Christine Crawford, a muralist, has painted four murals in Lexington County, including a mural for MOD Pizza and a particularly visible alleyway along State Street in West Columbia between New Brookland Tavern and the Hideout at WeCo

Crawford said she has always been into art and creating, but it wasn’t until she attended Coastal Carolina University that she took a class in painting. Following college, she was given the opportunity to create some murals with a friend, and now she works full-time in her creative career.

The artist said that she fell in love with the process and how bringing a wall to life made the community and business feel.

Crawford told the Chronicle that public art brings communities and individuals together, enthusing that it brightens up the area and brings life to dull walls with purpose, love and color. She added that public art can help generate more car, foot and visitor traffic in the places where it is added.

The West Columbia alleyway is what Crawford considered her “big break.” It’s part of the city’s Interactive Park, which continues in the well-trafficked city parking lot behind, and highlights many of the city’s assets, including the Gervais Street Bridge, the Congaree River and both State and Meeting streets.

“I will forever be thankful and grateful for them for giving me a chance and trusting me with my vision I had for that space,” she said. “To this day, it’s still one of my favorite murals and it makes me so happy when I see people post about it or it pops up on the news or a commercial.”

Crawford’s process for creating her artwork includes an initial meeting with the client to form an understanding of the design they envision. Her next step includes getting some photos for inspiration, creating two to three mock-ups, and any necessary revising, then painting it on the wall.

According to Crawford, her niche is not having a niche when creating.

Crawford finds motivation in being a creative and self-employed individual, telling the Chronicle that she has never worked harder in her life. She shared that her husband, family and friends are her greatest supporters and that they motivate her to be better and challenge herself.

When it comes to finding inspiration, the artist said she finds it everywhere, saying that it first began when she was living at the beach. Now she finds her inspiration in her surroundings, the people she encounters and her experiences. 

Some words the artist used to describe her work were unique, colorful, varied, and one-of-a-kind.

She said that art means something special and evokes emotion, continuing to mention that art is a means to communicate different ideas and thoughts.

“[It’s] means to find beauty in life,” she said, “to put light in dark places”

In the coming weeks, the Chronicle will continue to take a look at public art and its influence in the area, profiling more local artists.