Herculean Men in Carrboro

The "Marathon" mural by Michael Brown (1994) was commissioned by owner, John Dimos, who operated the Greek restaurant that formerly resided in the building in which the painting appears. The mural depicts an ancient Greek marathon as if on a broken plate -- from the Greek tradition celebrating by breaking a plate. In 2012, Dimos, who owns Captain John's Dockside in Chatham County, funded the restoration of the mural.

The mural is located at the convergence of West Rosemary Street and East Main Street  in Carrboro. Its appears on the Don Jose Tienda Mexicana.

(photograph taken in Carrboro)

Towering Shades of Blue

Michael Brown created "The Blue Mural" (1989), his first in Chapel Hill, in pointillist style with the aid of student volunteers (Chapel Hill-Carborro School System) all using same-sized brushes. The mural depicts a night-time cityscape of Chapel Hill and and is based on Brown's memories of Franklin Street when he was a dishwasher at Ye Olde Waffle Shop. The Painted Walls Project restored the mural in 2009. "The Blue Mural " established Brown's reputation in the city and led to additional requests for murals in the area -- about 1 per year.

The mural is located behind shops/restaurants between Franklin Street and Henderson Streets and can be seen from the public parking lot between Rosemary Street and North Colombia Street.

(photograph taken in Chapel Hill)

Greetings from Chapel Hill

“Greetings from Chapel Hill” (2013), which wallpapers the backside of Chapel Hill's legendary bar He's Not Here, was created by local artist Scott Nurkin. The painting depicts a 1941 postcard by German illustrator Curt Teich. Nurkin, a UNC Alumnus (2000) and Charlotte native, also painted more than half a dozen murals inside the bar among others seen throughout town. He is perhaps best known for creating 19 paintings of musicians native to North Carolina -- including Nina Simone, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk – that peppered the walls of the former Chapel Hill institution, Pepper’s Pizza, which resided on Franklin Street and closed in 2013. Those paintings are now on display at the School of Music in Hill Hall on the University of North Carolina's campus.

"Greetings from Chapel Hill" is located located behind He's Not Here at 112 1/2 W Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. It can be seen from the parking lot on Rosemary Street.

(photograph taken in Chapel Hill)