It’s been a unique week in Orlando as graffiti artists have been welcomed to the City Beautiful to help promote the local art scene.
Seven local artists were commissioned to depict the unique character of Orlando in spray paint as part of Orlando City Soccer Club’s re-branding prior to entering Major League Soccer in 2015. “Paint The City Purple” saw artists Earl Funk, Juan Torres, Timmy Dub, Dr. Ze, Ken Deft, Shane “Conky” St. Denis and Boy Kong painting large murals on some of the City’s buildings. The murals are temporary, however, as the City Council approved temporary permits that allow the artwork to be displayed for just 30 days. On June 9, they’ll be painted over.
Tonight, from 7pm to 9pm, the public will get a chance to see some exclusive photographs of each mural as well as some other pieces of art designed by each artist. There will also be a LYNX bus that will be wrapped in a mural designed by Earl Funk. The event will be hosted at Snap Orlando at 1013 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando FL 32803 and there is free parking available behind the building off of Thornton Avenue.
Instead of painting Orlando City’s new logo on various buildings, artists were asked to bring their own interpretation of Orlando to their masterpiece. As a result, many varied designs from a rare “Ghost Orchid” to an “Alligator in a Swan” came about. Six murals are located throughout Downtown Orlando and two more are at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford. Here’s the full list:
“Alligator in a Swan” by Earl Funk at Harry Buffalo, 129 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801
“Ghost Orchid” by Juan Torres at WBQ Design and Engineering, 201 N Magnolia Ave, Orlando FL 32801
“The Princess of Orlando” by Dr. Ze at Dexter’s – Thornton Park, 808 E. Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801
“Three Headed Lion” by Ken Deft on an electrical box on the corner of Bumby and Colonial.
“The Jungle” by Timmy Dub at 1419 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803
“Bloated Alligator” by Boy Kong at Maximum Entertainment Group, 1303 N. Orange Ave., Orlando.
The final two murals by Ken Deft (above) and Shane “Conky” St. Denis (below) can be found at Seminole Soccer Complex and are soccer based murals.
More photographs at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com