Lovers Art Trail
Take your valentine on a Lovers Art Trail and celebrate local art and artists with heart and love-themed art. The Trail features ten artworks in South End, Third Ward, NoDa and Plaza-Midwood. At each stop, you’ll learn about the artist, artwork, and a special “love connection” fun fact about love or Valentine’s Day.
Start at "Confetti Hearts Wall"
Title: “Confetti Hearts Wall”
Location: 1920 Camden Rd down the alley
Artist: Evelyn Henson
Date: 2018
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @evelyn_henson
Story: Commissioned by real estate development firm Asana Partners, artist Evelyn Henson captures our hearts with her “painting happy art to brighten your day.” In her first public art project, Henson makes a bold transition from her brightly colored more intimate scaled studio art to enter the realm of large 40-square-foot, Instagram-able public murals.
Key Formal Elements:
- Repetition of hearts
- Polychromatic color scheme
Love Connection:
Does this make you think of the tiny little hearts we share on Valentine’s Day? Conversation hearts, the heart-shaped candies called Sweethearts, were first produced in 1901. They were made by NECCO (New England Confectionary Company) and started out as medical lozenges, then added sayings, and eventually were produced in a heart shape. Annually the company produces 8 billion hearts!
While you are standing in front of the mural, scan the QR code on the plaque to the right with your phone to hear the story behind the mural.
East/West Station, walk to 227 East Blvd
Title: “There is no disruption without change and love”
Location: 227 East Blvd at Revolution Clothiers
Artists: Kent Youngstrom with @chdwckart and @theworthitapproach
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artists Info: @kentyoungstrom, @chdwckart, @theworthitapproach
Story: Kent Youngstrom worked with artists @chwckart and @theworthitapproach to create several episodes of love scattered around Revolution Clothiers, a men’s and women’s fashion boutique. Little surprises of love appear on the front column and side entrance, with the main mural on the back wall of the building. Simple text-based art with a message offers small, intimate places of expression with an outpouring of love in the large mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited color palette of black and white
- Repetition
Love Connection:
Here are some famous love quotes from movies:
"I wish I knew how to quit you." from Brokeback Mountain
"You had me at hello." from Jerry McGuire
"As you wish" from Princess Bride
Do you have your own favorite?
East/West Station, Rail Trail to Tremont, to 340 W. Tremont
Title: “Amour”
Location: 340 W. Tremont at Spenga
Artist: Kyle Mosher
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @thekylemosher
Story: Fine artist, gallery artist and street artist, Kyle Mosher’s work is all around Charlotte. But especially South End, where he completed an artist-in-residence program at the Three 30 Five Apartments. As part of his residency, Mosher created over a dozen exterior and interior murals throughout the complex. Turn around and look at the corner of the building right behind you to see “Hand of Light.”
Mosher’s aesthetic is rooted in his study of illustration, Cubism, his collage and cut paper style with some classical figures thrown in as well. Here, bold dynamic shapes create movement and lines create volume in his figures. Look carefully for the word “love” in different languages at the far left in the background.
Key Formal Elements:
- Positive shapes of the figures
- Hatching lines in the arm area
Love Connection:
Love and Cupid. Cupid? The Greek god of love was named Eros, and it was believed that he had the power to make people fall in love. Romans adopted the figure of Eros but renamed him Cupid and made him a cute little boy with a bow and arrow. And kept the ability to make people fall in love!
Head to Third Ward
Location: 821 W. 1st Street at Community Matters Cafe
Artist: Matthew Clayburn
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@matthewclayburn
Story: The Community Matters Café helps the recovery program graduates of the Charlotte Rescue Mission learn skills and creates opportunities to help them thrive. According to the artist, the heart is his logo and it is a portal that can turn anything into love. Here it symbolizes the transformation offered by the Charlotte Rescue Mission to its residents. Matthew Clayburn is a Charlotte-based artist with a love of basketball and art. Maybe you’ve seen some of his art featured on the brands like Converse All Stars, Converse Hoops, and Curry Brand.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited color palette of black, white, and red
- Positive shape of the large heart is focal point
Love Connection:
The heart symbol was used first to denote love during the Middle Ages around 1250 in a French manuscript. A forlorn prince in prison sent a love manuscript to his beloved with a shape resembling the iconic heart symbol. Before that, the heart represented different foliage and plants with a similar leaf shape.
At the W. First St Side
Location: 821 W. First Street
Artists: WeCraftCLT
Date: 2021
Media: Fiber arts
Artist Info: @wecraftclt
Story: As part of the Lovers Art Trail, ArtWalksCLT partnered with WeCraftCLT for an interactive fiber art piece at the Community Matters Café. WeCraftCLT community members and fiber artists from out of town, made flowers of all kinds of colors and variety. The flowers were strung together on a background to create the main part of the flower garland. Visitors to the café wrote messages on felt hearts which were then incorporated into the flower garland.
Key Formal Elements:
- Texture of the yarn
- Variety of colors and shapes
Love Connection:
For this fun project, the idea of community and connection is key. All of the different flowers coming together to create a beautiful, unified piece of art represents our community that is built on the common thread of love. The large heart of Matthew Clayburn’s mural with delicate, intertwining lines connecting to other hearts suggests it all starts with love.
Head to 7th Street Station
Location: 224 E. 7th Street
Artists: KiiK Create, Garrison Gist, Eulises Ore, Tim Parati, Sana Nisar, Amber Thompson
Date: 2021, on display through March 15
Media: Acrylic paint on plywood
Artists Info: @kiikcreate, @2gzandcountin, @euuuuuli, @timparati, @henna_by_sana, @amberthompson_art
Story: February is THE month of LOVE so take in this new project if you are in uptown. A quick and easy stop at the 7th Street Station and you will find six larger-than-life, love-themed postcards. This is a project by Charlotte is Creative and Charlotte Center City Partners. If you are taking the light rail between South End and NoDa for the Lovers Art Trail, this makes a perfect stop.
Key Formal Elements:
- Heavy use of outline in the Garrison Gist Pop Art inspired card
- Cool colors of blue and green dominate in the Tim Parati card
Make the Connection:
Note all the different styles of art in these expressions of Charlotte love. Sana Nisar’s use of the traditional technique of henna is inspiring. Check out all of the different renditions of skylines in half of the postcards. There will always be skylines!
Plaza-Midwood at 913 Central Ave
Title: “Do the Things that Light you up”
Location: 913 Central Avenue
Artist: Duarte Designs
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @duartedesigns
Story: This is the first mural for mother and daughter artist team Duarte Designs. Daughter Sydney dreamed of leaving the corporate world to make art. As she talked with the owner of Two Scoops, she described an idea for bringing her artistic vision to their wall, and a project began. Only a few months later, the artists received a commission for a large wall at Spirit Square, which is on our Mad About Murals Artwalk. With this mural, they hope many can relate to their message to both be the love and reflect love with the heart-shaped glasses.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited palette of colors
- Grey-scale figure
Love Connection:
Nothing spreads love like getting engaged. Nearly 6 million couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day each year! Engagement rings are often worn on the 4th finger of the left hand because the ancient Greeks maintained that the finger contains the vena amoris, or the “vein of love,” that runs straight to the heart. Ice cream is also said to connect to the heart.
At corner of Pecan and Central, behind building
Location: 1500 Central Avenue side wall and back wall on the electrical boxes
Artists: Wall Poems of Charlotte, Graham Carew, The Mural Shop
Date: 2016
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@wallpoems, @muralshop, @grahamcarew
Story: Wall Poems of Charlotte is an effort to integrate poetry into urban areas of the city. The organization has completed over a dozen installations featuring the poetry of North Carolina artists. “Love Comes Quietly” is a poem by Robert Creeley, an influential American poet associated with the Black Mountain Poets who was known for the emotions in his poetry.
Key Formal Elements:
- Notice the asymmetrical balance of the text and the mural
Love Connection:
Love conquers all.
All you need is love.
Love is love.
Love me tender.
What’s your favorite love saying?
Worth a Walk...
If you are up for a walk, walk to 904 Pecan Avenue and check out Sozo Gallery. Sozo Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that brings fresh, original artwork from local, national, and international artists to Charlotte collectors.
Stop in to see work by Herb Williams, Deborah Koo and others. www.sozogallery.com
NoDa at 36th Street light rail station
Title: “Self-Love”
Location: 416 E. 36th Street
Artist: Abel Jackson with assistance from Big Trouble Studios
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @artbyabel, @bigtroublestudios
Story: Local arts organization ArtPop Street Gallery worked with Salesforce to commission artist Abel Jackson in his largest scale mural yet (24 feet by 80 feet). He writes: “In 2017 I was inspired to work on self-love.” His advice includes listening to good music, meditation and imagining those he loves, then redirecting love to oneself. His realistic portraits of loved ones dominate the composition, and the positive messaging brings hope, kindness, and love to our world.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance
- Highlights on each of the faces
Love Connection:
Love can be complicated. For sure. Even the ancient Greek philosophers identified six different forms of love –
- Familial love·
- Friendly love·
- Romantic love·
- Self-love·
- Guest love·
- Divine love
Head to N. Davidson Street
Need a last minute Valentine's Day gift? While you are in NoDa, head to 3225 N. Davidson Street to check out the Tough A$$ Crew Gallery.
The TAC Gallery has lots of art on display from area artists and a special Valentine's Day table. Arts organizers created this space to support local artists who may not have a gallery to exhibit their work. Be sure to see the additional Poet artwork on the exterior of the shop front. And support local artists!
Explore NoDa and find this at 35th and Yadkin
Location: Corner of Yadkin and 35th Street
Artist: Poet
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint and paste up
Artist Info:@poetwastaken
Story: Los Angeles-based poet and street artist Poet combines stencils, paste ups, and text to create a type of guerilla lovefare. All in the color PINK. NoDa just had Poet take over, and three pieces were created in the central business area and a new mural at CanJam across the railroad tracks. Text in art is not a new thing. You can go back to the early twentieth century to see text in art by Picasso, and in Dada and Surrealist art. So, yeah, it’s a thing.
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited palette
- Installation
Love Connection:
Who are you sending Valentine’s cards to this year? Valentine’s Day cards - think cute valentines that are made in the 3rd grade or the fancy cards sent now - got their start in the 1840s when the first Valentine’s Day cards were mass produced. According to Hallmark, 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged every February 14.
Head back to 36th near light rail
Title: “Confetti Stripes”
Location: 424 E. 36th Street next to Jeni's
Artist: Evelyn Henson
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@evelyn_henson
Story: Charlotte artist Evelyn Henson captured our hearts with her “painting happy art to brighten your day” South End project. Now we are seeing stripes in NoDa! This mural marks her second public art project, and since both are super close to a Jeni’s Ice Cream shop perhaps art and ice cream make a great combination.
Key Formal Elements:
- Repetition
- Polychromatic color scheme
Love Connection:
One way to make someone feel loved is to give them chocolate. Works for a lot of us! The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1861 by the son of the founder of Cadbury. More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of candy are sold each year for Valentine’s Day.
Across the tracks to Can Jam
Location: 3224 Benard Avenue
Artist: Poet
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @poetwastaken
Story: Los Angeles based poet and street artist Poet came to NoDa in fall of 2020 and created a series of love language artworks. See if you can find all of them in the central business area. Here at CanJam he painted a mural. Enjoy the explosion of murals at CanJam, a community-based street art festival that draws together street artists from all over to paint the building each year.
Key Formal Elements:
- Positive shape of the letters
- Repetition of hearts
Love Connection:
Where did Valentine’s Day come from anyway? Around the 5th century a Roman Pope declared St. Valentine’s Day to be February 14. It was during the Middle Ages that the holiday became a love and romance holiday. Now, well, it’s evolved to a major retail event with Americans spending over $20 billion on gifts for the holiday. But hey, this lover’s art trail is free!