On a once-blank wall off of Main Street in Travelers Rest, a story is beginning to take shape.
A rabbit peeking out from a flower patch, the wheels of a bike rolling up a mountain road, the hem of the rider’s dress — all outlined in black paint.
Adam Schrimmer, who started work on the mural on the side of Urban Hare Boutique this week, said it’s the first of three such paintings he will complete in the northern Greenville County town in the coming months. He will also be painting pieces on the side of Loftis Printing and on TR’s Oriental facing the entrance to Travelers Rest coming from US 276.
A design image shows a mural planned for an exterior wall at Urban Hare in downtown Travelers Rest. Provided/Blank Canvas Mural Company
Schrimmer, a local artist and owner of Blank Canvas Mural Company, is responsible for other prominent murals in Greenville County, including vibrant displays at Poe Mill and the painting depicting prominent Greenville landmarks and figures at Haywood Mall.
The local business owners in Travelers Rest hired him using a façade improvement grant from the city that covers half of the cost. Schrimmer said the project has been an opportunity to learn more about the bustling town, knowledge he is incorporating in the public art displays.
A design image shows a mural planned for an exterior wall at Loftis Printing in downtown Travelers Rest. Provided/Blank Canvas Mural Company
On the Loftis Printing mural, he will depict people and places from the area’s history, including Dean “Chico” Bolin, a World War II veteran and former coach of the Travelers Rest High School football team, and the Skyland Drive-In movie theater.
The TR’s Oriental mural at the entrance to Main Street will be a nod to Travelers Rest’s role as a gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. The image will feature a couple with their feet propped up in the foreground, staring out over the mountainous country to the north of the town, the words “Where Travelers come to Rest” displayed overhead.
At Urban Hare, he said he’s creating a “love story,” inspired by the love residents and business owners have for their town. The piece, which will be painted in the style of a vintage French cycling poster, will include items from the shops connected to Urban Hare, including locally grown flowers from the Katelyn Pinner Studio and oil and vinegar from The Crescent Olive. The concept for the mural itself was inspired by the EE Cummings poem “I Carry Your Heart with Me,” a copy of which Schrimmer found in Urban Hare.