About the Mural

On the south wall of this small building at 1701 1st Avenue South, on the NorthWest corner of 1st Avenue South and 17th Street South, a splash of cheery, pastel colors stands out on a barren stretch of ground, half-shaded by a large oak tree.

Pink, blue, purple, lavender, yellow, peach and green sprawl in rounded, amorphous shapes, like a cartoon of an undulating, underwater reef, 48 feet wide and 14 feet high.

But among the shapes are fat green and purple cactuses, a peach-colored cartoon dog with floppy purple ears and tail. Pink flowers with bright blue or magenta centers, a pink cat with bright blue dots for eyes and nose, blue lines for whiskers. A yellow sheep with red eyes and a peachy muzzle. A small blue octopus with light blue spots and yellow eyes. And a delicate purple dog comforting a dark blue, long-nosed creature with pink spots and a ruffled pink crown, angry flames shooting out of his head.

At the center, near the ground, is a bulbous blue shape with pink spots for eyes and eyebrows, a pink Mr. Potato Head-style mouth, and a curving blue moustache. To his right floats a tiny yellow fish with red fins and a bright red tail, followed by a wiggly big green caterpillar with pink and gold spots, and one long antenna with a blue spot, examining the fish. To the left of the blue creature with the moustache, a friendly, coral seal with yellow spots, tossing a dark purple zig-zag shape that dominates the pastel colors – the same color as a purple fox with a pink nose and eyes, who peers out of the cheery pastel chaos.

The wall is a sea of abstract creatures, full of motion, with a splash of light blue sky at the top.

In the lower right corner, in bright blue, are the words “Jujmo” [“jooj-mō”] and “Shine 17.” Jujmo is based in Tampa, and says, “I love drawing and painting happy intertwined worlds that collide with reality and my imaginary creatures.”

This small building is covered with murals. Just around the right-hand side of this one, facing east, is Daniel Mrgan’s cheerful green, gold and red cartoon. And on the opposite side of the building, facing north, is Michael Reeder’s Beneath the Shell. On the west end of this building is a huge cartoon bird in colors that harmonize with Jujmo’s mural.