LAKELAND, Fla. — Gillian Fazio is an artist, muralist and a Lakeland native. She and a partner just completed a month-long project right in her hometown.
"This specific wall in Lakeland is my pollination wall," Fazio showed us.
The mural is 175 feet long and up to 17 feet tall.
"To bring this mural to life, it takes gallons and gallons of paint. I feel like we probably had 35 colors in the mural," Fazio explained.
She said one of her favorite things to do is beautify her city and make art more inclusive.
"Galleries can be kind of exclusive. There's a lot of people that are from Polk County that may never walk into a gallery, so this is more accessible to the public," Fazio added.
Fazio told us she wants to redefine what a working artist looks like.
"I'm outside working hard, painting these massive walls, and I love shocking people when they walk up to the wall and they say, 'Did you do this all by yourself?' Absolutely!" Fazio said.
She just finished a mural at Disney Springs in celebration of Women's History Month. It's a woman's face, which is covered with flowers and butterflies to represent a woman's growth and inner beauty.
Fazio said she hopes her hard work and passion inspires others, just like her.
"I really would love for people that view the wall, specifically young women and women in general, to know that you can do anything, you can be anything. There’s no limitations and I really just wanted to honor that with Women’s History Month," Fazio said.
