The Blue Mural , 1989

109 E. Franklin Street

The first mural I painted in Chapel Hill was the blue mural, which can be seen from the corner of Rosemary and Columbia streets. It was painted in 1989.

It was the brainchild of Phyllis Lotchin. Phyllis (with the help of the Downtown Commission) was creating a downtown arts festival to showcase work and performances by public school students. The idea appealed to me because I am a product of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system, and also because the idea was similar to our original intent in starting the Apple Chill Fair.

I was hired for the project because I had some art experience, also because I had taught elementary and secondary art, so I was used to working with kids. I was used to working with volunteers, too (actors making their own sets off-off Broadway). Finally, I had run a small part-time house painting business while in college, so I knew how to work with large amounts of paint.

With lots of input from the committee, I must have done 50 drawings for this mural. We were all eager for this first (and maybe only) one to be popular and not controversial. I hit on the final idea of a night scene when I remembered riding my bike up to work in the wee hours (as a dishwasher at Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe), How beautiful Franklin Street seemed when it was quiet and deserted in the moonlight!

I chose the pointillist style because it was a rough brick wall. Also, I had so many volunteers that I was afraid I could not supervise them all adequately. I thought if they all had the same size brush and were all instructed to make the same size blue mark, it might unify their contributions into a coherent whole.

Michael Brown

Courtesy of The Chapel Hill News

This mural was touched up 14 years ago but is shows signs of extensive wear and damage. The paint is fading and is covered with grime, mold, and has some graffitti. Downspouts on the building, which were painted as part of the original mural, have been removed. Some areas of the mural have been damaged by crumbling mortar and some paint has peeled off in the uppler left corner. The mural needs a through pressure washing and the wall resealed. The remaining mural will be used as a guide for complete repainting. A protectived UV topcoat will be added to prevent wear and fading.

Total cost for restoration: $6400.00

Amount raised to date: $175.00

Donors:

Laurie Norman