Luminous Lane ArtWalk

In this portrait, artist Sydney Duarte honors spiritual and political leader Benki Piyako. Piyako’s healing work in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil is a source of inspiration and light for this artist. Notice the bright star that Piyako sends shooting from his hand into Luminous Lane. Also note the realism in the face where Duarte expertly renders highlights and shadows to create form. 

    No one quite does hyper-realism like the internationally known artist Jeks. Jeks paints smooth visual texture in the cheeks, individual strands of hair falling softly around the child’s face, and eyes so real you’d swear it was a photograph. And he does this with cans of spray paint. Jeks paints his nephew as a nod to the light in all children.

   Graffiti artist and muralist Joey Obso brings us the SUN! Rising right below some traditional bubble style lettering spelling out Luminous Lane, the sun anchors this large section of the building. Can you find the artist’s name in graffiti? Obso is known for his fanciful, detailed, and stylized lettering. Also find one of his characters in a classic graffiti combination of lettering and characters. 

    The Primed N Ready artistic team created “Char LIT” on a very difficult section of wall. With a delicate touch and soft shading, the artists paint a landscape of the Charlotte skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fireflies remind us that no matter how small we are, we each can shine brightly. In a fun twist, notice the industrial buildings with the graffiti on the walls.  

    Swych19 (real name unknown…because well, he’s a graffiti artist) paints up above on one of the upper panels of the parking garage. One of Charlotte’s OG and well-known street artists, Swych19 loves fun, expressive characters. This character holds a pencil, a basic drawing media, which symbolizes creativity. Be creative and it will bring you light! Notice the traditional use of bold outline on his character, a very street artsy choice. 

    John Hairston is a kid at heart and a kid that loves comics. And also a big-time professor of art at Winthrop University. His character, Jagolactus, is inspired by the Marvel Comics series and symbolizes the inner child in all of us not afraid to use their imagination and be creative. Look carefully at the toy he flies…it’s the Silver Surfer, a Marvel Comics superhero.

    Erik Woodall paints a portrait of singer, song-writer Natalie Carr, a Charlotte-based emerging musical talent. The swirls of abstract color and bright white light bring energy and creativity to this mural. Woodall had a difficult wall to work with given the recessed spaces. Consider how the artist uses the strong portrait on the left and the bold use of white on the right side to create balance. 

    Mitzi Patton celebrates the Day of the Dead in her small but colorful  mural in the most unlikely of places. Candles, masks, flowers, flags, all are meant to celebrate the joy and light of our ancestors. Oh, and do you see what she did with the concrete post? She made it part of her art installation by turning it into a candle! Bravo!

    It’s Kiki the cat. A personal symbol and icon for the artist Jason Parker, Kiki looks out over the alley and brings a rainbow of color to a hidden crevice of the alley. Bold black outlines frame the kitty, and the symmetry draws us in closer. What’s your personal mascot or do you need to adopt Kiki? Follow the dripping paint all the way down the stairs until it spills out on the alley.