The spray paint artist Sorrow chose a different technique to create his first mural, using brushes to make a 20 x 10-foot mural on the north wall of the Wichita Falls Brewing Company. Wochit
A bold new mural in downtown Wichita Falls is more than a great backdrop for selfies.
Go ahead, the artist and business owner said, and take them in front of the head-turning public art on the Seventh Street side of Wichita Falls Brewing Co. at 710 Indiana Avenue.
Sorrow, the artist, and the brewery owner, Matt Bitsche, hope people will snap photos in front of the Day of the Dead piece bringing new life to the corner.
The local artist hopes people enjoy it on whatever level they'd like.
“I want people to be able to dig deeper, to be able to find meaning if they want to,” Sorrow said. “It can also be eye candy, too, at the same time.”
Behind its strong colors and larger than life figures is Sorrow’s commitment to his faith. A spiritual theme stands out with a closer look.
In the mural, a skeletal bride and groom kiss, skull to skull, in what looks like a Day of the Dead wedding. The bride wears a sweeping veil, the groom a sombrero.
Blacks, grays and whites are offset by bright red touches. Red letters along the bottom of the 20-by-10-foot mural state “Forever and a day till death do us part.”
Dia de Muertos is a popular Mexican holiday. Family and friends gather in remembrance of loved ones, praying for those who’ve died to help them along their spiritual journey.
Sugar skulls and tableaus of skeletons dressed for everyday activities are part of the observance. The three-day celebration begins Oct. 31.
Sorrow said his faith is his inspiration in his art.
In one of his other pieces, a couple embraces against a background of script. A closer look will show that it’s Song of Songs, also called the Song of Solomon. This part of the Bible depicts two lovers celebrating and yearning for each other.
Over the years, Sorrow has had some exhibits and sold some work, but selling his art isn’t the point of it.
“Of course, I want to share it with people and get it out there because it’s all stacked up in my house,” he said. “I probably have 100 pieces in my house right now, just leaning against each other.”
Bitsche and business partner Russ Reynolds plan to open the Wichita Falls Brewing Co. in late March, and Bitsche commissioned the mural.
More: Brew pub bubbling with activity in preparation for opening in late March
“It was just something kind of cool and romantic,” he said.
He sees it as a statement both of his passionate commitment to doing something for his hometown, as well as the journey to open the new business.
“It’s taken forever and a day to complete this project,” Bitsche said.
He’s wanted to do it more than 10 years, and he’s been working hours upon hours to get it going since last year. But it’s a labor of love for the craft beer brewer.
Sorrow has a day job, and his art is also a labor of love.
“I don’t really try too much because it turns into work,” Sorrow said. “I do it for a different reason. I just do it just do it.”
“I’m always looking for a new wall or a new canvas to paint on – the more public, the better,” he said.
He and Bitsche thought the mural would be a good way to bring their two pursuits together. Sorrow uses the one-word pseudonym for his art.
The mural is his first one, and the biggest piece he’s ever done. He painted it with 30-year exterior house paint from Home Depot.
He brushed it onto 12 pieces of cement board, attached earlier in March to the historic brewery building.
The jaw-dropping creation is best viewed from across the street in the afternoon sunlight, Bitsche said.
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