Planet Over Profit
2024 Street Wise Mural Festival
Location: Retaining wall along Goose Creek Path near 4847 Pearl St Boulder, CO 80301
Photos by Dona and Niko Laurita, Cam Margera, and Dittlo Digital
Shane Huss combines traditional calligraphy with contemporary design in his mural Planet Over Profit. His project inspires reflection on our relationship with nature and advocates for a culture of sustainability.
Shane’s calligraphy mural stands out against the retaining wall, acting as a billboard of sorts along the Goose Creek Path. The artist hand-draws his typography, something that cannot be replicated by downloadable fonts. To achieve precision in applying his mural design to the wall, Shane used a projector to project his hand-lettering late at night. He worked in small sections, propping up his projector on his car and slowly moving it across the wall.
The artist’s lettering appears three-dimensional rather than the typical flat, two-dimensional letters. The phrase even reaches beyond the space of the wall so that the viewer does not see the entirety of each letter. This intentional framing of the phrase serves as a trompe l’oeil, tricking the eye into thinking that the letters could burst from the wall.
Shane layers the phrase on top of leaves from oak trees found throughout Colorado. The artist renders the symmetrically lobed leaves in dark and olive greens, adding further visual interest. Like other #SWMF2024 artists, Shane includes a keystone species in his mural. Oak trees support more life forms including mammals, birds, insects, and fungi than any other tree species, providing shelter and food and supporting the functionality of whole ecosystems.
The festival’s themes of environmentalism and climate change serve as an extension of Shane’s artistic mission of sustainability and ecological consciousness. He donates profits from each project of Mindful Release (his calligraphy-based design studio) to Trees for the Future to plant trees in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative contributes to reforestation and carbon sequestration efforts. Planet Over Profit planted 100 trees!
By committing to giving up profits to plant trees, Shane literally demonstrates what Planet Over Profits means. In the end, record profits for corporations will not matter if we destroy our planet.
About the Artist:
Shane Huss is a dynamic calligraphy artist renowned for his impactful large-scale mural projects and innovative design work.
With over 25 murals implemented across major U.S. cities, including an 80-foot skatepark bowl mural in Grand Junction, Colorado, Shane has garnered viral notoriety and international acclaim. His distinctive style adorns prominent nightclubs in Denver and the Los Angeles studio of the Kinjaz dance team.
As the founder of Mindful Release, Shane blends traditional techniques with modern design sensibilities, earning recognition in bestselling books and prestigious competitions. As a member of international calligraphy crew, Calligraphy Masters, Shane continues to push the boundaries of lettering, captivating audiences worldwide with his work.