“This is a father-and-son collaboration piece,” Billingsley said.
The mural work was separated between Billingsley and his son, along with a few other volunteers. Billingsley working on the main portrait, and Billingsley ll mainly working on the colorful background that surrounds the piece.
“The purpose (of the piece) is that painting make me and my son happy,” Billingsley told TvHamilton. “The purpose was to create something that makes me and my son happy.”
The mural is one of many pieces of artwork that has been done by the artists, with a various amount of other pieces being displayed all over the Cincinnati region, including The Fringe Coffee House in Hamilton.
“If I can bring someone that brief moment of joy,” Billingsley said, “then I’ve done my job.”
The mural, located on utility box at Main and B streets, is the first utility box mural that the program has backed or created.
According to Jennifer Acus-Smith, the StreetSpark Program Manager, the program has future plans of more murals, paintings and artwork showcased on various utility boxes around the county, with the second one in the works for this summer.
To keep up with new pieces created through the StreetSpark program, access maps of where existing artwork can be found, or to donate, visit the StreetSpark webpage.
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