For many people garage doors are simply utilitarian tools that protect their car and other belongings. The only garage door aesthetic they concern themselves with are making sure that the doors blend with the rest of the home’s color scheme. However, others see garage doors as huge canvases of opportunity. Read on to learn about the different places where artists are embracing garage door murals.
Evanston, Illinois
In Illinois, an artist by the name of Teresa Parod uses multiple has created a veritable garage door mural gallery. Parod has taken her talents to the garage doors that make up a residential alleyway in Evanston. Evanston is a small Chicago suburb that acts as home to Northwestern University.
Her garage door murals depict bright, cheery imagery. A common theme, unsurprisingly, is home. Parod often depicts well-lit houses, beautiful gardens, and beloved pets. Although she occasionally draws inspiration from further away places, such as the jungle and space.
The gallery started when she originally painted her own garage door. All of the neighbors admired the color from afar, until one summoned the courage to ask the artist to paint their door as well. Soon, the murals spread through the neighborhood.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco is already a city known for its colorful Victorian mansions, called the painted ladies. That legacy of color ad design has crept onto the city’s garage doors.
On Instagram, there is a hashtag #garagedoorsofsf and the account @sanfransicogarages that show off the city’s aesthetic. The tag has been active since 2014, and has only grown in strength and popularity.
Some of the garages have murals on them, while others are painted to match the bright building it is attached to. Still others are decorated with patterns or designs that can only be described as modern art. The trend seems to have originated in the Mission District of San Francisco, and gradually spread to the rest of the city.
Prospect Heights, Illinois
Chicago seems to love its garage door murals. Prospect Heights is a northwestern suburb of Chicago where one artist uses her garage door as a mural canvas every year. Since 2015, Kate Tully, has decorated her garage door with chalk, which last the entire year – even through rain and snow.
In the past, Tully has largely recreated other famous works, including Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz”. However, this year, the professional muralist created an original work featuring Albert Einstein. The large image of Einstein’s face and iconic hair is framed by imagery and equations from his greatest discoveries.
The mural took six hours to complete, as well as hours of additional research. Tully’s husband is also an artist and a builder, who helps her flesh out her designs. This year, the pair were inspired by the moonwalk and space exploration.
The Takeaway
While garage door murals are not for everyone, they certainly add plenty of interest to a house. If the artist in you is dying to try this trend, try following Tully’s lead and use chalk first before committing to paint.
