Just-Us League unites in pursuit of art in Deep Ellum in Dallas

Lara Solt/Staff Photographer Artists in the group Just-Us League paint a large canvas together in 111 minutes each month and plan to auction 12 murals in December for charity. By LINDSAY RUEBENS Staff Writer lruebens@dallasnews.com Published 01 July 2011 11:09 PM y Video: The Just-Us League collaborates for art and charity's sake

Each month a motley bunch of professional and amateur artists and even one accountant unite for a common cause: painting a mural for charity in the back corner of a Deep Ellum bar. Were bringing together different styles, unifying Dallas and bringing a whole other mind-set in Dallas in terms of art, said graphic designer Lawrence Alexander, a founding member of the Just-Us League. Alexander and artist Jerod Alexander Davies formed the league this year because of a shared desire to create art that was bigger than themselves and reawaken art appreciation in Dallas. The Just-Us League has met every month since January at Deep Ellums 3025 Main, previously known as eXcuses cafe, to paint a collaborative mural. There are themes for each painting, and at the end of the year, the group plans to auction them off to benefit Helping Art Live, which supports artists entering the industry. The Just-Us League has also painted a couple of murals in an effort to beautify Deep Ellum: one at Santiagos Taco Loco Express, just across the street from 3025 Main, and another at Mama Mia Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria on Elm Street. Members hope to do another mural but are waiting for supplies to be donated. The groups monthly mural gatherings have brought together people from all kinds of backgrounds, from makeup artist to accountant. Its not a very in-crowd thing, said artist Kelsey Kincannon. Anyone who wants to be involved can be involved. The end result of the paintings is just as surprising as the makeup of the group: Last months painting, themed ancestry, started with a serene backdrop of hills and sunny skies and morphed into a conglomeration of ancient symbols and icons mixed with a futuristic ode to alien life. Its very powerful to watch what changes and what comes together, Davies said. For Tory Wardrick, a professional makeup artist, being a part of the Just-Us League serves as an escape and has reawakened her desire to create. I had lost my passion a little with just faces, faces, faces, she said. But this has really inspired me to do my own art outside of being a makeup artist. The group prides itself on several artists coming together for the power of one, as Davies puts it, and the No. 1 is associated with the group. The first collaborative mural was painted on Jan. 11, 2011, and began with 11 artists. The monthly paintings are also supposed to be completed within 111 minutes. The guidelines seemed more like mere suggestions on a Saturday night last month as more than a dozen artists joined in, and the painting took more than three hours to complete. But for Just-Us League members, its more about the experience of unity and celebrating art. Were seeing more people from different walks of life come together to create something beautiful, Alexander said.