Georgia Magazine - June 2024 - 23

Above: Many of David Hale's murals feature geometric birds
to symbolize hope. Right: Hale says his whole family helps
with his projects.
scenic highways and byways of Southeast Georgia.
A mural he painted on a shed in tiny Bellville
depicts community life of yesteryear-a locomotive;
a horse-drawn wagon; H.C. Hearn & Co., a familyowned
general store in the early 20th century; and a
Coca-Cola sign.
A decade ago, he painted the Whistle Stop
Farmers Market logo surrounded by nostalgic scenes
on a wall in Pembroke. Several of his compositions
embellish the streets of Glennville.
" Some murals are hard and cause me a lot of
pain and heartache, " he says. " But then they turn
out to be gems. I really love that my murals make
people smile. "
Murals bring comfort
In 2004, when he was 19, David Hale painted
his first mural on the side of an Athens bike shop.
Since then, he has produced
more than 50 murals (with the
assistance of his family and
other helpers) and says he likes
the idea of public art-art that is
accessible to all.
Hale notes that art moves
people in different, unexpected
ways and points to a mural commissioned
by St. Mary's Health
Care System as an example.
" When people are grieving
or feeling a lot of anxiety, 'Birds
of Heaven' helps them feel safe,
welcome, calm and more at
peace, " he says, describing
the striking blue-and-black
geometric birds flying amid
fanciful red, pink and green
trees. " Most of all, I think it helps them feel hopeful. "
Hope and birds are common themes in Hale's creations. During the
pandemic, he took down the panels of his " Birdsong " mural on West
Washington Street in Athens and replaced them with " Hope, " an image
depicting 25 colorful swallows that commemorated the 25th anniversary
of the AthFest music and arts festival.
" Swallows are symbols of hope and rebirth, " says Hale, who is also a
tattoo artist and printmaker. " Early sailors saw swallows and knew they
were getting close to land-and to home-and that was a comfort to them.
I want my murals to bring comfort to people. "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer based in Adairsville.
Along the artistic path
The Georgia Mural Trail was created in 2014 by the late John W.
Christian from Go Georgia Arts with a mission to design, create, educate
and promote community heritage, culture and tourism through public
community art projects and events. It encompasses several smaller trails
that run east to west and north to south throughout the state.
" It started as a five-year program to paint 50 murals in small towns in
five years and get artists, organizations and sponsors to collaborate on the
projects. And history was a big piece of it, " says Michael Christian, his son.
" My dad wanted to help small towns preserve their history and culture with
murals. He helped organize communities and get the grants needed for the
projects. "
Today, through more than 60 mural projects, John Christian's
fingerprints remain all over the backroads of Georgia. The project has been
renamed the American Mural Trail and includes works across Georgia,
North Carolina and Alabama. To see a map of included murals and learn
more, visit georgiamuraltrail.com. Michael Christian also plans to maintain
his father's Facebook page as a legacy page at fb.com/john.w.christian.
Learn more
* Chris Johnson, Chris Johnson Murals, chrisjmfa.com
* Anna Parker, Sweet Tea Murals, atlantamuralist.com
* Johnny " Paintbrush " Washington, (912) 570-7540
* David Hale, Love Hawk, hawk.love
www.georgiamagazine.org 23
DAVID HALE
SIDNEY ROUSE
http://www.georgiamuraltrail.com http://www.fb.com/john.w.christian http://www.chrisjmfa.com http://www.atlantamuralist.com http://hawk.love http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2024
