A whale is swimming on Jefferson Avenue, thanks to Central High School senior Sophie Bryan.
Drivers can see the creature when passing at the intersection of Jefferson and Glenwood Street, painted on a wooden privacy fence. The mural, which is not yet completed, is the culmination of weeks of work by Sophie, between the recent days of rain and 100-degree-plus temperatures.
Sophie, who worked at the Formed art gallery in Downtown Springfield, has been working on art for as long as she can remember but got more serious within the last decade.
“I’ve been working on painting for a long time in acrylics and watercolors, but I kind of wanted to challenge myself and work on something outside of my comfort zone and something a little bit larger,” Sophie said.
What inspired the fence painting?
Upon her family moving into their new home in the Seminole Holland neighborhood, Sophie said she was driven by a desire “not to live in a house that was boring.”
“I just want there to be fun, random things that make me happy,” she said. With her family, she deliberated on several ideas, including painting the side of their home or the long length of the fence.
“It was an idea that sat at the back of my head for a long time,” Sophie said. “One day I just decided to take that leap and give it a shot.”
Sophie saw an opportunity to put her artistic talents to the test with such a large project. It’s safe to say she has passed that test, with a positive social media response and neighborhood pride.
A member of the social media group Welcome to Springfield, MO posted a picture of the mural in late July. It’s attracted over 2,300 likes, and nearly 200 comments as of this story’s publish date.
Amanda Hernandez, a neighbor to the Bryans’, said that the mural adds character to a neighborhood that often gets lost the shadow of Springfield’s better-known communities.
“I just smile,” Hernandez said. “I sit outside every night. In fact, we would look forward to watching her paint, so the days that it was hot I was like, ‘I don’t think she’s going to come out today.’ Sure enough, she would wait until the sun went down.”
Neighbors ‘delighted by this surprise beauty'
The far right side of the mural, perhaps more challenging to some in interpreting what it could be compared to the rest of the painting, contains blocks of various colors, primarily different shades of blue, purple and pink. Hernandez said that she’s playing a guessing game with her mom and husband on what it is; while they think it’s a ship of some sort, she’s predicting that it’s a sunset. Hernandez doesn’t want to ask Sophie, as she wants to have the “wonder” of it.
Sophie’s father, Ethan Bryan, along with her mother and sister, has been a big supporter of her throughout the process, cheering her on with Hernandez across the street and watching the progress being made.
“Just seeing something that exists in her imagination becomes a reality in our world,” Ethan said. “As it progresses, as she makes the whale, these waves and these colors. Seeing the interaction with neighbors and friends in the neighborhood who are just delighted by this surprise beauty.”
While Sophie said there wasn’t much of a “deeper meaning” behind the direction she took with the mural, she chose the colors carefully. For her, water and oceanic scenes have always been inspirational, and she wanted to include colors that would make people feel joy when driving by.
“Whales are just so vast and majestic, and it’s just exciting to do,” Sophie said.
She has decided to name the whale in the mural “Wallace” after the main character in one of her favorite books, “Under the Whispering Door” by TJ Klune.
Andrea Earheart, one of Sophie’s biggest inspirations, is a local artist and muralist famous for the butterfly wings painted on the Walnut Street side of Riad in Downtown Springfield, among other pieces of art.
“Inspiration doesn’t always come from easily traceable areas,” Sophie said. “I like to focus art on things that I find beauty in and things that can make me make other people happy.
Sophie said she was happy to hear the positive feedback, as she wasn't sure how people would react at first.
How to follow Sophie Bryan
“I really just hope that it brings a smile to people’s faces. That sounds super cliche, but there are days where everything is stressful and overwhelming in the world, and it can feel like those little random things that make you happy are what get you through the day and so I hope that can be a reminder that there are still things to look forward to in everyday life.”
If the Jefferson and Glenwood intersection isn’t too far out of your way, or even if they are, it may be worth adding to your commute. It’s not done yet; watch as it continues to unfold and keep reminding yourself to look forward to its beauty.
You can follow Sophie Bryan on Instagram at s.bryan_art.
Photojournalist Jym Wilson contributed to this report.
