View Lena Mac’s Murals as Portals and Connectors

Transformation Portal, 397 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington:

“Artist Lena McCarthy transformed the side of Helena’s at 397 Massachusetts Avenue into a beautiful portal.” ( quote from Arlington Mural Project, Arts Arlington for Transformation Portal, October 2024)

My first visit to Lena Mac’s new mural led me to look back at an earlier one and then discover many more. This post shares photos of two near me and a link to her website, which shows her range worldwide!

“Inspired by the natural world, contemporary illustration styles and her personal experiences, Mac’s work combines figurative symbols with abstracted forms to create metaphorical spaces that contemplate mysterious aspects of the world around us.” ( quote from Lena Mac website)

“Lena Mac (b. Boston, 1992) is an American visual artist primarily painting and making large scale murals.” (quote from Lena Mac website)

“In 2016, Lena began painting in the streets while living in Santiago, Chile and has since continued to paint in public spaces across the world.” (quote from Lena Mac website)

“Arlington Mural Project: Arts Arlington received a Transformative Growth Grant to explore bringing new murals to Arlington in collaboration with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce (ACC) and the Arlington Center for the Arts (ACA).” ( quote from Arlington Mural Project, Arts Arlington)

Life Alive Cafe, Davis Square, Somerville:

“It was so fun to design for this project in part because @lifealivecafe people were so cool in letting me take the lead on the concept and also because their values and aesthetic felt aligned with my own.. Vegetarians unite!”( quote from Lena Mac Instagram quote Dec 2022)

” Also was an interesting spatial challenge to design three dimensionally for wrap around columns and knowing that the piece would be viewed from so many angles.” ( quote from Lena Mac Instagram quote Dec 2022)