The side of Maricopa Wells Middle School is purring with pride as the school’s mascot, the panther, is painted in a massive mid-attack.

Midway through painting this morning, the imagination had to fill the center of the panther. The black and blue outlines are visible, a foundation for the detail work happening today.

It’s a process undertaken by Senita artist Veronika Leshchinskaya. 

Sporting a paint-speckled t-shirt and a steady hand, Leshchinskaya, who goes by “Pieces by Nika” on Instagram, has spent the last six days perched high above the ground, stenciling and carefully painting the panther’s body, eyes and shadow.  

“I usually paint canvases,” she admitted, “but then I started doing electrical boxes, like the one by Butterfield Elementary, and it kind of spiraled from there. Now I’m up here doing whole walls.” 

There is a lot of planning that goes into such a large project. Leshchinskaya maps everything digitally using Procreate, a design app she likens to “paint by numbers with math.” Before her brush touches brick, she photographs the wall, counts and measures the bricks, and carefully lays out each section.  

While some mural artists use projectors, she prefers this method.  

“They distort too much,” she explained. “This way, I know exactly where every line goes.” 

Like most art projects, the panther’s eyes are the toughest part, she said.  

“The face and the eyes are the most detailed,” she said. “But honestly, making sure all the parts connect correctly, that’s the real challenge.” 

This is not the first time the Ukraine native has painted a panther for Maricopa Wells. In 2023, she was paid $2,400 to paint the school’s mascot on the gymnasium and the exterior of the 6th-grade wall. It was enough to impress the school leadership, who signed a $4,700 contract for this panther in mid-May. 

“Starting a new path in my career with doing large scale murals,” Leshchinskaya wrote on her Instagram page about the gymnasium painting. “Heights are not my favorite thing, so to be up 14 feet definitely had me a little nervous.” 

That gymnasium project took three 10-hour days.  

Here, she is on day six of this markedly larger undertaking. She starts at 7 a.m. so she can work in the shade. What was a fear of heights two years ago seems to have been conquered. Leshchinskaya works 25 feet off the ground on a scissor lift to reach the top of the mural. 

As long as her cell phone’s storage holds, she is documenting the progress, time lapsing as much as she can. By the end of today, she said she hopes to have most of the details filled in, with just touchups and cleanups left for the rest of the week.  

“I love big projects,” she said. “It’s a passion of mine.” 

She paints quietly and meticulously, listening to the fantasy audiobook The Way of Kings. Even though school is out, she’ll happily pause to answer questions for curious students. 

“I love talking to kids,” she said. “Some of them come back every day to see what’s new. That’s the best part, watching them get inspired.” 

As Maricopa fills with public art, Leshchinskaya rejoices. Public art doesn’t just decorate, it helps define a community’s identity, she said. 

“Blank walls are fine,” she said, “but murals create inspiration. They reflect who we are, our own Maricopa culture. Every piece out there, even the electrical boxes, shows a different style. It means we’re full of creativity, and we’re not hiding it.” 

As for her signature? She may sneak it in on the panther’s tail. 

“I think [Maricopa Wells Principal Thad] Miller wants me to sign it,” she laughed. “I’ll find a spot.”