History of the Jonquil City Mural

The Jonquil City Mural began with an idea to create public art in Smyrna and a desire to make that happen with my own hands. Robert Harrison and I started a group we call Indie Arts Alliance in 2017 with the vision to give a voice to public art in Smyrna and gather like minded people who want to uplift the arts in our neighborhood.

We talked about where a mural could exist, and Robert approached Susan Harlan, the owner of Vickery Hardware, who loved the idea of putting a mural on her building that would bring joy to the community and help create a sense of place in our city. Vickery sponsored the mural, and I hand painted it in the upstairs room of the Old Smyrna Firehouse. Painted with One Shot Sign Painters enamel by hand onto 4x8’ aluminum composite panels, the mural was installed onto the Vickery’s building in February of 2018 and has since been well loved by our community and become a part of Smyrna’s unique sense of place.

When I created the design for the mural, I wanted to create something that would fit well with the vintage feel of Vickery Hardware, and if you’ve ever been inside you’ll know what I mean – it feels like stepping back in time, to a homey and comfortable family-owned store where customer service is top priority, you’ll see vintage items around the store that have been there since the store opened in 1950. You’ll be greeted by staff that will answer your questions and lead you to where you need to go.

With all of this in mind, I was inspired to create a design that incorporated the jonquil, as Smyrna is known as the Jonquil City, as well as a design that paid homage to a vintage seed packet, since Vickery is a great source for seeds and plants every spring.
The vintage inspired design, while created by me in 2018, honors Smyrna’s long history and gives a vintage yet modern feel to Vickery’s building.

Parts of the mural have been damaged by bad weather twice, and it has been re-installed. There may be a time when it needs to be repainted, but for now it’s still beautifying our city, and I’m so grateful that I was able to create this art piece for the city that has welcomed me since 2011 and where I feel so lucky to be part of a community of artist friends that support each other.

The Jonquil City Mural has been so well-loved that it inspired me to create posters, magnets and stickers so that Smyrna folks could have this design in their homes, and it brings me joy to create more Smyrna Jonquil City themed merchandise for all those who live in and love Smyrna to show their Smyrna pride.

I am an artist that creates lots of other art and products as well, and you can see more of my work in my Etsy store.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the Jonquil City Mural as much as I enjoyed creating it!