WHS art teacher expands his creativity beyond classroom with goal of community through murals

By Sophia Atherton

Art has always been a part of Joe McLaughlin’s life, and he wanted to share the love of creativity by becoming an art teacher. But little did he know how far his love for painting would take him. McLaughlin, who currently teaches painting, street art, printmaking, and drawing at Windham High School, has broadened his canvas beyond the classroom and onto walls of businesses throughout Maine.

Windham High School art teacher Joe McLaughlin finds
artwork, including murals, to be a rewarding opportunity
to create transformation and change the way people
experience the world. Here he shows a mural he painted
for Big Swing Golf Sim in Windham.
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK 

Recently, you’ll find McLaughlin’s talented artwork at a few businesses in Windham including the Big Swing Golf Sim. He explains how that opportunity took place.

"My first public mural came about unexpectedly,” McLaughlin said. “While visiting Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick, I noticed a large white wall at the entrance and immediately wanted to fill that blank space with artwork. I asked the owners what they planned to do with it. When they told me they didn't have any plans, I suggested a mural.”

That project led to a second mural for the brewery and showed McLaughlin the power of community connections and word-of-mouth recommendations. He not only enjoys painting for businesses and community members, but also the relationship that art creates.

“I've met incredible people and have been given opportunities I never would have expected. I enjoy the interactions with the owners and patrons and seeing their excitement at the outcome, watching their business and space grow from just a shell of a room to an art installation."

He said that he has painted subjects that he never imagined doing, from aviation scenes to bees and golf courses, and his murals have taken him to places he otherwise might never have visited.

One of McLaughlin's favorite parts about creating murals is watching the pieces come together.

“Seeing the progress each time I complete the next step is very rewarding to me,” he said.

McLaughlin also finds artwork rewarding because it has the power to create transformation and change the way people experience the world.

"Art has always been a part of my life. I've been teaching art for 25 years at every grade level, from kindergarten through high school, but my passion for drawing and painting began long before I ever stepped into a classroom,” he said.

When McLaughlin was in high school, he said he was always creating, and that passion eventually grew into painting murals. His parents gave him the freedom and the space to paint a wall in his bedroom. At first, it was just one wall that featured a mural of Jerry Garcia, then before he knew it, every wall in his room was painted. The support of his parents gave him more than just a spark for mural painting but in changing the way he looked at blank walls.

Although painting, drawing and street art come naturally to McLaughlin, he admits that some things do not come easily while creating murals professionally.

“Some challenges that I face include scaling up a small drawing,” McLaughlin said. “When designing the golf ball, for example, I sometimes need to make changes on the wall adjusting the size from the original sketch. I will need to scale and proportion the artwork, so everything doesn’t appear too massive or too small.”

McLaughlin also takes a lot of photographs and will look at them at home to discover how things can be improved, learning to deviate from the original sketch.

“I also receive a lot of help from my wife, Kristin, and sometimes we work as a team to improve the artwork,” he said.

McLaughlin's view on the value of public art in the community was formed from traveling nationally and internationally.

“Sometimes public art can change the landscape of downtrodden communities and become a tourist attraction,” McLaughlin said. “Even changing the energy of a space. When things are so divisive these days, art can act as a universal language to bring people together."

McLaughlin’s love of art is more than a creative and teaching endeavor and, as a result, he hopes to add more art in the Windham and Raymond areas.

“Ultimately, I hope my work inspires others to see the value of art,” he said. “Murals have the power to transform businesses and strengthen communities.”

For his next mural, McLaughlin has been commissioned to provide artwork for a private individual in Casco. <

Raymond artist raises significant funds for college during live online auction

By Lorraine Glowczak

Holden Willard, a 2017 Windham High School graduate, did it again.

In February 2019, Willard’s painting entitled, ‘Red Portrait’ won best in show in a world-wide competition at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Since then, he and his artwork – especially his self-portrait - has garnered a lot of attention and praise. Recently, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts, where Willard attends, hosted an “Artrageous” auction to help raise funds for the school, the community, and future students.

Holden Willard's painting called 'Self Portrait' won best in show in
a world-wide competition at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod
and recently was sold during an auction to benefit the
Monserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts where
Willard is studying art. It sold for $2,100. Willard is a resident of
 Raymond and a 2017 graduate of Windham High School.
COURTESY PHOTO 

“Artrageous is the college’s main fundraising event of the year and has become the signature art event on the North Shore,” the college’s website said. “The auction included spectacular works by renowned and emerging artists and designers including our Montserrat community.”

Willard’s artwork began at a bid of $1,300 with the final amount going to the highest bidder of $2,100.

“I wasn’t expecting this portrait to sell as much as it did,” said Willard, whose proud father is Raymond Town Manager, Don Willard (and his wife, proud mother Megan). “I was pleasantly surprised that the bidders were bidding solely on ‘potential future value’. I think that notion was encouraging but it is never about the money for me. I just enjoy painting as a practice and activity, to see some financial compensation is gratifying in a sense.”

Although Willard aspires to make a career as an artist, he is realistic in his approach.

“It must be known when you begin to make work for money, you inadvertently lose authenticity,” he said. “Half the proceeds [from the auction] go right back into the school and into the community surrounding Montserrat – the very same facilities I use. That’s most important in my eyes and the reason why I participated in this auction; whether or not it ever even made money is not important. I make art because I need to. I couldn’t live my life if art wasn’t an integral part of my experience. I just make paintings for myself because of the joy I get out of it. I believe if you work hard, and are genuine with your efforts and support those in your community – only good things will come.”

In addition to the $2,100 from the auction, Willard’s ‘Red Portrait’ has also garnered $500 in the world-wide competition as well as winning first place in another art competition he entered in New York, winning a financial prize of $700. In total – this one piece has accumulated an amount of $3,300.

Not too shabby for a small-town boy from Raymond, Maine.

If you are interested in looking at more artwork of Holden Willard, peruse his Instagram page at holdenwillard. <