Love Hope Peace
Location
Vulcan and Orpheus
About
Painted on a community-facing fence on Vulcan Ave, a gift from local resident Elana Cohen to her neighbors. Cohen fills her home with art centered on love, self-expression, peace, and community, and wanted to extend that same energy outward: a fence that radiated warmth into a world that often feels chaotic, divided, and quick to argue. She gave Kough a blank slate, and together they arrived at a row of women's faces, each representing an aspect of Mother Earth, threaded together by the words "love," "hope," and "peace." The objects worked into the piece are all found materials, a nod to waste and to how much can be reduced and reused. The intent, in the artist's words, was to give people driving or walking by permission to take a deep breath, agree to disagree, and notice the beauty around them instead of the daily noise of stress and division. Much of the design evolved on-site, shaped by improvisation and by the neighborhood itself. Kough, who has painted murals across LA and Orange County for over 35 years, has called it one of the most moving days she's had painting in a long time. Drivers stopped, honked, and got out of their cars all day to say hello, say thank you, and take photos. "I've never been in a nicer community of people," she said. "Pure joy... [a] reminder how much kindness changes your surroundings."
