South Kingshighway & Juniata
South St. Louis, MO
Patrons leaving the congenial warmth of The Royale to head into the crisp fall Saturday night are like deer caught in the headlights.
Actually, it’s an old school overhead projector beaming the final piece to the mural on the southern wall of the establishment. 3 ladders abreast for 3 painters diligently filling in as patrons walk by, gawk, comment and stare.

Having painted a few murals myself, I’d been checking out the details of this one every time I walked by it. It’s a deeply textured brick wall, which can be tricky; what kind of brushes were used to get penetration and accuracy? I could never find any guide marks; how did they get the template on the wall? And when did they paint it? for I pass by most every day and never see any painters, just their stately results.
So it was a great treat to see the (anonymous to me) artists at work, and have all questions answered in one live demonstration. It was also jazz to see such unique advertising in motion, a spotlight happening, a sidewalk testament to what makes this place so damn great.