McKinney-based artist Andrea Holmes finished downtown Allen’s first mural in early July, she said.
The mural, named “Wings of Allen,” is the eighth in a 100-piece series focused on birds, she said. The piece includes images that represent the city and region, such as an eagle, bluebonnets and cone flowers.
Holmes also drew inspiration from Chloe Mae Studios, where the mural is located, by incorporating a “light, dusty color palette,” she said.
This project is the first mural in downtown Allen and Holmes said she hopes the mural can "pave the way" for other artists to bring pieces to the downtown area.
“I love the idea that just some paint can totally transform an area, and it can become a landmark for a place,” Holmes said.
Co-owner of Chloe Mae Studios Jennifer Seibert was one of Holmes’s professors at Collin College where she first had the idea for her 100-piece series.
“I actually started my 100 bird project and paintings in her classroom,” Holmes said. “It was a series of 10 Texas birds, and then I expanded it from that. It’s cool that it all kind of circles back and now one of my 100 bird murals is on her and her sister's gallery, which feels really special.”
Chloe Mae Studios is hosting a mural reveal and reception for the project at 6-8 p.m., Aug. 8. Individuals can also purchase pieces of Holmes’s artwork at the studio.
