An intricate work of art adorns the new Dallas County Government Building

Mesquite, Texas – Intricate tiny details that show unity in diversity form a huge work of art inside Dallas Countythe newest government building.

“We looked long and hard for someone who could deliver that message,” said Commissioner John Wiley Price.

The simplistic yet bold piece spans three panels, each 18 feet tall.

Installation alone was a major undertaking.

The new Dallas County Mesquite Government Center is a $38 million building on Gallaway Avenue. It will serve as a connector for citizens, county services, etc.

“The art that’s in this building, the public sector has a right not to see what we call silly buildings,” Commissioner Price said.

And here comes Latrice Sheriff with an art form she calls “stroke art.”

“I’m just grateful that my artwork was worthy enough to be thought of in an institution like this,” Sheriff said.

But the wife, mother, artist and entrepreneur from Grand Prairie has never done anything of this magnitude.

“No, it’s definitely the first,” she said.

The sheriff said she had no vision when she started.

“I knew I had to create a culturally diverse piece with that kind of space, so I just put the music on and freestyle the whole time. There was no previous painting on the canvas. I just went to and got to work,” she said.

Meeting tight deadlines meant that Sheriff had to take time away from family and everything else.

“I had to completely fix myself. I was even starving during this time. I had to mentally focus to knock it out,” she said. “Every day I practiced for two or three hours, taking a break, taking breaks. I even went so far as to freeze my hands through the process because it was so detailed. I was gripped by convulsions. My hands were cramping.”

Just three weeks later, her masterpiece, titled The Essence of Human Life, now hangs in the main lobby of the new building.

“And I think that’s what we’re trying to get at, is exactly what she expressed in art,” Price said.

“It’s a very emotional moment for me, because most artists dream of having their work in a public place,” Sherif said.