“It was a little deceiving because the wall seems so small, but once you start painting them because you wrap it around, it’s actually quite a lot of square footage,” Brooker says.

Brooker rose to the challenge, all while pregnant with her first child. Luckily, she had her father and a couple other painters helping her complete the project.

Murals, which are prevalent throughout Greenville Avenue, act as a graffiti deterrent and are less likely to get tagged as opposed to if they were left blank, McAulay says.

“Graffiti artists are artists as well,” Brooker says. “I think if they already see art there and maybe the hard work that went behind it, they’re less likely to tag it because they’re like, ‘Oh, they probably worked hard on that.’ But I also know it’s going to happen. That’s part of the job, and it can be covered up if needed.”

This project cost $25,500 and was funded by ​​commercial property owners, local residents, the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association, Belmont Addition Conservation District and local business owners, McAulay says. The neighborhood association is also planning to replace lamppost banners, which will feature the mural design, on the same stretch of Greenville Avenue.

“While the artist Chera was out painting, people would always stop and talk to her and just say how pleased they are, how beautiful (the murals) are,” McAulay says. “We had a GoFundMe campaign throughout this … and we had signs up where she was painting, and all of a sudden someone would send us a $200 donation because they were walking down the street and saw how nice the murals look.”

The pony walls now match the vibrancy of Greenville Avenue, Brooker says, and she is grateful to have her art featured in our cool neighborhood.

“As an artist, when you’re painting it, you’re just so close to it that it’s hard to see it from an outsider’s perspective. But the last couple weeks, I’ve been able to drive by, and I just see it as an outsider, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, that really does look good,’” Brooker says. “It makes such a difference having that colorful artwork.”