A New Mural Debuts at Tewksbury Public Library

Tewksbury artist, Melissa Santos of Little Honey Illustrations, creates a new mural for the town library.

Tucked away in the backyard of the Tewksbury Public Library (TPL) you’ll find a lot to explore: The Community Garden full of fresh organic produce and a home to pollinators, a performance platform lit up with concerts and events, and native trees that will shade future generations of library visitors. New to this scene is an intricately designed portrayal of community, nature, and the timeless enchantment of storytelling that ties together this space’s splendor in a magnificently bright mural.

Tewksbury artist Melissa Santos of Little Honey Illustrations worked closely with TPL staff throughout the spring and summer to design a beautiful mural now featured on the building’s generator box. Melissa worked to bring together the themes of storytelling, gardening, and community when designing the mural. The artist explains her process: “…as a melting pot of inspiration from the works of many amazing artists filtered through my lens of creativity, art style, and skillset.”

When discussing the new piece, Melissa goes on to explain that the images seen in the mural are intended to be “…a relatable and fun experience for people of all ages and backgrounds.”

To bring the central themes of the mural to life, Melissa created a central image that literally takes root in the form of a tree, described by the artist as “…a giant glowing tree coming from an open book” that takes inspiration from Mother Nature and The Book of Knowledge. Melissa elaborates that “all public libraries are a source of community and a welcoming place that is meant to nurture, educate, and provide respite for people of all walks of life. What better symbolism for a sanctuary like that than a mother tree that is meant to nurture and connect younger trees together, and a book of knowledge meant to educate and spark creativity and curiosity for everyone who reads?”

Featured among the tree image are a cast of characters interacting with various book genres. In re-counting her own experiences immersed in stories, Melissa describes “…following the footsteps of detectives, sitting beside sleeping dragons, and floating in space surrounded by celestial bodies…” brought to life by the power of the written word. The artist explains that when creating this piece, she was “…heavily inspired by these narrative experiences and wanted to bring that feeling to life by having all types of people interacting with the specific genres of their stories.”

“One of my messages behind this piece is that we are all connected by our stories. Every stranger has a story to tell and to hear, and the bigger the differences between us, the richer the opportunities are to learn from each other,” said Melissa. “I hope when someone looks at the mural they see themselves in the characters and their favorite genres and realize they are part of a whole community bigger than themselves,” the artist concludes. You can visit the mural by following the pathways leading from TPL’s parking lot into the backyard.

To learn more about Melissa’s artwork and Little Honey Illustrations, please visit https://www.littlehoneyillustrations.com/. Additional information about artwork you can explore at TPL can be found at https://www.tewksburypl.org/about-us/pages/art-tpl. From sculpted pieces by Mico Kaufman to modern murals in the Teen and Children’s Rooms by Eyeformation, there is art all around you while you browse the shelves.