Mural Artist Adds More Flavor To Brady District

A new mural shines bright on the side of an ordinary building in the heart of the Brady District.

The mural is the latest by an artist who painted other iconic greetings, and now his work has a permanent spot in Tulsa.

For weeks Billy Brakhage has worked quietly, painting the side of a cinderblock building on Boulder in the Brady District.

"It’s very hard to paint on cinderblock,” he said. “So many divots."

The owner of the property hired him. His assignment was to create a Tulsa mural highlighting some of the more remarkable things the city has to offer.

"The appeal to the spirit so far has been the funnest one,” Brakhage said.

The artwork is reminiscent of the famous “Greetings From Austin” postcard mural Brakhage completed in the late 90s.

Within each letter, a message and a symbol of the Tulsa.

"There is a lot that Tulsa offers,” he said. “In fact, we will start to feel the influx here. It happened in Austin, and that's why I did it… Iike I was sending out the pied piper invitation."

There is the Appeal to the Spirit statue in the T.  The U and L showcase an iconic former motel, and of course the BOK tower and Center of the Universe. The S is the old Drillers Stadium. The final image of Atlas in the A - is paired with four stars - symbolic of the four total solar eclipse patterns set to happen in the next three decades.

If you didn't know, in 2045 one is set to happen directly above Tulsa.

"Right over the BOK Center at about 12 noon on august 12 2045,”  he said.

So how does he do it? Billy tells us he uses a projector to get the outline on the building so it’s properly measured, but the rest is mainly freehand work.

Final touches on things like trees and windows on the painting of the Philbrook Museum.

"I enjoy the feelings of people appreciating in what I do, and I want to instill happiness in people as much as possible," he said.

And for years to come, people will be able to admire the mural that tells a story of what Billy says is one special city.