Tone LOVES to paint. His business is Artistic Tones. He is game for painting any time on anything – from mattresses that have been rescued from the landfill to a refurbished dresser ready to liven up a friend’s living space. But his favorite canvas is a big, empty wall, just waiting for an artist’s touch.
Tone’s style is simple yet captivating and draws from influences like street art and neo-expressionism. In his public mural titled “The Nature of Nurture” at 31st and Troost in Kansas City, Missouri, Tone shares a story about how his grandmother used to comb the girls’ hair and ignore their cries of pain by saying that she would never let them leave the house “looking like nobody LOVES you!”
This respect for tough LOVE and passion for COMMUNITY are part of what drove Tone to sign up for our Rise Up, Get Started Entrepreneurship Competition where he plans to pitch his idea for a new project called Mural KC.
“My goal is to solve a problem for both muralists and art lovers in Kansas City,” shares Tone. “Mural KC will be an online platform where artists can feature their work and businesses can commission qualified muralists to do WORK on their buildings.”
Tone sees Mural KC as a win-win-win-win scenario (you counted that right: four wins.) “By elevating their work as a collective artists can stay busy, businesses can easily see which muralists are available and the quality of their work, Mural KC can operate on a reasonable commission and advertisements, and everyone looking for a great picture for Instagram can find their next destination on our interactive map!”
Through initiatives like Mural KC, Tone would like to see Kansas City nab the Mural Capital of the World title from Philadelphia. “Kansas City is on a roll right now. Artists and entrepreneurs play a huge part in the success and beauty of our city. Let’s keep it going!”
HIGH FIVE!
… … …
Support second chance entrepreneurs by investing in Determination, Incorporated.
Sign up to receive second chance entrepreneur stories in your inbox in our High Five Thursday newsletter.
Determination, Incorporated is a 501C3 nonprofit in KCMO empowering formerly incarcerated people to seize employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in home building, home improvement, and affordable housing. To learn more, contact us here.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
