SPLASH Bart Smeets Makes a Splash with his Beautiful Mural
Bart Smeets is a master of placing beautiful murals in unexpected places. When he looks at a plain, boring wall, he sees nothing but possibilities for beauty and magic. The world is a canvas for this brilliant painter. Smeets skillfully uses existing architecture and turns it into enchanting art in public places.
His painting Splash uses the side of a building on a crowded street to inspire awe in onlookers. Inspired by a picture of Karen Dillabough, this mural uses the height of the building to show a dog jumping into a pool of water. We can see the underwater view of the dog’s joyous face as he takes the plunge.
Before the painting went up, this street was forgettable, just another road you would drive down to get somewhere else. But now people might identify the road by the painting. They might even refer to the painting when giving directions about where a business is located. This street could be known by the locals as Splash Street, and it’s all thanks to Smeets’ creativity and vision. Art in public places can make a location more memorable and exciting. It can transform a street or neighborhood from a place people want to get through to a place people want to go to.