In Our Nature
By Finn DeLisa, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Colorado H&V
I am a self-taught deafblind artist activist who wants to bring a new appeal to art that speaks out about the unheard voices. After I graduate from Rocky Mountain Deaf School in Colorado, I hope to go to art school to learn the fundamentals and enhance my art skills that will later help create art that shows activism. In my spare time, I like fashion styling, caring for my arachnid and reptiles, and manga reading. Lately, I had the wonderful experience of painting at the Kissfist Mural Festival.
The Kissfist Mural Festival is a celebration of Deaf culture, particularly in the arts, and how Deaf artists can express their voice and wants of representation through various media and colors. Founded by Kate Fitzpatrick, who is an artist and a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). She graduated from the February 2025 Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) Leadership Arts Cohort, and participates in festivals throughout the state, which later inspired her to start the Kissfist Mural Festival for the Deaf community. This was the inaugural year of the festival taking place at RiNo ArtPark in Denver from October 17-19 this year.
The Kissfist Mural Festival’s purpose is to bring ten deaf artists from around the nation and the Deaf community together to create what is called a ‘third space.’ A third space is a space separate from school or work and home, where everyone from all over could come together, and in this case, to watch artists at work, create lasting memories, learn more about the Deaf culture, and enjoy food together.
Being invited to participate in the 2025 Kissfist Mural Festival was an absolutely astounding experience for me as a self-taught artist, and challenged me in how to collaborate with others. I had the opportunity to paint with a classmate and friend, Riordan Ferguson, who is also an artist, to represent Rocky Mountain Deaf School at the festival. Leading up to the event, Riordan and I spent a month together discussing and planning what to paint. The theme given to guide our work was “In our nature.” The first thing when one might think related to this theme might be Mother Nature, and how it can be perceived in various ways. Therefore, when I thought about this theme, I thought about how one’s identity is commonly overlooked and stereotyped, when one cannot be themselves in a normal setting.
Bringing this up to Riordan, we both agreed on that concept because, given the current state of our government and politics, we thought it would be important to say something about the oppression that the Deaf community has experienced for decades. Finalizing our idea, we decided to have an underwater theme of a two-legged pufferfish surrounded by hearing fish, who are molded into societal norms; by having no legs, overtaking the pufferfish’s deaf space. The pufferfish would be painted in warm colors, a rebel accessorized in punk boots, and fed up with the ableism around them. This is to represent the long-time rebellion we deaf people hold in ourselves against ableism and their societal expectations of us accommodating to their ‘no leg’ lifestyle.
Arriving at the site on Friday, October 17th, with our design ready, we were ready to pull up our sleeves and get to work right away. It was a lovely, bright day, and I was welcomed by a wonderful team from the Kissfist Mural Festival, who offered drinks, snacks, accommodations, and painting materials! At RiNoArt, there are wooden boards all around this strip of the park allowing each artist to pick where they will paint, whether the design is horizontal or vertical. Additionally, RiNoArt, there is a warehouse inside that offers a baking class for students at Rocky Mountain Deaf School and other kids. Riordan and I viewed the area and met with other artists before reviewing our plan for the day. We painted the background with an ocean navy blue and designed the landscape of a coral reef by using different shades of blue, purple, and paint textures to make it more colorful and oceanic. Later, throughout the day, we decided to use a blended appeal of creating one coral reef plant on one side of the canvas, then switching sides so it is evened out.
The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, were rough, but truly enjoyable in finalizing our idea. We worked on the centerpiece of the pufferfish with punk boots and the hearing fish by using different warm and cold colors, different paintbrushes, and marker textures to make the piece pop out for the audience to see. On both of these days, we were informed that the auction of our art and other artists’ art would finish that Wednesday, October 22nd, and that funds would be shared with us after the auction finished. We were informed that many people from all over the state were fascinated to see all the different art by different deaf artists, and the art that we made. Receiving different compliments and impressions from people, we continued to push through the hard work on the mural art. We finished on Sunday with just an hour to spare!
From my personal experience with the KissFist Mural Festival, I would say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to practice your skills, to see what your weaknesses and strengths are when it comes to painting mural art. The community there is absolutely amazing, and it is a wonderful space where you can see how other artists express themselves and their creativity through their art without judgment. Carrying this experience with me into and throughout college will help me improve my critical thinking, collaboration, and socializing skills. ~
Editor’s note: Finn DeLisa’s mother, Shaun DeLisa, is the board president of Colorado Hands & Voices.
H&V Communicator – Winter 2026