Many have noticed beautiful public art and wondered when we could have the same in downtown Sevierville. Today is the day! The first mural in downtown Sevierville has been created by local artist, Pinkie Mistry.
Pinkie was chosen by the Sevierville Commons Association to create the first mural downtown at 111 E. Main Street on the back of a building owned by Sevier County Bank. I watched the process over several days and am happy to share pictures depicting the evolution of our new mural downtown. It is amazing!
Day 1
I drove down Bruce Street and parked behind the gazebo. The large, white wall beckoned for color and the stroke of a brush.
I pulled out a lawn chair and joined Sofia to watch the beginning of the process as the sun set over the courthouse.
First, Pinkie projected an outline on the wall and then centered it to her preference. A perfect fit!
Next, Pinkie and her husband took careful measurements. The mural is about 16 feet high and 20 feet across. The mural shows a large set of butterfly wings with smaller butterflies floating away to the left. That makes this butterfly mural extra special, in my opinion. The artist chose the monarch butterfly in particular because they are found in Tennessee during the yearly migration to Mexico. Next, Pinkie and her husband fixed scaffolding to allow her to reach the higher areas of the mural. I left before they added the second level of scaffolding. That would have made me nervous to be so high in the air!
Day 2
I dropped by on my way to work and found the wings taking shape with beautiful color. Pinkie sat high above the ground to reach the top of the butterfly.
Two sections of scaffolding reached the higher parts of the mural.I saw this posted on a Facebook Live feed so I took a quick screenshot to capture this work in progress. Consequently, that is why you see the emojis in the bottom left corner. On my way home after work, I returned in time to see a WBIR reporter recording the story. I didn’t disturb them—just took a snap.
Many of us are nervous on ladders and dealing with heights so this moment was interesting. It shows how the artist captured the finer touches of the work. I saw her balancing the paint bucket on the ladder in front of her and admired both her composure and balance.
The Finished Product!
The next morning, I stopped by on the way to work and found the finished mural ready to enjoy! This is how it will look as you drive into the parking lot from Bruce Street.
Here is the hashtag to find photos of the Wings of Wander mural on social media—and where to post your photos as well. #wingsofwander In addition, it shows how to find info on this artist. Here is a link to Pinkie Mistry’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/DesignsByPinkieMistry/ and find her on Instagram at @pinkiemistryart. Beautiful! Now, there is nothing left to do but enjoy it!Wear black clothing and you almost seem to become the monarch butterfly!This may be the best thing downtown and it is free! Come and enjoy Wings of Wander, the first mural in downtown Sevierville. Many thanks to Pinkie Mistry for her talent! It was worth the wait!
Out and About in Sevierville 