Artfully Painted Mailboxes Add Neighborhood Cheer
By Julie Horner
Fern Meadow Quinn has been doing art pretty much her whole life. But she didn’t begin making a career of it until the shelter at home. “I was a preschool teacher on the Westside of Santa Cruz, but we closed due to COVID-19. I had nothing else to do but focus on art, something I’ve always wanted to do.” The mailboxes were the perfect thing. “I don’t have to be in anyone’s home, there’s minimal person-to-person contact.” She isn’t worried about paying the bills. In fact, she’s never going back. “This is what I’d rather be doing.”
“My landlady suggested that I paint her mailbox as a way to help with making rent.” After that, “I put it on Facebook and from there it totally blew up. I’m so grateful because now everybody wants one!”
The Felton resident, now 23, grew up in Ben Lomond. She estimates she’s painted more than 30 mailboxes since March. Just by word of mouth and Facebook shares, “I am booked through July,” she says. It takes her about three hours to paint a mailbox, and she can sometimes fit two or three projects in a day. “I’ve been getting other mural projects as well, getting to do larger walls.” By word of mouth, she is enjoying what she’s always wanted to do in an “amazing, unbelievable community that has spread the joy around and is willing to help out.”
“I just use exterior metal paint, then spray with a clear finish,” so these individual works of art are destined to stand the test of time. “Usually people have an idea of what they’d like painted on their mailbox. Sometimes they let me come up with something. I’ve done a lot of pet portraits, custom cars, and flowers.”
Fern has clients throughout San Lorenzo Valley and has painted a few mailboxes in Santa Cruz. Like many, she has used the current health crisis to start a new chapter. “As long as I can get a few mailboxes in a day, that’s pretty good,” she says. “It’s been such a good way to connect with the whole community. It’s really beautiful to live here.”
Contact Fern on Facebook, Instagram, or by email: meadowseedling@gmail.com
The San Lorenzo Valley Post is your essential guide to life in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We're dedicated to delivering the latest news, events, and stories that matter to our community. From local government to schools, from environmental issues to the arts, we're committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased coverage. We believe in the power of community journalism and strive to be a platform for diverse voices.
