BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: Growing up with a veterinarian father and an artist mother, painting a mural at Firehall 4 Animal Hospital is a full-circle moment for Will Eskridge. “It’s like being home again,” he says. The clinic, which is celebrating 20 years in business, recently underwent renovations and asked Eskridge to paint the walls of its expanded examination rooms. Eskridge’s signature bold colors and textured style are on full display in the piece, which features a broad spectrum of small animals, silhouettes of iconic Athens structures and a 1953 GMC fire engine that pays homage to the building’s history as a fire station—all set in a “party-like atmosphere,” as he describes it. “I knew I wanted to have a fire hydrant as a sort of focal point,” Eskridge says. “I was thinking about the summer street parties where kids would open up the fire hydrants and have their own water park party.” The mural also includes Binx, the clinic’s black and white tuxedo cat, and Rushmore, Eskridge’s late terrier, whom he adopted from his father’s practice in 1999. More of Eskridge’s large-scale murals can be found all over town at places like the College Avenue Parking Deck, Flicker Theatre & Bar, Bojangles, Agua Linda, Clarke Central High School and others. Check out more of his work at instagram.com/willeskridgeart.
CREATIVE FLOW: Also at Firehall 4 Animal Hospital is a second mural completed by Meredith Raiford Akins, who began apprenticing as a muralist at just 14 years old. The design continues the cohesive themes of small animals, classic Athens references and fire station elements, but introduces more of a graffiti vibe with paint drips and textures. The mural, which showcases Akins’ love of color and nature, was completed over the course of four days. Akins says it was the perfect project to take on fresh off maternity leave. “One of my favorite aspects of mural work is the collaboration,” she says. “They explained to me what they were envisioning, and then we sent reference pictures back and forth until I had a good grasp of their vision. I free handed the design we landed on and was able to balance painting for a few hours at a time with going home to feed my daughter in between.” To keep up with her work, head over to instagram.com/meredithraifordart.
COLOR BURST: Over at Normaltown Brewing Co., which inhabits the former Jittery Joe’s Roaster on Barber Street, is one of several new murals completed by Marisa Mustard. Her signature bright and bold style is on display as more than a dozen orange and yellow flowers spill across the wall. “I love creating functional and public art,” she says. “I feel so absolutely lucky that I get to do this as a job. I love sharing my art with the community and creating every day.” Other recently completed projects include five murals on the side of Habitat for Humanity off Atlanta Highway, Winterville Cultural Center, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and brush-painting the entire D12 Commercial Interiors building, which she says she’s most proud of. Mustard also wrapped up a show at Flicker Theatre & Bar last month that featured a diverse collection of art, including large cuts of wood, paper mache, canvas paintings and functional pieces like piggy banks and cupboards. See more of her work at www.instagram.com/m.leilaniart.
IN BLOOM: A new 100-foot mural is currently in progress on the Oconee Rivers Greenway, marking the second large-scale piece on the trail system. “Georgia Flora,” by local artist Amanda Burk, is expected to be completed along the Greenway’s East Campus Connector by early June. The project is funded by SPLOST—a local sales tax supporting capital projects, including public art—and facilitated by the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Arts Division. The ACC Mayor and Commission approved the design in November 2022. Burk’s design was selected by a blind community panel from 25 applicants who responded to a nationwide call for proposals. The mural features a variety of flowers commonly associated with Georgia, which Burk is freehanding based on her original sketch. A longtime figure in the Athens art scene and a University of Georgia graduate, Burk’s murals can also be seen at Automatic Pizza, Half-Shepherd Market, Boulevard Animal Hospital, Paloma Park and more. Click over to instagram.com/ourladyofmurals to follow along.
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