Cannaday Chapman created Flora, the mural seen above, for Hingetown Culture Works in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2018. He has created illustrations for The New York Times, The New Yorker, as well as a Google Doodle for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
For more of his work also check out his Instagram.
Gentle Ladies Dragon Man, 2021, (Acrylic and graphite on canvas) by Jason Fox was part of the group show Time-Slip at Petzel Gallery in New York in 2021.
This mural was created by Jose Mertz for the 2017 edition of the SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.
For more work by the artist, also check out his Instagram.
These two murals, created by artists Dasic Fernandez (left) and Werc Alvarez (right), are located in the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.
Multicolored Lady by Dasic Fernandez was created for the 2016 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.
Also check out his Instagram for more recent work.
This mural was created by Florida artist Truman Adams and is located in Bradenton.
For more recent work, also check out his Instagram.
Black and part Black Birds in America: (Grackle, Cardinal & Rose-breasted Grosbeak), 2020, by Kerry James Marshall, was part of the group exhibition 20/20 at David Zwirner gallery in NYC in December of 2020. The painting is part of a series that explores black identity, his love of birding, and by the history and work of John James Audubon.
Below is an excerpt from a New York Times article about the work and its Audubon connection-
“There’s a disconnect between the house that’s built and the birds,” Mr. Marshall said of the crow and grackle. “It’s not designed for them, you know?” The scene considers, he said, “the pecking order.”
A casual bird enthusiast who has been fascinated by Audubon’s draughtsmanship since he was a child, Mr. Marshall has long put Black protagonists at the center of his complex, richly layered compositions. “Many Mansions” (1994), one of his large-scale depictions of housing projects, features three Black men gardening — and, not incidentally, there are two bluebirds holding up a banner, too. The pointed inclusion of Black figures is part of what he has called a “counter-archive” to the familiar, white-centered story of Western art.
For the new series, the images hinge on Audubon’s own racial heritage: Many people believe he was, as Mr. Marshall’s title suggests, “part Black” — born in what is now Haiti, as Jean Rabin, to a white, plantation-owning father and a Creole chambermaid who may have been of racially-mixed descent. But, the theory goes, he was able to pass as white.
This mural by Ernesto Maranje was created for Florida Wildlife Corridor, located in The Factory complex in St. Pete.
For more of Maranje’s work, also check out his Instagram.
Birds by Detroit based artist Rick Malt in Canton, Ohio. The mural is part of Canton Mural Initiative.
For more work by Malt, also check out his Instagram.
Whimzeyland, the “Bowling Ball House”, is a local landmark located in Safety Harbor, Florida, created by artists Todd Ramquist and Kiaralinda.
About the house from their website–
In 1985, they purchased the beige house on Third Street in Safety Harbor, Florida. They traveled everywhere, actively seeking out inspirational and unusual places. Inspired by these travels, they began transforming their house. One of the earliest additions were the wooden triangles to the eaves of their house. The beige house became bold in color, too.
One day, they went to a flea market and saw a sign that said that anybody could take 10 free bowling balls. They took the bowling balls and began painting and placing them around the property. This is how they became known as the bowling ball house of Safety Harbor.
Todd and Kiaralinda even branched out of decorating their home, creating two different art cars, designed a restaurant, and making public sculptures, among other things. They began calling themselves the Whimzey Twinz because they work together on all of their projects.
Their travels soon included visits to folk artists and artists that they met at their shows. These friends visited them, too. Todd and Kiaralinda’s bowling balls inspired many of them. They would create bowling balls for Todd and Kiaralinda, who got so many of these works from artist friends that they started a gallery in their home. They created a “Call for Balls” which made a lot more of these art works roll into their home. Today, they have over 80 bowling balls from various artists around the world and people still bring them bowling balls as gifts.
If you are in the area, make sure to also stop by Safety Harbor Art and Music Center (SHAMc), a nonprofit they opened in 2017. It has an art gallery and shop, and hosts music events and art classes as well.
