Kelly Towles’ “Light the Way” (Pat Padua)

D.C. resident Kelly Towles is best known for colorful murals that are instantly recognizable as his work. But his latest piece is a departure from the vivid characters he created as a prolific inner-city street artist. If Light the Way seems more stripped down than one might expect from the artist, it expands on a notion dear to the artist: interaction.

“My voice is always best through dialogue,” Towles says. Although one may not think of murals as interactive artworks, Towles explains that each of his murals creates the potential for dialogue with a community. Even if that means the community’s response is less than respectful.

“I’ve had people spray paint dicks on my work. I think it’s hilarious!” Towles has an unusually forgiving attitude toward these disruptive voices, but it’s of a piece with the attitude he strives for every day.

“I try to wake up every morning with two mindsets: Be positive. And don’t be a dick.”

Development firm Tower Companies approached Towles to create a piece for The Pearl, a new 14-story apartment building in Silver Spring, in the hopes that his art would help the new site engage with the community. While the artist created a light projection for Georgetown GLOW in 2015, such work is still out of the ordinary for him, but that’s a feature, not a bug. “I like to be able to expand out of my comfort zone,” Towles says, “I think that’s the best thing about being an artist. There are no boundaries for me.”

“Light the Way” is Towles’ interpretation of a meditation labyrinth, with illuminated, ankle-high inflatable walls marking out a short path to what at Saturday night’s launch party was a gathering of trees. With this week’s high winds magnifying the site’s tendency to become a wind tunnel, the trees won’t stay, but what’s left is an inviting beacon just south of the Silver Spring Metro.

On foot, as one approaches the installation from a shopping mall anchored by a grocery store and a 24-hour pharmacy, the lighted maze and shiny new apartment building calls out to the curious art patron. The path of Light the Way is not an arduous one, but it requires stepping back from the mundane and profound concerns of the world and taking a moment to reflect.

It’s a far cry from street art that, as Towles told an interviewer a few years ago, came from being a pissed-off kid. What brought about this change?

“My wife!” Describing his own working method as one of “creative chaos,” Towles explains that his wife is, on the other hand, very organized. “Our life is on a super militant schedule,” which has led to the artist becoming more focused and productive.

The birth of his son five years ago brought even further clarity. “I hadn’t had a solo show in five years. As soon as he was born, my focus became so sharp I knew exactly what I wanted to do, exactly what I wanted to paint.”

While Towles’ previous work impresses the viewer from a distance, Light the Way invites us to engage directly with the work, with the maze as a guide along a path that is ultimately our own. The simple labyrinth may help us find the focus that the artist has found, despite long odds.

“I came from a broken home. I can’t change those facts. What I can try to do is make my self happy, make my family happy, and help other people. I may not be an outreach program, but if I can make people smile, that would be awesome.”

Light the Way will be on display from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through February 20 in front of The Pearl, 180 High Park Lane, Silver Spring. Free.