I appreciate when new owners of a building respect the art that was previously installed. That is…read morethe case with this larger than life mural by Dar Parsons (2005) called "The Jazz Masters". The mural was designed and then projected at night so that the piece could be outlined with black markers on the rough brick exterior. Parsons would often pull "all-nighters" on Saturdays to complete the work before the weather turned cold. He used a forklift to reach the upper elevations of the building and painted the entire wall with just a small brush. The mural shows two musicians playing instruments and musical notes can be seen in the wisps of steam from the horn players coffee. There is also a clue to the painting on the signature panel where a number appears. Can you figure out what the number represents in the painting? Review #1363

While stopping to grab a lunch in Irvington, I parked in a lot behind the row of shops/restaurants…read morewest of Audubon. The closest lot was full, but there was a second one that was accessible off Layman Avenue. What a surprise to see this large mural right in front of me! The mural features a recreation of Michelangelo's image of God from his famous center (ceiling) painting in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. In the painting, the hand of God reaches to the left towards Adam. In this mural, the hand is pointing towards the word "Irvington" which appears on a bright blue banner. The words "A Moveable Feast" appear in a smaller gray banner below the blue. (Not sure that I get that part.) The recreated image was painted by Michael McAuley (artist/sculptor) who wanted to suggest a Renaissance in Irvington. He selected Michelangelo as one of the best known artists of that time, and then this image from the Sistine Chapel to represent Michelangelo. Kind of a "connect the dots" way of selecting an image, but it is well worth it. Even as a reproduction, the talent of both artists is apparent in this exquisitely detailed mural. Anyone who has been keeping an eye on Irvington lately will let you know that there is a definite buzz in the area with all the new businesses filling in spaces along Washington Street and points near there. If you stop by for one of the shops/restaurants, take a moment to swing behind the buildings to check out this art installation. Review #2345

In Irvington, there is a sculpture of two children playfully standing on one foot each as they…read moredrape an arm over each other's shoulder. The piece was created by local artist (and firefighter) Ryan Feeney in 1998. The piece is made of bronze and is located on the north west corner of the Irvington Preparatory Academy about a block west of the Irvington Circle. Feeney has made numerous sculptures in the Indianapolis area like the Peyton Manning statue at Lucas Oil Stadium, the eagle for the 9/11 Memorial along the canal, and a firefighter bronze "Duty Honor Sacrifice" on Mass Ave. Review #1338

You can tell that this was once an awesome mural. But those days are long behind it. The mural was…read morepainted in 2017 by the FAB Crew, with the assistance of an artist named Gamble, as a tribute to the Cincinnati-based, nationally-known graffiti artist Speedbeard (Jason Brunson), who passed away suddenly in 2017. The mural depicts Speedbeard's pet French bulldog, Frenchie, the inspiration behind many of his characters The dog is wearing Speedbeard's trademark black t-shirt, and has parodies of Speedbeard's full-sleeve tattoos. You can see that the painting has a lot of detail and their inspiration bled through. However, the mural is greatly deteriorated and the wall that it is painted on is actually chipping away piece by piece. I had to do a double take to make sure that I had the correct mural. This mural needs a lot of help, but may be beyond saving. As with most murals, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. There is parking available in the alley that the mural is in and it is easily accesible. However, you can probably even do a drive by. It is best to plan out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area to maximize your trip.

The FAB Crew (Sacred 317 & 6Cents) and Gamble worked on this mural in the summer of 2018 as a…read moretribute to famed artist "Speedbeard" out of Cincinnati. Speedbeard owns a French Bulldog, has a beard, and full sleeve arm tattoos. The bulldog and the arm tattoos were incorporated into this mural along with the neck chain with Speedbeard on it. If you have a knack for reading the graffiti style writing, you can see the artist's names, though I struggle with the two on the right side more than on the left. The dog looks real. The rest of the mural is a swirl of vibrant colors. Very visually effective in catching the eye of passersby. I hope this one will last longer than most of the other great murals that have been at this location. Review #1878

Many years ago, when I went to school in Indianapolis, this was not a part of town I would go to…read morefor any reason. Now, it is my favorite part of the great city of an Indianapolis. It's filled with fun things to do and terrific restaurants. It is my go to place when visiting and the place I point people to when they ask me for a recommendation.

As a tourist visiting for a weekend: having lived in Silver Lake (LA, CA) for a few years and…read morehaving walked around a bit and dined in this area (Fountain Square), I think it's safe to say that this is the or at least one of the hipster areas in the Circle City. The area feels artsy and very pedestrian/bike friendly. The restaurants look nice, but not overly expensive or unapproachable. It's funny because when I visit new cities, I tend to gravitate towards the restaurants in these type of areas. On this trip, I ate at both Milktooth and Bluebeard - both wonderful places to eat. I also had drinks at Four Finger Distillery and Inferno Room. It's located really close to the main downtown Indianapolis area. I actually parked in the area between here and the downtown area when I went to the Colts game on the Sunday I was here.

This is a very long mural that is the work of The Department of Public Words, a group that spreads…read morepositivity and encouragement through art. The mural runs along the Monon Trail and was completed in 2014 after 8 months of work. The mural had collaboration from the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association, SmallBox, Terra Pro, LLC, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, the Girl Scouts, CFI, the Indianapolis Art Center's Teen Art Council, and Sherwin-Williams chipped in with paint and supplies. The mural was painted to replace aging and deteriorating ones that were becoming more of an eye sore than anything. The mural is nice. I like the detail put into each train car. Each car has a positive word or phrase like "Smile", "I Heart You", "You are beautiful", "Do great things", and "Eye believe you can". Each car was made from numerous four feet tall by eight feet wide stencils to cover the 5,000 square foot surface. It is very colorful and detailed. I almost mistook it as a real train from a far. Dave Combs of DPWords said that "the purpose of The Love Train is to bring positive messages to people in a beautiful way". I think it definitely accomplishes that. I really like this mural and the work or the Department of Public Words. We can never have too much positivity, especially in the times that we are in now. This is one of the few murals that you could make a special trip to see. If you are not going for the trail, but just going to see the mural. The easiest place to park to see it is the parking lot of the Half Littler House. It is a very short walk from there. Even though I spent more time here than most other murals that I have visited, this is still probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 15 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

If you wanna check out some cool art then this the place. This spot is like 2 miles from the famous…read moreBroad Ripple Village. The Monon Trail Love Train is a long wall with lot of art in different colors and captions but of the same format that looks like coaches. Walk all across the wall and you'll find amazing Angel Wings( see my profile pic)and Pink Cranes. There are 2 different angel wings which are Instagramable. Check out my Insta profile:: Mr.harven

While I love this particular mural on the Gomez BBQ and the 18th St Brewery, I have to give it only…read more4 stars instead of the 5 possibles. This is simply due to the fact that now there is a fence around it obstructing the view. To make matters worse, there are open umbrellas blocking your view even more. With that said, it is now impossible to take a decent picture of this mural. A shame really because this mural is gorgeous.

I had not heard of muck rock until she came to indy in 2019 and painted a number of great pieces…read morearound the city. This gem is located on 10th street and on the side of Gomez bbq, it's an awesome combination of colors! I've always had a like of skulls (emo kid for life) and this is a combo of the Gomez bbq and 18th street brewery logos. (Both awesome places in themselves) Check out this art if you can, there are some other great pieces around 10th street as well as around the city! I think each piece of muck rocks art is unique and different.

"Greetings from Ft Ben" is a commissioned public art display that adorns the front of The Otis at…read moreFt. Ben Apartments, one of multiple complexes in the area known as Fort Ben just inside Lawrence. The mural is a beauty, though I'll admit I found it a bit uncared for in my opinion. It's still quite beautiful and it probably didn't help that I stopped by on what was a late fall/early winter dreary day. The mural was completed by Jon Edwards from Blice Edwards. It's what is often referred to as a "postcard" mural complete with the "Greetings From" verbiage along with imagery that will no doubt be familiar for most Ft. Ben area folks. The area's military history is proudly on display along with a reference to golf (there's a golf course within a few blocks), lots of greenery, trails, and a former barracks imagery (these are now office spaces). The colors utilized make the mural pop. Even with a lot of construction going on, the mural is difficult to miss if you drive by it and it's definitely one that draws you in. This one is easy to stop and see. While parking around here has gotten a wee bit territorial, there's a Ft. Ben Branch library 1-2 blocks away and it's easy to stop and catch this mural while on a library visit. The mural was completed in 2021 and adds a terrific touch to an already picturesque area. For those who love public art, this is one of several pieces in the Fort Ben area worth your time.

This mural was painted by Jon Edwards from the Blice Edwards art gallery. It was commissioned by…read moreand located in front of The Otis at Ft. Ben Apartments. It is very nice art work and is based on your stereotypical "Greetings From" postcard. The artist intended to represent the military history and natural beauty of the City of Lawrence/Fort Ben. The mural is pretty busy and has a lot going on. The letters in FT Ben have an American flag, 3 soldiers saluting, a golf course flag, and a Fort Harrison Park hiking trail. The dot after the "FT" even has a golf ball on a tee. The mural has a golf club leaning against the "E" in the mural. There are also leaves, branches and other greenery is placed along the bottom of the mural. I like the use of colors that Edwards uses. It is a gorgeous mural. There is parking available at the apartment complex and there is also some street parking available across the street from the mural. This is an excellent addition to the Fort Ben landscape. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops or checking it out on your way somewhere else. You may consider checking out "Threshold", which is right around the corner.

I have passed this mural many times and not noticed it. I decided to make today a mural finding…read morefield trip. The mural wraps around two sides of the Indy Auto Man's Service Center, the front and side and covers 2,400 sqft. It was commissioned in 2021 by the Indy Auto Man Car Dealership and created by Nekoda Witsken. She was assisted by Travis Neal, Bezol One, and Dan "Invisible Hometown" Handskillz. it is meant to represent the business's core values of initiative, growth, integrity, transformation, and resourcefulness. Employees were polled as to which symbols and heroes they felt best represented these values and their feedback was then used to design the mural. The mural not only has the dog, it has MLK, and Freddy Mercury. I like this mural it is large and very detailed. The colors really pop out and pull you in. You can park in the business's lot to get out and see the mural up close. I highly recommend planning out stops at some of the other wonderful murals that are within a mile or two of this one to maximize your time. Fun fact: This mural served as the backdrop to the inaugural Indy Arts Fest as well.

One of the most talented and successful local artists stays busy adding new murals faster than I…read morecan keep up with her. Local artist Nekoda Witsken collaborated with some other local artists to work on an enormous two sided mural on the south side. One of the special details of this mural is that instead of just using brushes, she used spray paint on this metal surface. The front of the building has many figures and faces (including a full sized Fredddie Mercury. Over on the right side of the building you will see the title of the mural as well as a larger than life image of her dog "Potato".. There is also a dog tag with names of people who love Potato as well as the artist. one of the things I enjoy about this artists' work is that there are many styles of art that she can choose to use. I've seen enough of her art that I can arecognize much of it without her signature. Even when she worked with other artists to complete the work, she has such distinctive touches that I can still find them. Review #3969