Adventures in Oversized Public Art

I am a muralist. I was a graphic designer for most of my nearly 30 year career, and still am, but since 2015 I’ve painted over thirty large public works of art in Arkansas. Through this document I want to introduce you to the creative work I have engaged in over the last 8 years. Mural painting is a powerful ways to connect a community to art, and with every mural that I create I focus on how those connections should manifest. Just the process of painting in public engages the community in a very direct way. People walk up, converse, and ask questions about the artwork. They will drive by, honk, and give a thumbs up (which I refer to as a LIVE Instagram like.) Parents will bring their children to watch, and I even let them paint sometimes. The mural installation is an event that let’s the community feel a part of the artwork that is displayed in the places that they live. My goal with each mural is to carefully and thoughtfully connect the visual content to it’s location.

Giving a Voice

I take every opportunity to represent under served and minority communities through my work. I have worked with The Confess Project in Little Rock which is a national program that uses community barber training to address mental health issues for Black men. I painted a mural for the project that features portraits of two towering figures in mental health, Doctors Francis Sumner and Joseph White. These two are re-imagined as a barber and patron engaging in the time honored tradition of making conversation during a trim. The mural tied directly to the mission of The Confess Project, encouraging Black men to engage in conversations about mental health within the framework of the community barbershop.

I designed a mural for Read This! which is a university sponsored program that creates an opportunity for students and the surrounding community to all read the same book together. There are lectures, contests, and other enriching and educational events that culminate with a presentation by the author of the chosen book. In 2022 the book Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann was chosen and along with that I painted a mural in the writing center on campus titled The Written Word Remains. I worked closely and with the blessing of representatives from the Osage Nation to create a mural design that featured one of the first uses of the Osage written language in a large public artwork.

I’ve also created a work for the Community Clearing House children’s backpack program which feeds hundreds of children in our local community every month. The center of their operation is a large room where volunteers gather to pack food and other necessary items into backpacks for distribution. The room had a rather drab wall that served as their default backdrop for photo ops with donors. I painted a work called No Child Should Ever Go Hungry that gave a vibrantly colorful lift to the space that now carries their message to the community with every photo they take in front of it.

I had the opportunity to create a mural for a music venue in Fort Smith. Since the locale hosted many musical acts throughout the year I began a search for a mural design that would connect to Fort Smith’s musical history. I am not a Fort Smith native and wasn’t sure what to expect, thinking I might discover some musical celebrity of some level hailing from this Arkansas city. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a true musical pioneer by the name of Alphonso Trent. Trent was one of the first Black orchestra leaders that traveled widely in the United States leading an all Black orchestra called the Southwest Territory Band. Trent paved the way for acts like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. It is recorded that Alphonso Trent and his orchestra, though a well traveled and popular band, were never allowed to even stay in the hotels that they frequently played. He was a true pioneer worthy of immortalization on the walls of this pioneer town.

Art that Enhances Quality of Place

In every mural I create I am always looking for opportunities to feature visuals that inform, enrich, inspire, and delight the viewer. I do not limit myself to a single subject matter and try to allow history, purpose, place, and community connection to be the guides in every concept.

Mural design and painting has given me a fresh creative outlet to make art that is full of expression with strong ties to the places it inhabits. It has expanded the scope of what I thought I was capable of creatively and given me confidence in my own ability. I am proud of what the work has done for my community and region. People simply love it, and that makes me love it even more. I am continually amazed at the impact art can make on both individuals and communities and I hope to be a part of that for as long as I can hold a brush.

Start Your Public Art Adventure!

Ultimately this experience has really turned me on to creating oversized public art. Murals can really enhance your space, indoors or out, They can attract customers, or make a statement. If you would like a mural, feel free to contact me. We can discuss the process, fees, and supplies. You can be on your way to becoming the talk of the town, in a good way.

START A MURAL PROJECT