What Is a Mural? A Simple Definition
A mural is a large-scale artwork painted or applied directly onto a wall or architectural surface — indoors or outdoors. Murals often transform plain walls into powerful visual stories and can serve cultural, community, decorative, or branding purposes.
Where Are Murals Typically Found?
Murals are among the oldest forms of human expression. Prehistoric communities painted animals and symbols inside the caves of Lascaux and Altamira, creating one of the earliest records of human imagination and daily life.
Over time, murals appeared in:
- Egyptian tombs
- Roman villas
- Byzantine churches
- Renaissance cathedrals
- royal courts
- civic buildings
These early murals documented history, mythology, religion, social order, local life, and cultural values.
Unlike portable canvases, murals were integrated directly into the spaces where people lived and gathered — making art part of everyday life rather than a luxury object.
Murals as Social Voice and Public Expression
In the 20th century, murals became powerful tools for social storytelling and cultural empowerment.
The Mexican Mural Movement
Artists like Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros used murals to:
- depict working-class lives
- celebrate Indigenous heritage
- critique colonialism and oppression
- advocate social change
Murals became visual public conversation.
Community & Identity
In many places — including Ireland, South America, and North America — murals have been used to:
- assert identity
- preserve memory
- inspire civic pride
- spark dialogue
Murals allow communities to see themselves reflected in public space.
Modern Murals — Transforming Urban Environments
Today, murals are commissioned for:
- homes
- offices
- cafés
- cultural centers
- schools
- playgrounds
- public buildings
- city walls
They add character, colour, and emotional connection to environments that might otherwise be plain or anonymous.
A mural can:
✔ make a neighbourhood feel cared for
✔ help a business stand out
✔ brighten a public walkway
✔ create community engagement
✔ become a local landmark
Murals invite people to pause, look, and feel.
Murals as Transformative Elements in Modern Spaces
One powerful example of this is Po’s large-scale custom mural created for Strong Enterprises in Belleville, Ontario. Designed specifically for a contemporary open-concept headquarters, the mural functions not just as artwork, but as an architectural feature woven into the identity of the space. With its Bauhaus-inspired forms, generational story, and colours that echo the landscape seen through the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the mural becomes both a visual anchor and a narrative centrepiece — a living expression of the company’s values, past, and future.
Mural Techniques — From Classical Fresco to Contemporary Methods
Modern mural artists use many techniques, including:
- Fresco — pigment applied to wet plaster
- Acrylic painting — durable and colour-strong
- Oil on mounted canvas — later installed on walls
- Spray paint & aerosol art
- Projection-based layout
- Digital-to-wall transfer
- Mixed media & textural methods
Today, murals are both an art form and a technical craft — requiring knowledge of materials, architecture, weather resistance, and scale.
For examples of Po’s hand-painted techniques, you can explore her custom mural services.
Why Murals Matter
Murals bring art to everyone — not just those who visit galleries or museums.
They are:
- accessible
- democratic
- collaborative
- culturally meaningful
Murals change how people feel about their city, their workplace, their community — and themselves.
They are landmarks, memory-anchors, and emotional colour in physical space.
Murals in Kingston & the Surrounding Region
Po’s murals in Kingston connect contemporary colour-blocking and modern visual storytelling to the fabric of the city. Each mural is designed in conversation with:
- the space
- the community
- the history
- the client’s vision
Whether for a home interior, a business storefront, or a community space, a mural by Po brings:
✔ warmth
✔ identity
✔ energy
✔ meaning
✔ visual harmony
While Po is based in Kingston, many of her mural and installation projects extend throughout the surrounding region — including Prince Edward County and other Eastern Ontario communities. One of the most beloved examples is “Exploring the Senses,” a large interactive mural created for Base31’s Sensory Garden in Picton.
Commissioning a Mural — The Process
Working with a professional mural artist typically involves:
- Initial conversation & intention
- Site visit & measurements
- Concept sketches
- Colour & mood selection
- Timeline & technical planning
- Execution of the mural
- Protective finishing
If you’re considering a mural for your home, business, or community space, visit Po’s Mural Commissions Page for details.
How to Choose the Right Wall for a Mural
Consider:
- Lighting
- Visibility
- Surface texture
- Environmental exposure
- Audience & purpose
- Long-term durability
- Indoor vs outdoor application
Custom Murals by Love Art by Po
Great spaces don’t happen by accident — they are shaped with intention. Whether you’re creating a place for families, communities, students, or a growing business, a mural becomes a statement about the environment you’re building. It communicates care, identity, and the desire to shape an experience that people genuinely feel.
And when you’ve poured vision, effort, and heart into what you’re creating, you deserve a space that reflects that same level of purpose and pride.
Po offers:
- interior murals for homes
- business & office murals
- restaurant & café murals
- children’s room murals
- faith-space and reflective murals
- public / exterior murals for community areas
Po works out of Kingston and serves clients across the wider region, from Toronto to Ottawa.
Bring Your Story to Life Through Mural Art
Art has a way of meeting people exactly where they are.
Whether you’re building a home that feels magical, shaping a space where children learn and explore, revitalizing a community environment, or leading a business with a story worth telling — a custom mural changes how people experience a place.
Po’s murals are created for families, founders, educators, dreamers, doers, community builders, and anyone who wants a space to feel alive with meaning and colour. Every project — big or small, playful or powerful — begins with a conversation about your story.
If you’re ready for a mural that reflects who you are, what you value, and what you’re building for the future, Po would love to create something unforgettable for you.
Let’s start your mural.
📧 Email Po— Artwork and murals by Portia “Po” Chapman, Love Art by Po
Love Art by Po 
Let Me Know What You Think! Start or Join the Convesation