Upcycled Paint Project Blossoms at L.A. Mini Farm

A mini farm full of life blooms even brighter thanks to a mural collaboration with street artist ELLE.

Photo credit: LITTLE CITY FARM LA

Five years ago Jenny Silbert started Little City Farm LA, an organic mini-farm, on her Arlington Heights property in the heart of Los Angeles. With its opening, Silbert aligned with her intent of achieving her goal — producing as little waste as possible.

Photo credit: HECTOR RAYGOZA

The farm, which occupies about 4,000-square-feet, contains a small citrus and stone fruit orchard, herbs and vegetables, as well as a menagerie of pets and chickens. Little City Farm LA is the result of a partnership between Silbert, who is also the founder of sustainable fashion brand, Rewilder, and Ben Hirschfeld of 3R Garden Design. Supporting this enterprise is Chef David Kuo, a key client who sources food from the garden for his L.A. restaurant , Little Fatty.

Photo credit: LAGOM LIKE MINDS

In addition to the farm beds, Silbert envisioned turning the property’s unused tennis court into an event space ready to serve the community, but it desperately needed a redesign. “I believe that collaboration leads to innovation,” stated Silbert.

It’s in that spirit that Silbert partnered with street artist ELLE, whose dramatic, large-scale odes to feminine power can be seen on walls from New York City to the Netherlands and Melbourne. For Silbert, the collaboration was a no-brainer. “ELLE is gracious, incredibly creative, and willing to experiment with me to upcycle paint and re-use where we could,” Silbert said.

Photo credit: HECTOR RAYGOZA

Keeping the project eco-conscious and in line with Silbert’s sustainable practices, ELLE upcycled Dunn-Edwards paint — utilizing spare, unopened paint product that had been returned that would have, otherwise, gone unused. “Dunn-Edwards was incredibly gracious in letting us dig through mis-tints and returned paints, as well as providing tints for us to mix in new color to the old paint,” Silbert said.

Photo credit: LAGOM LIKE MINDS

With their reused and recycled materials at the ready, the women brainstormed concepts for the tennis court wall together, landing on a vibrant design that pays homage to the cycles of life, the sun and the moon; the local Chumash people; as well as native plants and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “For the court, the process was completely different — much more experimental. The sketching was done directly on the court surface, without knowing what it would become! It was also a very beautiful process to watch,” Silbert noted. The mural now serves as the anchor for a truly unique event space, a surprise experience in an unexpected space.

Photo credit: REWILDER GOODS

Muralist ELLE. Photo credit: TRAVIS PIÑON

Can’t get enough of women crushing it in the arts and business? Read about how female artists revitalized 10 blocks of east San Diego with their mural painting festival — or maybe you’d like to learn more about Dunn-Edwards commitment to a green future with our VOC-free paints.