Start at 235 W. Tremont Ave
Location: 235 W. Tremont Ave
Artist: Cynthia Allison
Date: 2019
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @cici_artsyhippie
Story: Charlotte native Cynthia Allison responded to a call to artists from King of Pops to design a mural. The King of Pops Community Mural Project seeks to support new or emerging mural artists with a commission in one of the cities they have operations each year. In 2019, Charlotte was the featured city.
Key Formal Elements:
- Use of outline
- Primary colors
Make the Connection:
With a theme of happiness and community, Allison turns the popsicle into a paintbrush and dips it into flavors and flowing colors. Strawberries, oranges, and lemons feel refreshing and fun.
Walk to 335 W. Tremont, cross street to view mural
Title: “Hand in Flight”
Location: 335 W. Tremont
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.
Key Formal Elements:
- Contour lines in the hands
- Positive shapes of the hands
Make the Connection:
You can walk around this apartment building and see additional murals by the artist. You can also peek in the windows to see some of the interior ones. Ram Realty, the developers of this building, wanted to celebrate creativity of artists and allow their residents to be a part of the creative process.
Look to your left on side of Spenga building
Title: "Amour”
Location: 340 W. Tremont
Artist: Kyle Mosher
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @thekylemosher
Story: While artist Kyle Mosher’s work is all around the Three 30 Five building, he also created this mural on the side of the Spenga building. Mosher is active in the Charlotte arts community, created a letter for the BLM mural uptown, and has murals in the Optimist Park area and Plaza Midwood.
Key Formal Elements:
- Positive shapes of the figures
- Hatching lines in the arm area
Make the Connection:
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.
Walk around the front of Spenga, then left
Location: 340 W. Tremont Ave
Title: “Tell ‘em I was here”
Artist: Kyle Mosher
Date: 2021
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @thekylemosher
Story: We should just call this end of Tremont the Kyle Mosher corner. During his artist residency at the 335 Apartments, Mosher painted murals around their building. In late 2020, he completed the “Amour” mural for the Spenga building and then in spring 2021 added “Tell ‘em I was here” in front of the pizza restaurant. Mosher is a local artist bridging fine arts and street art.
Key Formal Elements:
- Grey value scale of the face
- Competing positive shapes of the figure and the triangle shapes
Make the Connection
As an artist, Mosher brings together his academic training in illustration and digital design with a Classical figure, and some collage-like elements in this mural. His signature colors of the dark navy and the mint green are present. See if you can go back and look at his other nearby work to find these colors and some similarities in his designs. Think about his color palette, shapes, and overall composition. The grey-scale Classical figure is a new element for his mural work and it’s an exciting new direction.
Walk up Tremont, left on Hawkins, left on Doggett
Location: Doggett Street
Artist: Matt Hooker and Matt Moore
Date: 2017
Media: Digital art
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff
Story: Way back in 2017 when murals were just coming to Charlotte and South End was beginning its transformation to an urban center, Ram Realty hired two local artists. Matt Hooker and Matt Moore only had a handful of murals up around the city. Their idea was to make the blank walls of a parking garage look better. Thank you!
Key Formal Elements:
- Repetition of keyhole shape
Make the Connection:
The artists designed four panels that show changes in South End since the time of gold mining. See if you can find the connections to our railroad history, mills, the invention of Lance crackers, the iconic water tower, and thriving business center of today.
At corner of Doggett and Hawkins, look up
Location: 1999 Hawkins Street
Title: "Mexican Mermaid"
Artist: Sharon Dowell
Date: 2018
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @sharon_dowell
Story: Sharon Dowell worked with Asana Partners on this commission for the upper wall of the Design Center of the Carolinas. Dowell is a rock star of Charlotte art and this is her first major work in South End. Her large-scale mural is 10 feet by 90 feet and includes a mermaid and Dowell’s familiar graphics.
Key Formal Elements:
- Saturated colors
- Asymmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
Dowell’s work revels in bold, colorful patterns and shapes but her work is not often figural. “Karla” the mermaid (named after her model) dominates this mostly horizontal composition and the idea of a mermaid came from the developers. The black tattoos on her figure represent the past and present business of South End. Which ones can you connect to businesses you have seen in South End or you know were part of its past?
Walk to parking lot beside PARA
Title: PARA mural
Location: 235 W. Tremont
Artist: Dustin Moates
Date: 2021
Media: Spray paint
Artist info: @dstnmts
Story: When this restaurant recently changed owners, it got new cuisine and a new mural. You can check out the former mural by Jen Hill in our Archives section of the website. Dustin Moates was commissioned by the new owner to create a mural for this highly visible wall. Moates is a street artist, muralist, and founder of the Southern Tiger artists collective. The word “Para” translates to “for” as the owners want this restaurant to be “for” Charlotteans.
Key Formal Elements:
- So much visual texture
- Focal point of the napping Buddha
Make the Connection
According to the artist, there are thirteen Asian-inspired references in this mural. From the beautifully textured bonsai trees, the yin-yang symbol in one of the peacock feathers, scan the mural to see if you can find them. Of special note is the napping Buddha which is a connection to meditation and peace. Also, check out how the artist signed his name in the upper right corner.
Back to Hawkins, back of Krispy Kreme
Location: 2116 Hawkins Street back of the building
Artist: Gina Elizabeth Franco
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @ginaelizabethfranco
Story: This new Krispy Kreme corporate office houses test kitchen space and their global product and innovation center. The adaptive reuse of a building built by D.A. Tompkins, an industrial leader of early Dilworth growth, is an important part of retaining neighborhood character and maintaining history. Asana Partners commissioned this mural.
Key Formal Elements:
- Repetition
- Symmetrical balance
Make the Connection
Hot Doughnuts Now! 72 individual and personalized doughnuts are painted by Greensboro-based Gina Elizabeth Franco. Her bold colors and pop art inspired art attracts many selfie takers. Look at all of the designs she creates and find the right doughnut for you!
Also make sure that you check out the SE Interactive project by scanning the QR code to hear the story behind the mural. Click on the smiley face and use the selfie mode on your camera to see a face filter. Then click the cube to play with a 3-D model.
At corner of Rampart and Hawkins
Location: 201 Rampart Street
Title: "From the Stillness, a seed of hope is planted"
Artist: Nick Napoletano
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @napoletanoart
Story: Street art can be an immediate visual record of an artist’s response to events and important social commentary. Artists in Charlotte responded with art during COVID – 19. This is the first pandemic related art in South End and first large-scale mural by Nick Napoletano in South End. Napoletano has work on our uptown, NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, and Elizabeth artwalks. In this mural, a young girl stands in front of a map of the world and holds a mask with a seedling growing out of it. She carries a backpack of gifts to bring to essential workers.
Key Formal Elements:
- Implied line of her gaze
- Highlights in her face
Make the Connection:
Look for the repetition of circles in this mural. Circles are traditional symbols of unity. From the circle of the mask, the circle of blue light around the seedling, and the partial circle of the globe, they unify the composition. The blue and orange squares on her backpack and the gift boxes provide a bit of variety.
Also make sure that you check out the SE Interactive project by scanning the QR code to hear the story behind the mural.
Walk down Rampart to Tryon
Title: “Daisy Pusher”
Location: 2217 S. Tryon Street
Artist: Thomas Turner
Date: 2023
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @thomasturner_tt
Story: Enter the magical realism world of Thomas Turner and his murals. Or just sit and have a beer at the Monday Night Garden Co. Brewery. Monday Night Brewery is Atlanta-based and is an award-winning brewery. Thomas Turner is an Atlanta-based muralist and is well known nationally for his whimsical, fun, fantasy world created in paint.
Key Formal Elements:
- Playing with Scale
- Symmetrical balance
Make the Connection:
An eagle, a bear, and a wolf. These are the power animals of the owners of the brewery. These animals welcome the viewer to a lush, forest landscape with moss, mushrooms, and flowers. Note the daisies with each power animal. Step into this surrealist space and get lost in Turner's fantasy.
Back to Hawkins turn right
Location: 2250 Hawkins Street
Artist: Sharon Dowell and Laura Tate
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint
Artist Info: @sharon_dowell, @lauramtate
Story: This is the first of a trio of public art projects that Ram Realty Services is sponsoring at the Hub South End apartments site. As developers of the site and others in South End, they are business owners supporting the arts in Charlotte. Both Sharon Dowell and Laura Tate are local artists.
Key Formal Elements:
- Geometric linework and organic shapes
- Cool colors of green and blue
Make the Connection:
The geometric design of the background is a design motif carried through in other areas of the project and repeated here. The fig tree leaves organically grow from the corners of the three-sided mural and maybe are a reference to the indoor plant loving millennials and apartment dwellers but are a creation from Laura Tate’s studio based on a recent visit to Miami.
At corner of 2250 Hawkins building
Title: "The Hive"
Location: 2250 Hawkins Street
Artist: Grace Stott
Date: 2020
Media: ceramic tile
Artist Info: @gracestottt
Story: Ceramics and mixed media artist Grace Stott was noted as one of Charlotte Magazine’s “Artists to Watch” in 2017. She is active in the Goodyear Arts Collective and curates exhibits around themes of millennial female imagery.
Key Formal Elements:
- Texture
- Limited color palette
Make the Connection:
Over 90 square feet of ceramic imagery displays Charlotte landmarks and markers and people who worked on the Hub South End project.
Also make sure that you check out the SE Interactive project by scanning the QR code to hear the story behind the mural. Click on the smiley face and use the selfie mode on your camera to play with face filter. Then click the cube to play with a 3-D model.
Turn right at corner, walk to next building entrance
Location: 2250 Hawkins Street but around the corner mid-block
Artist: Sharon Dowell
Date: 2020
Media: Acrylic paint, stainless steel
Artist Info: @sharon_dowell, @acsminc
Story: In a third commission from Ram Realty at this site, Sharon Dowell creates a mixed media composition. A design build firm in South End fabricated the metal shapes for installation.
Key Formal Elements:
- Loose flowing lines
- Lots of negative space
Make the Connection:
In this abstract mural, the artist draws connections to the “multifaceted, vibrant” energy of South End with her use of flowing, dynamic shapes across this wall. Some shapes allude to nature while others connect more to our man-made environment.
Follow Dunavant to 2148
Title: Owl Mural
Location: 2148 Dunavant St
Artist: Matt Hooker, Matt Moore
Date: 2018
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @hookermedia, @puckmcgruff
Story: Developer Resolve Residential commissioned Matt Hooker and Matt Moore to create a mural for a fun and inviting community gathering place in their development. Hooker and Moore are two artists that helped launch the mural renaissance in Charlotte and 2018 was a breakout year for murals. This isn’t the only owl in a mural as Moore used an owl in his most recent mural in the Belmont neighborhood.
Key Formal Elements:
- Radial balance as the owl’s head is the focal point
- Black and white grey scale of the owl
Make the Connection:
So much variety here in this playful composition. The artist’s signature realism element is there with the owl and the soft textures of his feathers. But that realism is contrasted so expertly with the graphic colors, shapes and lines that create movement and visual interest on this wall.
Use walkway at 2151 Hawkins St to Rail Trail, right
Location: Charlotte Rail Trail
Title: "Exclamation Point"
Artist: David Furman
Date: 2015
Media: Aluminum
Artist Info: @centrocityworks
Story: This is another Charlotte Rail Trail project created by architect David Furman. Furman designed this work after being inspired by similar sculptures in other cities. There’s another exclamation point in Oklahoma City, OK. Ours has become a marker for the area, as in “I’ll meet you at the Exclamation Point.”
Key Formal Elements:
- Free-standing
- Scale
Make the Connection:
Artists often play with scale in art for expressive means. The scale of this exclamation point is obviously larger than what it should be so our expectations of the familiar object are altered. How does this sculpture make you feel?
Follow Rail Trail to Atherton Mill
Title: "Cathedral of Bliss"
Location: 2000 South Blvd
Artist: Osiris Rain
Date: 2022
Media: Spray paint
Artist Info: @osirisrain
Story: It’s so nice to have a very accessible mural by Osiris Rain in South End. Rain is one of the most talented and well-known muralists in Charlotte. His work is found all over the world and in NoDa, Camp North End, and a lot of interior spaces which are often not that accessible to the public. Rain painted this loading dock door for Luna’s Living Kitchen.
Key Formal Elements:
- Black and white grey-scale of the face
- Cool colors around the face and warm colors at the edges
Make the Connection:
Always the portrait. Osiris Rain’s artistic style is deeply rooted in the study of the human figure and emotions. As a classically trained studio artist, his use of light and incorporation of humanism is a hallmark of his style. Notice the subtle shades of grey as he creates volume in this realistic portrait. Contrast that with the explosion of color in the geometric-shaped daffodils and you have a study in contrasts. It is the constant push and pull of color and grey-scale, soft organic form with the geometric nature that makes this mural so enjoyable.
At corner of Rail Trail and Tremont
Title: “Fairy Ring”
Location: Atherton Mill at Tremont Road
Artist: Meredith Connelly
Date: 2022
Media: Cast fiberglass, wiring, concrete
Artist info: @meredith.connelly
Story: Commissioned by real estate developer EDENS, “Fairy Ring” is the first permanent installation for multidisciplinary artist Meredith Connelly. Connelly created the original version of this installation in 2021 for the I Heart Rail Trail: Lights festival. The transition to a permanent installation required redesigning the mushrooms with four sizes, hidden writing and interchangeable bulbs, and a concrete base for stability.
Key Formal Elements:
- Radial balance
- Actual texture of each mushroom
Make the Connection:
Connelly is a master of materials and here she uses manmade 3-D printed molds to create organic forms that challenge ideas about our relationship with nature. The artist has worked with light and a variety of materials for over a decade and the illumination of the objects provides an invitation to explore the fairy-tale like landscape.
In the shape of a “fairy ring,” the installation draws on folklore of elves, fairies, or pixies dancing. But it is also an ode to the large, over-100 year old oak tree that used to be on this corner. Find a spot in the center and get back to nature.