Special to the Telegraph
In a world that often feels divided, a man named Paul Wislotski is quietly driving across America with a simple but powerful mission: to bring people together through collective art and the love of Jesus.
You’ll spot him by his thirty-foot 1990 Southwind RV, affectionately named Lorraine. With faded paint and character in every creak, Lorraine is more than just a vehicle — she’s a rolling canvas and sanctuary for community connection. Paul bought her for just $800, but the message he’s delivering from town to town is priceless.
His most recent stop? Starke, Florida — a place he’d never visited before but felt called to after spotting it on the map. “I came up from Brooksville and took 301 and said ‘well, this looks like a good spot to set up,’” he said.
He stayed for three days, parking Lorraine in a visible area and opening his doors — and his heart — to anyone willing to pick up a paint pen. There’s only one rule when it comes to contributing to the artwork: no words. From there, anything goes.
Some folks painted their own creations, others added onto existing art, creating a vibrant tapestry of shared imagination. On this stop, Iyona Miller painted a horse. Domanic Rieves, Ronnie Shetler, and Joseph Shetler also added their own artistic touch to the growing collective.
Paul provides all the materials — mostly oil pastels and paint pens — completely free of charge.
“People are having a good time and hopefully they take this idea home and do it with their families for the birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays,” he said. “Put a bedsheet out on the table and say, ‘come on everybody, let’s have some fun.’”
It’s not about skill, he says. It’s about spirit. And it’s about children too.
“It’s a great way for the young people, because the little children are learning their imagination from the world, and that’s not a good thing,” Paul explained. “They need to know that their imagination means something. That their little handprints on a collective art piece are going to go to a town to bring them hope, to bring them joy.”
That’s the heart of Paul’s journey: hope and joy. He’s been doing this kind of collective art ministry for 30 years, inspired by a calling he received back 26 years ago.
“Back in 1999, God put in my heart to hitchhike to all state capitals,” he recalls.
Since then, his travels have taken many forms, but the message has stayed the same. “I figured it’s a great way to share Jesus,” Paul says. “I’m going to put a soft seed into their hearts. I’m going to let them know about Jesus, and then the Holy Spirit takes over.”
He’s not trying to convert strangers with loud preaching or forceful messages. Instead, he offers connection. A brushstroke. A conversation. A shared moment of creativity. “God’s a great imagineer,” Paul says. “Look what he imagined and look what we got.”
Next, Paul’s heading west toward the Rockies, continuing his mission of creative fellowship in towns he’s never seen, meeting people he’ll never forget. He’s especially passionate about bringing his collective art idea to churches and communities in need.
“Pick out a town that is suffering. It might be a town that was hit by a tornado,” he says. “There are going to be towns that need to know that people are thinking about them. That people care.”
The beauty of his approach is its simplicity. Paul doesn’t ask for anything in return — no payment, no praise. Just a willingness to come together.
“If the kids do it, the rest of the world will follow,” he said with a grin.
Through every stop, Paul’s journey is not just about paint and RV miles. It’s about planting seeds of imagination and faith in unexpected places. His joy comes from watching people laugh, create, and remember what it feels like to belong.
As he pulls out of Starke and sets his sights on the Rocky Mountains, Lorraine once again becomes a vessel for a higher purpose. It’s not the destination that matters to Paul — it’s the people, the art, and the Spirit that guides it all.
To learn more about Paul’s mission or support his travels, you can find him on Facebook at Pauls Innerprizes or send a donation through Venmo at Paul-wislotski.
In a culture filled with noise, Paul Wislotski and Lorraine offer something quietly profound — a reminder that a little bit of paint, a little bit of heart, and a whole lot of Jesus can bring people together in ways that words never could.
