NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — For 23 year-old Jake Myers, the world is his canvas. His latest creation is coming to life in a New Smyrna Beach skate park.
What You Need To Know
- Artist Jake Myers covers graffiti at SkateBowl with his own masterpiece
- Myers went to the park often and said its appearance kept going downhill
- New Smyrna Beach gave him paint for the project
- Myers, 23, will be moving soon to go to art school
"It is really cool to see people skate it," Myers said.
He approached the city leaders, asking to use his talents to paint the SkateBowl at Pettis Park. He explained that he spends a lot of time there, and it kept getting worse and worse.
“I haven’t seen any skate park as bad as this was before, and this was just so close to me,” Myers said. “It just needed to be repainted because it had so much graffiti on it and it was just bad for the community.”
The city agreed and gave him 20 gallons of paint.
“I wanted colors that really popped,” Myers said.
Myers spent 15 days transforming the SkateBowl, using colors and patterns as vibrant as the city itself, to make him this week's Everyday Hero.
“I just did it as I went,” Myers said. “I didn’t really plan it out.”
It’s a legacy that Myers is proud to leave. In March, he is moving to Savannah to study at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.
“I just hope families come here and make memories," Myers said. “I hope people come and skate it and they feel happy.”
Myers said he hopes to continue working on public art projects like this. Before he heads off to school, Myers hopes to paint a skate park in Daytona Beach as well.
"I hope other people see how important it is to make their city better,” Myers said. “I think the city deserves it.”