When I was first approached about painting in Rifle, I knew nothing about this town other than the name. When I googled Rifle, I realized quickly that this was a town that had seen more than their fair share of difficulties and controversy. 

I love Colorado and had not yet painted a mural there for The Good of the Hive, so when Lydia Labelle de rios emailed me expressing interest in championing a mural, I was excited! On top of that, the mural location proposed was on a library! Most people don’t know that I used to co-manage a small company based in a mission to get kids reading. So this was a double positive for me.

Rifle, however, is more well known for something other than its amazing library. It became recognized nationally for a local restaurant called Shooters that was owned by Lauren Boebert. She made headlines by letting her staff open carry guns while serving customers. The restaurant has since closed, but Ms. Boebert became the youngest congresswoman ever from that district – largely because of her stance on guns.