those ideas to the Arts Council and Montgomery County officials, working with them to create the final visual. The background for the piece was inspired by Saucedo’s experiences on The Woodlands’ many trails.

“My favorite time of day is early morning, when I can get out on our walking trails before sunrise,” she tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “Witnessing sunrises — and sunsets — in this area is a privilege. They can be so brilliantly colorful. The background is a lighter version of those sunrise/sunset colors.”

Saucedo works from her home, and completed the background of the mural in about three weeks.

Saucedo’s unique art style uses the written word to complete the art. TWAC solicited those messages of gratitude from the community, and each of those messages is in the mural five times. There are 7,213 words in the piece creating the images on the background. She worked 10-hour days for more than a month to finish the piece.

“My favorite messages were those mentioning the variety of birds and animals we see, the great schools here, and the natural beauty of this area,” Saucedo says. “These are my favorite things about The Woodlands as well.”

Saucedo’s work is also on display in IAH’s Terminal D, and in The Woodlands near The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as part of The Woodlands’ 50th anniversary celebration.