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Steven Teller Paints ‘A Blossoming Ode to Georgia’s Musical History’ at Akins Ford Arena

Steven Teller. Credit: Ian McFarlane

Painted by Florida-based muralist Steven Teller, “A Blossoming Ode to Georgia’s Musical History” depicts several of the state’s most influential artists singing and creating sound in unison. Recently completed in the lobby of the new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center, the mural pays homage to luminaries who have paved the way for the musical landscape that exists today. 

Facilitated by the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Arts Division, the mural is a public artwork that was funded by the ACC Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). Teller was one of 122 artists who applied to a nationwide call, and his design was chosen by a community panel using a blind selection process. His proposal was approved by the ACC Mayor and Commission in September 2023 alongside two other artworks for the arena: a mural named “Architecture of Imagination” by Kate Lewis and an outdoor sculpture of an upright bass by Christopher Weed. 

“I remember seeing that the mural call was for Georgia music history, and I was super stoked seeing that because you don’t always find something that’s so focused on what you love to do,” says Teller. 

As an artist who has traveled far and wide for commissions, Teller specializes in painting large-scale murals that strengthen a sense of place by paying homage to notable figures and native flora. In 2022, he completed a mural on the exterior wall of Macon’s H&H Soul Food that depicts the Allman Brothers Band eating at the restaurant alongside portraits of original owners Mama Hill and Mama Louise. Later that year in Johnson City, TN, he created “Traditions of Appalachia,” a mural that combines bluegrass and old-time musical instruments with regional quilt patterns. 

Mural: Steven Teller / Photo: Ian McFarlane

“A Blossoming Ode to Georgia’s Musical History” recognizes several of the state’s most influential artists. Choosing who to represent such an expansive history was a major challenge, but Teller approached the task by finding a balance between genre, time period and city. 

“Number one, right away, I decided on Duane Allman no matter what, because I love the Allman Brothers more than most things in life,” says Teller. 

While gathering input for the project, Teller discovered that most people seemed to immediately think of Ray Charles and his iconic song “Georgia on My Mind,” so he became the central focal point of the design. With Macon and Albany both represented, Teller added funk pioneer James Brown, who spent formative years in both Augusta and Toccoa, and Cindy Wilson of Athens new wave band The B-52s. Hip-hop legends OutKast and “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight both represent Atlanta. 

One of the most distinctive elements of Teller’s work is his warm color palette of red, orange, yellow, fuchsia and purple. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Teller learned how to paint very realistic images, yet sought a way to infuse a subtly psychedelic undertone. 

“I was searching for something that felt like that really amazing feeling when you are visiting a national park or something really beautiful,” says Teller. “You’re feeling a connection to it humanly, but there’s just something otherworldly to it.” 

After experimenting with different monochromatic schemes, he gravitated towards harmonious colors that can be found in nature. His color palette also gives a nod to poster and album art of psychedelic rock bands from the ‘60s, such as Cream’s Disraeli Gears

Teller explains that the colors naturally become a value scale on their own, where red is dark, yellow is light and orange is somewhere in between. With this tonality shift, his portraits appear almost as if they are bathed in the light of the golden hour. 

“I wanted my work to kind of be psychedelic and sort of something that takes you out of your space but feels really good and is a moment of raw, new perception,” says Teller. “Something you recognize, but maybe it triggers a little bit of a new pattern, new thought, new perspective, new doorway kind of vibe.” 

Working off of photo references, Teller used AI sharpening tools when necessary to dial in extra detail within grainy images. To scale up his design and get the proportions just right, he began by making a grid of measured dots across the massive wall. 

“When you go up close to it, which is a really fun part of it, it’s extremely painterly,” says Teller. “Some of it’s dusty, some of it’s fuzzy, some of it’s sharp. It’s got very painterly, expressive-like movements when you’re up close, but when you back up the perception really comes together.”

Teller credits his chosen medium, spray paint, for the ability to produce a high level of detail from the macro down to the micro. 

“The colors are super potent,” says Teller. “You can create some really soft contrast and some really strong contrast. You can get all sorts of metallic looking textures, skin textures and clothing textures. It’s really just an amazing medium for working on projects exactly like this.” 

“A Blossoming Ode to Georgia’s Musical History” is prominently displayed alongside the Georgia Music Collections, an array of artifacts, instruments and memorabilia from the UGA Special Collections Libraries. Several parallels can be found between the two projects. The inclusion of Duane Allman’s SG in the Georgia Music Collections was particularly fortuitous, as Teller was able to take photographs and superimpose the guitar into his mural. Cindy Wilson’s iconic beehive wig from the mural can be seen in real life right around the corner, too.

“I think it’s important to learn about everything that’s come before so you know what you’re listening to these days and why,” says Teller. “That’s a big part of my work—paying homage to the things that came before.” 

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