More Outdoor Art for Garland

Another gift of outdoor art donated by Robert A. Smith to the citizens of Garland has been installed on the corner of W State Street and 9th. Smith purchased it from a gallery in Deep Ellum and had a track mounted on the brick wall to hold the six panels in place. The name of the piece is “Texas Mythos Misremembered”, and the Artist is Johnny Edwards. Edwards grew up in Garland and completed his first commissioned mural at the age of 18, in 1999. 

Mural on 9th 4

Mural on 9th

Mural on 9th 3

Mural on 9th 2

The mural is rich with vibrant color and for me, a kind of dark humor. The attraction for Smith was the skyline of the City of Dallas, the space ship reminiscent of Star Trek, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and the life consuming plants reminded him of the “Little Shop of Horrors”. Then there is Pegasus high in the sky, leading a flock of winged equines in flight. The folks I have spoken to have each interpreted it in a different way. The dead cowboy and Texas Longhorns seemingly strangled by a deadly vine tell a story too, but what is it?

This mural by Johnny Edwards is the third piece of outdoor art near the corner of Ninth. The first two are rather small and insignificant in size when compared to his powerful mural, but they are there, nevertheless. The first mural was the dogs on the back of the pet adoption center by Lucas Cervellini, the second was the butterfly wings in the parking lot behind Paw Paw’s by Preston Panek, and now the sure to be controversial, this full wall sized mural. All three commissioned by Smith, in addition to what has become an outdoor art gallery at 506 Art on Main Street between Fifth and Sixth. Keep your eyes open, as he tells us there’s more outdoor art to come in Downtown Garland!

Nancy Ghirla

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