One of the bookend pieces of public art that was created for the Rensselaer Art Walk 2019…read more(#RenArtWlk) was created by artist Chris Chenyang Shim (Royyal Dog). On the east end of the art walk which brings colorful murals to the alley a half block north of US #231, the artist has created a stunningly realistic painting of a young girl dressed in a Hanbok (traditional Korean garment) as she holds a bit of brightly colored ribbon. She is posed in front of a bright full moon on an otherwise red background. The artist uses reference photos to help while up in the air painting the entire backside of a building. Shim has also created a mural on the other end of the alley (see review for Moon Lady) that completes the bookend. If you are in the area, treat yourself to a short walk through the two block area to see these fantastic murals. Review #3035

No street art collection of murals would be complete without a mural that relies upon an artist to…read morewrite something in a very stylized fashion. The mural has a blue and white writing that reads "Indiana" with a very small writing in white for "Rensselaer". The writing is highlighted with red stars flaring out from behind the writing while all the writing is bordered in black. What is interesting is that the artist, Andre Iglesias (Cobre) has done a number of photo real portrait murals in the Tippecanoe Valley area. So, for him to step away from that style to do one with writing is a change of pace. The placement of this mural seems appropriate because it is across the street from the formal block printed "Rensselaer" by Cameron Moberg (Camer1). The two murals seem to bridge the connection between the two blocks with their common theme. Review #3040

It seems like there is a wave of murals out there that want visitors to interact with the images by…read moreposing in front of the art and taking photos. I passed on the interaction, but have seen enough photos that I can imagine what this would look like. The mural shows the silhouette of an open black umbrella being rained on by a rainbow of colors which continue to fall to the sides of the umbrella, but those that hit the black area are absorbed. Visitors are supposed to stand under the open umbrella and pretend to hold the handle as they do. It is part of the mural collection Ren Art Walk. Although not signed, I believe the piece is by Cameron Moberg (Camer1) who has done a similar piece in Lafayette. Review #3041

One of Cameron Moberg's (Camer1) contributions to the Ren Art Walk in 2019 was the addition of a…read moregiant sea turtle to the side of a building on the east block of the alley gallery of murals. The colorful mural is done in shades of green and is larger than life! It is swimming upward towards the viewer's left. The artist cleverly positioned the turtle to avoid some of the natural obstacles presented by the shape and supporting equipment on the wall. Review #3036

One of the most noticeable murals of the Rensselaer Art Walk is a large image of coneflowers that…read morecan be seen on a large wall that is visible from Washington Street. The mural, by artist Jenna Morello, has bright pink flowers with yellow centers on a field of green leaves. The mural is just one of the many murals that were added in 2019 as part of #RenArtWlk that fills two blocks of alley with numerous murals from artists all around the country. Review #3038

The detail on this mural is incredible. I can't fathom how much skill it takes to paint the…read morewrinkles and imperfections of an old man's face over a rough brick and mortar surface, adding lines where you want them, but avoiding the present lines of the brick. It must be challenging. This amazing work is the creation of Andre Iglesias (Cobre) who participated in the Ren Art Walk in 2019. Cobre can do all kinds of mural art, but this black and white image ranks right up with his "Conductor" piece in Lafayette's Wabash Walls collection (2018). It's a shame that unless visitors to Rensselaer take time to tour the alley that hosts the collection, they will never see this mural. Review #3042

In this mural, Cameron Moberg (Camer1SF) created a simple sign spelling out the name of the town,…read moreRensselaer (or maybe not so simple since it is often misspelled!) On a white background, the letters are done in shades of brown and when viewed together, create a landscape of a rural farm scene. The dark base of the letters have corn stalks growing in the shadows. The mural is part of the Rensselaer Art Walk which has compacted numerous murals in a two block area just north of US 231 (Washington St). Review #3037

One of the murals on the western block of the Rensselaer Art Walk is a piece by Shawn Bullen…read more(2019). The piece is on the far east end of the block on the back of the building that fronts Washington St. The mural shows a little bit of everything. First, there are lots of animals, both pets and wild ones. There is also a red Mustang car, a swirled ice cream cone, a burger, and French Toast while in the background, it looks like scenes from the Rensselaer area. Just a bit of everything that you might find here. The mural is very colorful and helps draw you into the alley to see the rest of the murals. Review #3039

This large mural painted by Emily Ding for the Ren Art Walk in 2019 seems like it would be…read moreextremely challenging. First, the mural is large. Second, the surface is extremely rough and uneven which would seem to be a nightmare to work with, especially when detailing all the feathers of the fierce birds surrounding the smaller and apparently helpless bird in the center. It could be called "Hawks and Dove" as the larger birds seem to have gathered together to take down the single victim. Is it political commentary? I guess it's up to you to judge. The mural is filled with reds and blues with shades that are limited to less bright colors. That seems to make the threat of the large birds even more intimidating. Review #3043