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      A Vibrant, Geometric Rug Cascades Down a Staircase in a New Mural by Jessie and Katey

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      Art

      #geometric
      #murals
      #public art
      #rugs
      #stairs
      #textiles

      August 20, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Jessie and Katey, shared with permission. By Shauna Caldwell
      To create the brightly colored textile that cloaks a three-level staircase on the Appalachian State University campus, artists Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn (previously) imagined the concrete steps as a massive loom. They drew grids on the outdoor structure to map out where each individual strip would start, end, and intersect with the larger geometric forms. “There was a lot of math involved, getting the angles and perspective right was a challenge but eventually everything locked into place,” the Baltimore-based duo, who are known as Jessie and Katey, shares with Colossal.
      Evoking the quilts and other textiles that are traditional to Appalachia, the large-scale artwork is composed of vivid gradients layered into a complex web of stripes and woven patches. Neutral-toned tassels line the angled edge at the bottom of the staircase, giving the flat mural the appearance of a rug.
      This public artwork is just one Jessie and Katey have undertaken in recent months. Many of their projects that were postponed due to COVID-19 are reconvening, bringing the pair to Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and a few spots in North Carolina. Although the actual painting process is solitary, Jessie and Katey say they’ve enjoyed seeing how people are experiencing outdoor art since the onset of the pandemic. “It’s really rewarding watching the work get embraced by the public. People get really creative with it, and murals end up becoming a part of the community,” they say.
      To see where the duo is headed next, follow them on Instagram, and check out the prints available in their shop.

      By Michael Olson
      By Shauna Caldwell
      By Shauna Caldwell
      By Shauna Caldwell

      #geometric
      #murals
      #public art
      #rugs
      #stairs
      #textiles

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      A Massive Flower Splays Across Six Surfaces in a New Mural by Artist Mona Caron

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      Art

      #flowers
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art

      August 3, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “⁣Limonium.” All images © Mona Caron, shared with permission
      An enormous flower overtakes the San José’s cultural affairs building in a multi-plane mural by artist Mona Caron (previously). Titled “Limonium,” the delicate, pink-and-green leaves spread out across the structure’s facade, transcending a single side. Wrapped around six walls and across four planes, the flower appears to be growing continuously from multiple angles.
      The San Francisco-based artist says determining the spatial logistics was straightforward. She added reference points to the wall and superimposed her botanical piece to a photo, which guided her through the process. In a video posted to Instagram, Caron walks around the pastel mural to capture its illusory qualities. “The main plant faces the entrance to the Convention Center on Market Street, but to its left, there is a semi-enclosed cove, which is the entrance to the garage, and there’s another plant in there, with a flower stem that calculatedly appears to be a part of whichever plant you’re looking at,” she shares with Colossal. “Similarly, I carefully drafted the rightmost flower stem (and) leaves to appear continuous when seen both from the street and from the upper terrace.”

      #flowers
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art

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      Bright Elephants Squeeze Into Their Surroundings in Site-Specific Murals by Artist Falko One

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      #elephants
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art

      July 22, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Everybody wants to be down with the dude on top the stairs” (2019), Cape Town, South Africa. All images © Falko One, shared with permission
      For decades, Falko One (previously) has been transforming blank staircases and piles of refuse around South Africa into homes for his technicolor elephants. Despite their striking hues, each mural is site-specific, allowing it to blend in with the facades and surrounding environments. The artist might position the trunk along a ventilation duct or the torso atop cinder blocks and crates, creating an optical illusion within his vivid murals. “My approach is just to add a bit of color to the space without breaking the scenery,” he tells Colossal. “I try not to make them too intrusive. I always respect that for that moment I am just a tourist to that specific community.”
      Generally, the artist finds viewers are drawn in by the colors before considering the ways the elephant bends and conforms to the structured space. “The value for me is listening to the debate about it. At that moment, there are no wrong or right answers. What better way to get people to discuss something without telling them to discuss it. It’s not a formal discussion on the street but playful, honest banter. I like that the most,” he notes.
      Often sharing his latest murals on Instagram, the artist’s motivation for painting the massive pachyderms is simple and about accessibility. “Everyone loves an elephant,” he says.

      “Evergreen” (2018), Cape Town, South Africa
      “Brick Ross” (2020), Cape Town, South Africa
      “Broke back boat” (2019), Praia, Cape Verde Islands
      “Heavy metal” (2019), Johannesburg, South Africa
      “Homestead” (2016), Nkandla, South Africa
      “Perioscope” (2019), Johannesburg, South Africa
      “Welcome home” (2016), Coffee Bay, South Africa
      “What have you done for me lately” (2019), Cape Town, South Africa
      “Wheel of fortune” (2019), Praia, Cape Verde Islands

      #elephants
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art

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      A 3D Mural by Artist Leon Keer Wraps a French Housing Complex Like a Gift

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       “Safe House” (2020). All images © Leon Keer, shared with permission Dutch artist Leon Keer is known for his large-scale anamorphic and Trompe-l’œil projects, transforming the sides of buildings and sidewalks into illusory public art. His latest mural, titled “Safe House,” turns the side of a housing complex in Morlaix, France, into a massive, […] More

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      From Minneapolis to Syria, Artists Are Honoring George Floyd Through Murals and Public Artworks

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       A mural in Minneapolis by Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrera, Greta McLain, Niko Alexander, and Pablo Hernandez In honor of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a White police officer in May, artists have been painting murals and sharing messages in what now is a global movement supporting the victim. From Minneapolis to Los Angeles to Syria, […] More

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      A 20,000-Square-Foot Tribute to Healthcare Workers Emerges at Queens Museum

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       “Somos La Luz” (2020). All images © Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada, by Eduardo Amorim/Greenpoint Innovations In the Queens Museum parking lot, Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada (previously) has painted a 20,000-square-foot mural as both an act of gratitude to Latinx healthcare workers, who have risked their own safety to care for others, and a nationwide call to […] More

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      A Three-Story Tree Acts as a Scaffold for a Growing Community in a Mural by Ethan Murrow

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       “The Garden” in Seattle. All images © Ethan Murrow In a 53-foot mural of exposed roots and tangled branches, Boston-based artist Ethan Murrow (previously) situates an energetic construction site manned by human workers, who heave their materials and balance across taught ropes. “The Garden” is replete with scaffolding, small tool sheds, and suspended orbs […] More

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      Home MuralFest: 67 Artists Simultaneously Painted Murals in Their Homes and Gardens While Quarantined

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       “O Cavalo Preto” (2020) by Alex Senna. All images couretesy of Void Projects, shared with permission Similar to other muralists, Copenhagen-based artist Jacoba Niepoort was preparing for a busy period full of travel and public projects when COVID-19 canceled all of her plans. “I had been dreaming of methods for connecting individual, like-minded creatives […] More