UPFRONT PLACES | PERSPECTIVES | HAPPENINGS
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Brick by Brick
A SIMPLE ART PROJECT ADDS COLOR TO THE TOWN WHILE UNITING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY .
By SHARAEL KOLBERG
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Natalya Sheddan ( above ) started the Brooks Bricks Art Gallery in front of her house ( pictured , top right ) hen Natalya Sheddan , a real estate developer and attorney , moved to Laguna Beach in 2022 , she was looking to start a new life following a divorce . Shortly after settling into her beach cottage on the corner of Brooks and Catalina streets , she came up with the idea to create the Brooks Bricks Art Gallery .
If you ’ ve driven through the Boat Streets , you can ’ t miss the colorfully painted , stacked bricks — some with uplifting messages — lining her front yard and nearly encircling her house . Sheddan and her kids , Ellie , 8 , and Liam , 6 , leave blank bricks for neighbors to take , paint and return to the gallery for the neighborhood to enjoy . We caught up with Sheddan to learn about her inspiration for the project and the impact it ’ s had on her family and the community .
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE : What inspired you to start the Brooks Bricks Art Gallery ? NATALYA SHEDDAN : I started Brooks Bricks during a transitional rough patch in my life . I had just moved here and I didn ’ t know anyone . I was bored so I decided to paint a rock . But I couldn ’ t find a rock in my yard . I did , however , find a pile of bricks . So I painted a brick and put my bad piece of art out there for everyone to see and encourage others to do the same .
LBM : Do you have a background in art ? NS : I had zero artistic skills [ when starting the project ]. But I found the process very therapeutic — doing something I ’ m not good at and , as a result , turning
BOTTOM LEFT : BRENNA DARNBROUGH ; REST OF SPREAD : SHARAEL KOLBERG
34 LAGUNABEACHMAGAZINE . COM