Press

What is paradise? For Shane Grammer, it’s a spray paint can in his hand on a boom lift. It’s bringing joy and inspiration to people through art. It’s a mural on a chimney. That’s what really started it all. Paradise, a California city ravaged by fire and not a whole lot left standing… including their finances and their dreams. Shane looked at the decimated chimney of his friend’s house and saw something only he could see. Hope. So, he did the one thing he knew he could do, he painted.

The site was his friend’s previous home that had been consumed by fire. But not just his home, there were so many homes destroyed all around. Shane wanted to bless his friend, little did he know he would inspire and touch the entire community and beyond. So, Shane painted the face of a woman with radiant blue eyes looking out into the world, into the community, and into the lives of the people of Paradise. This look communicates so much to so many including, but not limited to: I see you through the ashes of what was, I see what will be, I know there is more to come, let your dreams arise.

Shane’s friend’s house was located on Clark Road, one of the few ways into Paradise.  People would drive by and they would see the chimney. It caught the attention of so many. It started out with local press from Paradise and went viral locally before going viral internationally. The first media to reach out to Shane was from Redding, then Chico, then Action News Now and then Enterprise Record. The chimney was painted January 1, 2019.

One night while Shane and his wife Missy were reading the comments, Missy said, “(Shane), you’ve gotta go back up (to Paradise).” Shane had a plan to paint 5 murals in 5 days. When he got there, he was completely bombarded. He was interviewed 4 or 5 times during those 5 days and for months after he kept getting contacted by press for interviews.  

Please enjoy reading the press releases from these notable news sources regarding the mural in Paradise, California.