Outdoor Street Art – District Bar Graffiti Bird Art

Our agency was pleased to curate and facilitate outdoor street art for the good folks at Portland’s District Bar found in the Ankeny Alley of Old Town near the famous tourist destination, VooDoo Doughnuts.

The owners wanted to find a good way to add beauty to the exterior of their building. We paired them with a local graffiti artist known for combining photorealistic spray painted animals found in nature with abstract shapes and patterns of outdoor graffiti street art and graffiti tags.

Considering District Bar’s brand personality as well as their interior decor of gray and black colors, dim lighting and flashy pop-culture wheat pasted canvases, the artist wanted to emulate the same vibe for the exterior patio space. After deep consideration, the artist thought the best animal to embody the spirit of District Bar would be a glorified street pigeon. Pigeons represent street culture and city life. They are social, travel in packs and are roaming the sidewalks and patios into the wee hours of the night – perfect for a nightclub in the heart of downtown Portland.

The artist spray painted a high-detailed version of a pigeon in blue and gray tones with a little bit of flare found in a purple and green neckline and bright orange eyes. Behind the bird’s head is an outline of a street light appearing almost as a halo on the bird’s head. Surrounding the bird are abstract graffiti squiggles, tree branches and bushes from nearby foliage. In the background are electricity poles and wires to set a clear tone to the city landscape.

This particular artist works extremely fast in spray paint even though their work includes hyperrealism and high detail. They finished the mural in two days and the client couldn’t have been more thrilled. They gloated about their new art installation so much, their neighboring bar Valentine’s Bar requested to work with our company and the same artist for an outdoor art installation for their exterior patio space.

We were thrilled to work with this artist again and they were very meticulous in making sure the two murals that would be side-by-side would complement each other while remaining true to each bar’s unique identity. The juxtaposition between the colors, animals and their personification made the installation dynamic and engaging and almost impossible to miss while walking by. Thankfully, the two bar owners continued to put us in touch with other small businesses in the area looking for an art consultant and curator to provide art direction for more outdoor street art installations.

This outdoor street art was part of the ​Together We Grow PDX Community Art Project​ located across downtown Portland, Oregon.

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