Mural artist Joseph Giri, 56, creates his brand of public art on raw concrete walls. Giri’s latest work in Chattanooga is an eye-popping interpretation and message designed to give passers-by a hint that they need a doughnut from Koch’s Bakery on Broad Street.
The location of Giri’s effort draws the eye of northbound travelers headed toward downtown from Lookout Mountain. The canvas is a curtain wall and a small square storage building made of concrete block. The visual graphic encompasses a 15-foot-high by 70-foot-wide space.
With dozens of bristled brushes, Giri sketched his creation on the rough wall last week while dodging a mixture of cloudbursts and sun.
The southpaw painter leaned over the edge of his rented hydraulic lift in cargo shorts and Crocs, perched beneath a flimsy beach umbrella. Then he scuffed on the most brilliant colors with a brush so worn, it was surprising that he did not reach for a newer one.
“I wanna smack you upside the head with it, but in a good way,” Giri said of his art.