I was recently commissioned by the City of Florence, Alabama, to create a 346′ long mural to brighten up their downtown area. To give Florence a fresh new look, I wanted to create a zestful mural that reflects the beauty and vibrancy of life in The Shoals.
The Flourishing Florence mural is much more of a traditional still life than my other art, but still dynamic and varied. Kudzu is creeping in from the far left and right sides, growing around the piles of ripe fruit and magnolia flowers towards the middle of the block. All the elements are local to the northwest Alabama area.
It took several weeks and many gallons of paint to create this piece because it’s nearly as long as a football field!
To lay down paint as quickly as possible, I first filled in large blocks of color with Montana Gold spray paint. Then the black background was applied, which also helped to touch the sides of the brightly colored fruit and plant life. Finally, details were added with Sherwin Williams Emerald exterior latex paint and brushes.
It was a long, hot experience but the community in Florence, Alabama, was wonderful. I met a few other artists including a new friend who recently moved to Florence, musician and photographer Simon Eli Milliman. He took all these wonderful photos of me! If you need a photographer in The Shoals area, be sure to contact him.
I want to send a special thank you to my mom, Tina, who assisted me for the first 5 days as well as my friend, Susan, who assisted me during weeks two and three!