Massive Works Demand Effort, Creative Splash

Murals are a twist on traditional painting, taking small-scale works of art from canvas and wood backing and enlarging them on brick walls. The art of murals takes the painting out of the home, blending works of art with the daily surroundings of Chapel Hill residents.

James Hirschfield, a UNC studio art professor and the director of the program in studio art, said murals help create a sense of place and enliven the community.

Meanwhile, mural creation also turns the world of a painter's accessories upside down.

"The materials I use are different for each job," said Michael Brown, who has painted more than 70 murals throughout the state and about 15 large works in the Chapel Hill area. "The best paint to use is top-of-the-line house paint, because it's what we can afford, it works the best and it sticks to brick the best."

Brown, who majored in studio art at UNC and worked as a house painter during his college years, has been a professional mural artist for more than 15 years.

"I think, in all honesty, there's a little bit of construction worker macho in my temperament," Brown said. "It's just very satisfying to be able to handle the projects."

Brown is the artist behind the puzzle pieces that traverse the brick alleyway between Franklin and Rosemary streets. He painted the turtles by the homeless shelter, the parade next to the Carolina Coffee Shop and many other works that UNC students and area residents walk past each day -- and he is just getting started.

"I primarily look through the last 120 years of art history because (a mural) is as much an expression for the public and a kind of program for the public as it is my self-expression," Brown said. "I try to find different genres that will surprise people and that will vary the style so there's not just one look from one artist."

Varying the style of murals also includes varying the place, Brown said. With the puzzle pieces mural, he worked with a group of UNC students whom he sent out in the area with instructions to paint single puzzle pieces in random locations.

"It's kind of like we spilled the box, and there are puzzle pieces all over town," he said. "Sometimes I run into new ones myself."

Using spray guns, rollers and between 30 and 40 brushes a day, Brown works with local children to create works that are then covered with protective coatings and preserved, sometimes for up to 20 years.

And he said his passion combines with his desire to create appreciation of murals in his audience -- keeping him busy decorating walls, inside and out, in the Chapel Hill area.

Brown said, "I just try to make (the murals) all nice enough or interesting enough that they will be somebody's favorite."

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.