Lake Nona is known for its tight-knit community and flourishing culture. With an abundance of places to visit including restaurants and parks galore, there is so much to do and see here in lovely Lake Nona. At almost every turn, this community holds beautiful artwork created by a multitude of artists whose art covers this bright-eyed town. With beautiful sculptures and vibrant artwork, many can be captivated by the contagiously inspiring and immersive culture this community has to offer. Keep reading to take flight to the heart of Lake Nona and learn all about the Global Angel Wings Project!
The Wings
One painting, in particular, that has captured the hearts of many in this town is the angel wings outside by Lake Nona’s Town Center (located at 6900 Tavistock Lakes Blvd #110, Orlando, FL 32827). And there is a recent installment of wings outside LIME Mexican Grill as well (located at 13052 Narcoossee Road Orlando, FL 32832). You can view both sets of wings outside on the wall for all to see. These heavenly wings were painted by the artist Colette Miller. She is a creative individual who resides in California. Unlike angelic wings you would typically imagine, these Lake Nona wings have more than just white coloring using whites, violets, and indigos to create unique imagery. Miller speaks about this in a Ted Talk on Youtube where she mentioned the usage of these colors as a representation of the seventh chakra, self- realization. Miller states online that she was “inspired by her heart, dreams, philosophies, memories, psychic or intuitive forces, color, and movement” to create these wings. She believes that successful art tends to invoke a type of meditation or mind travel, which is the reason why she never considers a painting finished until she reaches a certain wholeness and completeness in her work.
The Artist
Colette Miller created these wings as a part of the Global Angel Wings Project she started in 2012 in Los Angeles, the City of Angels. The mission of this project is to remind humanity that we are the angels of this Earth. According to her Ted Talk, Colette Miller explained that she got the idea for the first pair of wings when driving around in L.A. She then explained that she had images of angel wings in her mind when seeing blank walls on the sides of buildings that she referred to as canvases. Miller touched on how advertisements bombard our lives here in America through commercialism, and she wanted to do something for the people with these wings. She hopes they are a symbol of peace. To Miller, these angel wings represent white light. She also stated that to her, “the wings represent our inner angel.” In Colette Miller’s eyes, these wings speak for so much by showing so little to its audience by revealing that we are utterly imperfect but can have so much good to offer the world around us. This type of thinking has positively impacted our community through all who have come to see the coveted wings by leaving lasting impressions on the internet and social media.
Behind the Wings
These wings have taken flight all over, with Miller painting them globally from Kenya to Australia, Taiwan, China, France, across America, and more. We are so lucky that our state of Florida is home to four of these majestic wings! According to Colette Miller, the first pair was placed illegally on the streets of Los Angeles, California in the arts district. The very first set was originally painted on paper and pasted upon a metal wall that looks like it could have an obscure door. The public response to this art was immediate and from all different types of people deriving from many different backgrounds. She speaks about this in her Ted Talk, where people from different walks of life initially interacted with her wings out of instinct and reflected on how these wings resonate across class, religion, race, and nationalities. These people, who interacted with the wings, posed in front of the wings as if they were one with the art and took creative photos, sharing them with others online. After seeing the public connect with her art, Miller feels as though the philosophies of nature and mankind are universal and that humanity craves beauty, love, acceptance, enlightenment, and faith in the human race. She believes that we all desire these attributes and can attain them if we believe in ourselves to find our inner light. Miller expressed how traveling the world painting these wings helped her to learn, connect, and grow her movement by positively impacting the communities in which her art resides. She gained insight into the world around her and felt a sense of unity when painting and crafting each set of wings. Although Colette Miller is the one who created and painted these wings across the globe, some were commissioned and some were gifted; however, not a single one has an owner. These human-sized wings are free for the world to enjoy. Allowing the wings to be public art for anyone to immerse themselves, essentially becoming a part of the art when they take photos with them. Meaning it is something free for you, your family, and friends to come and enjoy, not just around the world but here in our very own Lake Nona!
Final Thoughts
These wings are a great representation of Lake Nona, reflecting our community values and artistic minds. Following true to our community and helping prioritize our strive towards communal well-being, these wings sure will inspire all who come to see them both. So put these wings on your list of things to check out on a lovely sunny day!
Also, if you wish to view more wings from around the world you can find them and their whereabouts at Colette Miller’s Website and social media @globalangelwingsproject. On the website previously provided, you can view a map of the majority of the wings from Colette Miller that are around the world as well as more details and information about this amazing project! When you check out these wings don’t be shy and post a pic of you and your crew on social media! Don’t forget to tag the @globalangelwingsproject when posting, that way you can add your pic to their tagged images page and view everyone else who came to visit these spectacular wings before you! Seize the day, fly by both these wings sometime and let your inner angel shine!
See more about the Global Wings Angel Project at globalangelwingsproject.com
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