See in Parking Lot
Title: “Scorpio”
Location: 1300 Central Avenue
Artist: Senkoe
Date: 2023
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @senkowone
Story: Our Charlotte mural festival, Talking Walls, sponsored this mural at Moo & Brew. Talking Walls is an annual mural festival bringing regional, national, and international artists to Charlotte for one week to paint murals and beautify our city. Senkoe is a Mexican artist that works internationally. His work explores identity and is grounded in his study of graphics, mysticism, and culture.
Key Formal Elements:
- Asymmetrical Balance
- Organic shapes
Make the Connection:
Scorpions are full of symbolic meanings, and you can get lost down a rabbit hole with that query. Perhaps here the artist is exploring some of those meanings but also delighting in playing with the fun graphics which make this scorpion less threatening.
FUN FACT: Both butterflies and scorpions have a skeleton on the exterior of their body.
See in Parking Lot
Title: La muerte chiquita
Location: 1300 Central Avenue
Artists: Senkoe and Arko
Date: 2023
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @senkowone, @arkoclt
Story: This was the second wall sponsored by Talking Walls and it was really planned but makes a great addition. Talking Walls is an annual mural festival bringing regional, national, and international artists to Charlotte for one week to paint murals and beautify our city. Senkoe is a Mexican artist that works internationally. His work explores identity and is grounded in his study of graphics, mysticism, and culture. Arko is a local artist, founder of Talking Walls and the tow artists collaborated on this mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Large positive shape
- Repetition of half-moons and triangles at the top and bottom
Make the Connection:
When Senkoe finished up his mural a couple of days early, it made sense to paint another mural. Local artist Arko stepped in for the collab and there are elements of both artist’s styles to explore. Arko added his distinctive border design and his Xs in the center. The skull, a symbol of death, often also connects to the power of life and here the beauty of the birds, patterns, colors, and graphics all create a dynamic composition.
See in Parking Lot
Location: 1300 Central Avenue
Artist: Tucker Sward
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @t.v.c.k
Story: Local artist Tucker Sward painted this mural for Talking Walls 2019. Sward, who studied at UNCC and apprenticed with muralists duo Matt Hooker and Matt Moore, is also a tattoo artist. His recent works include murals at Camp North End and Myers Park Baptist Church.
Key Formal Elements:
- Asymmetrical Balance
- Focal point of the white sphere
Make the Connection:
Sward suggests a sense of wonder and discovery with this portrait of his sister staring intently at a white ball of light mysteriously escaping her hand. Use of a black and white value scale contrasted with the unusual colors may suggest two realities. Perhaps the white sphere symbolizes the blank canvas of an artist or the blank canvas of our lives. The colorful bolts could be a metaphor for imagination.
See in Parking Lot
Title: Mood & Brew Door Mural
Location: 1300 Central Avenue
Artists: Mike Wirth and Alex DeLarge
Date: Unknown
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info:@mikewirthart, @alxdlrg
Story: It’s important to showcase local businesses that support the mural arts and Moo & Brew has been an early believer in bringing artists into the public realm. In fact look around and you will see murals on a lot of surfaces near their business including this trash enclosure. Thank you Moo & Brew!
Key Formal Elements:
- Outline and contour line in the cow skeleton
Make the Connection:
Well this one is kinda obvious… the composition connects in a literal way to the restaurant, Moo & Brew. It’s an old mural and no information was really available about the date but these two artists were active with muraling around the 2016 – 2017 time period. You can barely see their Instagram tags on the tight. Both have gone on to do entirely different artwork.
Walk 1/2 block along Central towards uptown
Title: Former Queen City Pie Building
Location: 1212 Central Avenue
Architect: Martin E. Boyer (1893-1970)
Date: 1946
Media: Brick
Story: With its streamlined and rounded corners, the former Queen City Pie building represents the Art Moderne or Art Deco style. Architect Martin Boyer was known for designing large homes for the posh early neighborhoods of Charlotte like Myers Park and Dilworth. His measured drawings of the historic U.S. Mint building allowed it to be rebuilt when it was dismantled and reinstalled to become the Mint Museum.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance
- Organic lines of the corners
Make the Connection:
Do you like architecture and history? Check out the website by historian Tom Hanchett www.historysouth.org. He has created several history walking tours for different areas in town including two for the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood.
Turn left down Oaklawn
Location: 1000 Central Avenue, down the side street of Oaklawn
Artist: Matt Hooker and Matt Moore
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff
Story: Well the mural legends, Matt Hooker and Matt Moore are at it again. You really just do not know where they will pop up next but Plaza Midwood is always a good guess. Some of their most iconic work is in this neighborhood. All the credit to these two mural artists on the scene in Charlotte for forging the way with their early work in 2016 – 2017. You can find their work in uptown, South End, NoDa, Elizabeth, and Plaza-Midwood on all of our artwalks.
Key Formal Elements:
- Use of a value scale for the portraits
- Warm and cool colors on each side of the horizontal line of the helix
Make the Connection:
Commissioned by the Gibson apartments, this mural makes an important connection to the history of this place. The former Reflections Sound Studio stood on this site at the corner of Central and Louise and was an important recording studio up until 2014 when the founder retired. This mural honors the artists that recorded at the studio and includes the J. Cole, influential rapper, and Mary J. Blige, American singer and songwriter portraits which are accessible to see outside of the privacy fence.
Continue on Central toward uptown
Title: "Community/Love/Equality"
Location: 920 Central Avenue
Artist: Gil Croy
Date: 2012
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @gilcroy
Story: The White Rabbit is an LGBTQ bookstore and office of Q-Notes, the longest running gay and lesbian newspaper in the Southeast. The artist, Gil Croy, worked with volunteers to paint all three sides of the building.
Key Formal Elements:
- Visible color spectrum
- Variety
Make the Connection:
Painted in the six Pride colors, the entire building is a celebration of all things Pride. One of the portraits included is a tribute to fellow artist Carlena Person who died tragically around the time the mural was being planned. Person created a well-known mural at the former Charlotte Art League in South End that was torn down in 2019.
Cross Central to 7th Sin Tattoo
Location: 927 Central Avenue
Artists: Alex DeLarge, Dustin Moates, Southern Tiger Collective
Date: 2018
Media: Acrylic paint
Artists Info: @alxdlrg, @dstnmts, @southerntigercollective
Story: Both Alex DeLarge and Dustin Moates are artists in the Charlotte mural scene. DeLarge was one of the original founders of the TalkingWalls Mural Festival in 2018 and DeLarge and Moates founded the Southern Tiger Collective, a cooperative group of local artists supporting our street art scene.
Key Formal Elements:
- Contour lines in the face
- Asymmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
Marvel Comics fan? Why yes. If so maybe you recognize Thanos, the villain from Avengers Infinity War. Thanos wears the metal glove called the Infinity Gauntlet with the different Infinity stones in it. If he collects all of the stones, he has the power to rule the galaxy. Cool.
Walk next door to Two Scoops Creamery
Location: 913 Central Avenue
Artist: Alex DeLarge
Date: 2016
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @alxdlrg
Story: Notice the date on this one. 2016 is pretty early in the mural world of Charlotte so a big shout out to local business Two Scoops Creamery for commissioning a mural before it was even a thing in Charlotte. It’s great to have local businesses that are leaders in supporting the arts.
Key Formal Elements:
- Implied motion
- Visual texture of the cone
Make the Connection:
You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream and that is pretty much the same thing.
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.
Life is like an ice cream, enjoy it before it melts.
Enough said.
Middle Mural at Two Scoops Creamery
Location: 913 Central Avenue
Artist: Nony
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @nony_clt
Story: Newcomer at the time Nony was inspired watching artists of the Battle Walls mural competition during the summer of 2019. He bought cans of spray paint at WalMart and studied You Tube videos to learn spray painting. With an upgrade to Cheap Joe’s spray cans and many hours spent in his garage perfecting his craft, Nony is ready for the Charlotte art scene! This is his second mural in Charlotte.
Key Formal Elements:
- Highlights
- Symmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
Only days after the shooting of George Floyd, Nony knew he needed to use his talent to do something. After reaching out to a mentor, he had a wall! Donating his time, Nony worked to create a mural showing unity with the interlocking black and white hands. We need more Nony.
Far Left Mural at Two Scoops
Title: “Do the Things that Light you up”
Location: 913 Central Avenue
Artist: Duarte Designs
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @duarte_designs
Story: This is the first mural for mother and daughter artist team Duarte Designs! For daughter Sydney, a dream of leaving the corporate world to pursue making art was happening. Eating ice cream and talking with the owner of the store, 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. Dreams do come true!
Key Formal Elements:
- Limited palette of colors
- Grey-scale figure
Make the Connection:
As a contrast to the original, colorful ice cream cone at the far right, the artists rely on a grey-scale self-portrait of Sydney and a limited palette. The artists wish for viewers to not see color, or preconceived ideas when they look at the mural. In that way, viewers are more easily able to see themselves in the image. The Duarte team spreads messages of hope and positivity with the quotes and want many to relate to their message.
On the side of freezer at back of building
Location: 913 Central Avenue
Artist: Nony
Date: 2021
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @nony_clt
Story: Shout out to business owners that support artists! At this one intersection, you can see seven separate murals with a few more coming and all of them because business owners got an artist involved. Here Two Scoops Creamery brings back Nony to complete a mural at the back of their building. Nony started mural painting back in the summer of 2020 and now has recent commissions in Camp North End and uptown.
Key Formal Elements:
- Symmetrical balance
- Mostly cool colors in the upper part of the composition
Make the Connection:
There are a lot of skylines in Charlotte murals. But a rainbow-colored tie dye skyline is a new and fun take on such an iconic mural element. As an artist, Nony often brings an element of social justice or just elevating unseen voices to his work. With this skyline celebrating the creativity and diversity of the city, message sent!
Go back to intersection, go to other side of 7th Sin Tattoo
Location: 927 Central Avenue
Artist: Jeks
Date: 2018
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @jeks_nc
Story: Greensboro-based Jeks painted this mural for Talking Walls 2018, the city-wide mural festival. Jeks is a graffiti artist, street artist, and muralist known for his hyperrealist portraits.
Key Formal Elements:
- Highlights
- Visual texture
Make the Connection:
The skull is a common vanitas symbol. It also looks pretty cool. A vanitas painting has objects that are symbolic of the certainty of death and remind the viewer of the fleeting quality of our lives. But the sensuous surface quality of the skull draws us into its beauty.
Cross E. 10th, cross Louise, walk 1 block up Central
Title: Bob Marley Mural
Location: 1041 Central Avenue
Artist: Alex DeLarge
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@alxdlrg
Story: Take a peek down the side wall of the One Love Smoke Shop to see the portrait of Bob Marley. Artist DeLarge was one of the original founders of the Talking Walls Mural Festival in 2018 and he co-founded the Southern Tiger Collective, a cooperative group of local artists supporting our street art scene. This is the third mural by this artist on this artwalk if you are keeping count!
Key Formal Elements:
- Grey-scale portrait
- Implied motion
Make the Connection:
Marley, the Jamaican singer and musician and pioneer of reggae music smokes, well something. You can figure that one out.
Continue to 1101 Central Ave
Title: “Regal Rumble”
Location: 1101 Central Avenue at Refuge Hotel
Artist: Dorian Williams
Date: 2021
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @_fauxcus
Story: This mural is sponsored by Brand the Moth and their META Mural Artists Residency Program. Brand the Moth is a non-profit organization creating community-based public art projects and supporting emerging artists with their META residency opportunity. Dorian Williams is an illustrator, painter, and muralist and he was part of the 2021 META program.
Key Formal Elements:
- Visual texture of the tiger fur
- Symmetrical balance with a tiger on each end
Make the Connection
Drawing inspiration from the site location here at Refuge which is an innovative, boutique hotel, Williams celebrates individuality and creativity. The tiger, sort of a spirit animal for the artist, grounds the mural and creates the portal through which all of the quirky and individual characters emerge in the center of the mural. The artist imagines the tiger as a metaphor for the pandemic which brought change, emotion, and creativity.
Continue to 1111 Central Ave
Title: Haylo Healing Arts Lounge
Location: 1111 Central Avenue
Artist: Catherine Courtlandt
Date: 2017
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@spiritworksstudio
Story: To celebrate the 2nd year anniversary of the Haylo Healing Arts Lounge, Catherine Courtlandt, an artist at the studio, painted this mural down the wall of the staircase leading to the door of the business. Courtlandt’s art as a tattoo artist features flowing goddesses, mandalas and intricate compositions, much like this mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Warm colors of reds, oranges, and yellows with cool blue accents
- Variety of positive and negative shapes, lines, and colors
Make the Connection
This hidden, almost secret mural literally flows down the staircase with colors, symbols, and text. Mandalas, lotus flowers, Buddhas, and a fire goddess show you the pathway to healing. Courtlandt paints many layers and lines in this explosion of color and imagery. Take a minute to spot messages of love and find one element in the mural that you would like to meditate on for a minute.
"Worth the Walk" Head down Hawthorne, past RR
Location: 1041 Hawthorne Lane
Artist: John Hairston Jr., Brian Hester
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info:@john_hairston_jr, @bhester.hookedflycompany
Story: Artist John Hairston, Jr., grew up drawing superheroes, comics, and cartoons. His Instagram name is a combination of his name and Galactus, a Marvel supervillain. Hairston is a professor of illustration at UNCC. Brian Hester likes to paint fish. His passion for fly fishing and nature originates from growing up in the mountains of North Carolina. Hester is a visual arts instructor at a local high school in Charlotte and Hairston was his student. How cool is that collaboration!
Key Formal Elements:
- Scale
- Cool colors of mountains on left, warm colors on right
Make the Connection
Located on the side wall of the Claiborne Prosthetics and Orthotics building, this mural paints possibility. From mountains to sea, various figures with prosthetics participate in fishing, hiking, golf, and other activities. Clay Clairborne, business owner, says of the mural, “I figured it was time to put something together that was a little more positive.” Thank you, Mr. Claiborne.
Walk to Thirsty Beaver
Title: Thirsty Beaver Mural
Location: 1225 Central Avenue
Artist: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Media: Acrylic paint
Story: This is such a Charlotte story. Here’s the headline, “Dive bar beloved by locals refuses to sell out to generic apartment building developer.” This single story, small, unadorned building may look out of place surrounded by the taller new apartment building, but it is just where it needs to be.
Key Formal Elements:
- Positive shape of the beaver
Make the Connection
Well, this is pretty obvious. But spend a minute honoring the sense of rebellion of the business owners in a city that does not entirely honor its history.
Fun Fact: Mick Jagger stopped here for a beer during the last Rolling Stones tour and stood unnoticed by the rest of the patrons. Made the national news…