Art for the Community

Every year, Michele Jagodzinski paints at least one civic mural to give back to the community.

She has painted murals in the lobby and library at Baker Elementary School. Her most recent work can be seen at , on the wall of the park’s building. It was done to honor the .

“We wanted something that would blend into the natural aesthetic of the park,” said Jagodzinski. “It’s a simple landscape. Serene.”

Before she begins painting, Jagodzinski will stare at the location, the surroundings. She will then look at pictures she has, surf the Web.

“I pull ideas from all over the place,” she said. “Then I get a picture in my head and jump in.”

After priming the wall, it took her three days to paint the mural. She finished in time for the first day of the rebuild and in time to help with painting for the park itself, including painting the stonework of the castle that leads into the playground.

“They love Zelley,” Jagodzinski said of her two children. “That’s why I went everyday to build and paint.”

When she’s not painting community art projects, Jagodzinski paints in private residences and local businesses. Her work can be seen in the Otis Elevator offices on Twosome Drive, in the children’s section of the Bordentown Library and at Paws Farm. She also participated in Windows on Main. She paints murals, faux finishes and furniture.

Jagodzinski has been painting murals for 18 years. She’s been doing it full-time for the past two years through her company, Painting By Jag (paintingbyjag.com).

On her journey to where she is now, Jagodzinski, who has a degree in Fine Arts from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, received a master’s of fine arts from the University of the Arts, worked as an event planner and taught art in elementary schools for 10 years.

“It’s been a blessing,” said Jagodzinski. “To be able to do what you love and make a living at it insures happiness.”