Hughes' surf sanctuary
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| Philippa Hughes |
When Philippa Hughes went to London last year, she asked Zach Storm to cat-sit—and, if he felt like it, to decorate a wall in her 14th Street apartment. The result: Storm, a local artist, created a burst of colored geometric shapes that dashed across the ceiling of Hughes’ apartment, accented with little pink cotton-candy-like clouds. Hughes returned and loved it.
Storm’s mural is not alone.
A giant hot-pink wave curls in the corner of her home, across from a mural that looks like it belongs on a brick wall outside of her building’s glass doors. “I’m really into street art, and so it’s a kind of way to bring it into my home,” Hughes explains. “I also like the idea of the impermanence of it. On the one hand, it’s painted on so it feels permanent, but I’m not going to live here forever; I can’t take it with me, so there’s this sense of impermanence about it, and I like that.”
But the multiple murals adorning Hughes’ walls are just one way the warm, petite former lobbyist and lawyer displays her unique brand of art appreciation sans pretension. Several years ago, she resolved to make the local art scene more welcoming to would-be collectors, so she began posting about various art shows and exhibits on her blog, thepinklineproject.com. Within a year, the hobby became her livelihood. A one-stop shop for anyone looking to discuss, contribute to or immerse themselves in the DC art community, the site is a leading resource for exhibits, talks and workshops, among many other art-inspired events.
