Whiteway Deli gets facelift on its profile

Whiteway Deli gets facelift on its profile

Mural brings beauty to King Street

Sam Salem has passers-by looking twice at the side of his deli at 1237 King Street. The realistic scene painted by artist Cal Oglesby, 27, portrays homes from Avondale that almost makes you want to knock on the doors.

Salem and Oglesby connected after the deli owner saw an article about Oglesby’s mural on the Wall Street Deli in 5 Points and then the artist happened to visit Salem’s Whiteway Deli for breakfast one morning.

Artist Cal Oglesby, right, explains his vision for the mural commissioned by Sam Salem at the Whiteway Deli – Photo by Jim Love

Artist Cal Oglesby, right, explains his vision for the mural commissioned by Sam Salem at the Whiteway Deli – Photo by Jim Love

The deli’s proprietor had originally wanted something done with the property’s rear wall but the muralist had another idea for the more public-facing façade.
“Sam expressed an interest in having something painted on his wall,” said Oglesby, a Murray Hill resident. “He originally presented the concept of a forest piece and I suggested incorporating local residential architecture with trees from the area as well. I created a layered composition using digital imaging software and after presenting it to Sam he agreed to begin the project.”

The project took about a month overall from design to completion, using about 15 gallons of paint in a few basic colors. The total area of the painted surface is roughly 16 x 60 feet, around 1000 square feet.

“I feel drawn to working on buildings, but do work on canvas also. With canvas, I prefer larger scales that require a more involved application,” explained Oglesby. “Buildings are alive to me and when I work on a building, it feels more like I’m facilitating what each building or wall has to say.”

“Judging from the amount of artwork hanging inside Whiteway and Sam’s general enthusiasm for the project, I’d say that Sam is a lover of art and creativity itself. Whiteway is a place where anyone can go and feel like family,” noted the muralist. “Almost everyone I’ve seen walk through the doors appears to be a regular. That says a lot about a place and the people who work there.”

Salem said that he has received a lot of positive comments about the mural, and many people point out homes they recognize.

Cal Oglesby

Cal Oglesby

“The beautiful thing about street art is that it’s not a painting stowed away on a wall inside someone’s house for only a select few to see; it’s available, accessible and there to be shared by the public,” Oglesby said. “I feel that Sam is someone who values community, loves Jacksonville and wants to do everything he can to make this a more beautiful place for people to live.”
According to Salem, the motive for the mural was not to deter taggers as he has not had a problem with graffiti, but it probably does help keep taggers at bay. Oglesby’s perspective is that “I feel that most taggers value the time and effort put into murals and have respect for that. People have been itching to draw on walls since the dawn of man!”

By Kate A. Hallock
Resident Community News

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