Typically, when people think of South Main Street in Gainesville, they focus on local staples like Luke’s New York Bagel Shop or Depot Park. However, on March 29, attention shifted just behind these familiar spots to a lively concrete lot buzzing with creativity.
Visitors to the ArtWalk event at 714 S Main St. were greeted by the pungent smell of spray paint and the vibrant visuals that adorned the surrounding concrete walls. These bold shapes and colors are the hallmark of Erbriyon Barrett, a 30-year-old artist who goes by the name ‘Cloud.’
Barrett’s art is characterized by primary colors and fluid, rounded shapes, which he likens to a lava lamp. “This is my signature abstract design,” he explained, gesturing towards his half-finished mural. “I call them clouds because I’m Cloud.”
He began working on his mural before the event, arriving early to sketch out his design. Barrett revealed that his favorite part of creating his murals, which can be found on walls across the southeastern United States, is selecting the perfect color scheme. “That’s the main thing I love,” he said. “I just love using loud, bright colors.”
His ArtWalk piece featured striking, deep colors in a swirling design with red, yellow, blue, and green shapes seamlessly overlapping. “It’s just supposed to give off the representation of free-flow movement,” Barrett explained. “That’s the thing with abstract. I just want people to have their own interpretation of what they see.”
Although Barrett hadn’t yet decided on a title for his mural, he was guided by a universal concept. “I try to make it appeal to all types of races, sexuality, and gender,” he shared, emphasizing his desire for the artwork to connect with a broad audience.
Barrett’s passion for art began early in life, with his first foray into the creative world at the age of five. Ganes, another artist at ArtWalk, had a similar early start, beginning his serious pursuit of painting 18 years ago. “I’d always drawn letters as a kid but never really went out and painted,” Ganes recounted. “In middle school and high school, I started going out painting.”
His professional journey began with graffiti work around Broward County, inspiring the deeply saturated colors and thick outlines that define his current style. At the ArtWalk event, Ganes worked on a 50-square-foot mural featuring a purple and yellow tag of his name. “Something like this usually takes four to six hours,” he said, noting that while he could complete a mural of this size in two hours, it would lack the intricate detail he enjoys.
Since moving to Gainesville four years ago, Ganes has left his artistic mark around the city, including on the iconic 34th Street wall. This wall, more than 1,100 feet long and 24 feet tall, is covered in layers of messages and art dating back to 1979. Although technically illegal under city ordinances, the wall has become a canvas for countless fundraisers, community events, and Gainesville residents.
Steph Morris, a 26-year-old UF museum sciences graduate student, has painted the wall every year since she first moved to Florida. “This is my eighth year painting the 34th Street wall,” she said, loading spray paint into her car. “You would think it gets old, but it really never does.”
Morris was introduced to the wall during her first year of college by a friend who had grown up in Gainesville. “I immediately fell in love with it,” she said. “I kept going back as often as I could, sometimes three or four or five times a week. There was always new art to appreciate.”
Although she considers herself more of an art enthusiast than an artist, the wall gave Morris the opportunity to express herself on a grand scale. “I didn’t feel like a true artist, and I still don’t, to be honest,” she admitted. “But it’s one of the best feelings in the world to express what I’m feeling on such a big canvas.”
Gainesville is home to dozens of murals commissioned from local artists, which Morris loves to see. “I love the mural on the stage at Bo Diddley Plaza and the one next to Luke’s Bagels,” she said. “But there really is something special about contributing to a massive, collaborative mural that makes it feel less like an art piece and more like an experience.” These murals help to elevate local businesses, such as bagel shops and offices for a Gainsville Personal Injury Attorney.
Beyond Gainesville, other cities in the United States are celebrated for their stunning murals and public art. In Philadelphia, the “City of Murals,” over 3,000 murals decorate the city, telling stories of its diverse communities. Detroit’s Eastern Market features large-scale murals that transform the historic area into an open-air gallery, attracting artists from around the world. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the murals of the Arts District showcase a blend of contemporary and traditional styles, making it a must-visit destination for art lovers. These cities, like Gainesville, demonstrate the power of public art to transform urban landscapes and connect communities through shared creative experiences.
