SHINE
Artist: Hoxxoh, Photo: by Edel Mohr

Vitale Brothers

About Vitale Brothers

Based out of: St. Petersburg
The Vitale Brothers are a St. Petersburg-based mural and hand-painted sign company, led by Johnny Vitale and Paul Vitale, with clients from the Tampa Bay Rays to Great Bay Distributors. Trailblazers in the local art scene, the Vitale Brothers have launched memorable art events for many years and collaborated in set design for movies filming in area such as Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers.

About the Mural

The Cool Kids, by the Vitale Brothers, is on the west side of the building at 2063 Central Avenue, facing 21st Street North. It spans the entire wall, 55 feet wide and 15 feet high.

The mural shows the faces of four children – the children of the artists. They’re painted from the shoulders up and overlapping slightly, nestled in an off-kilter blue landscape. Their faces are vivid and expressive, and about ten feet high. They’re realistic, like a photo, and surrounded by jagged white borders as if they were cut out of a magazine.

On the left is a girl eight or nine years old, with dark shoulder-length hair and light blue eyes. She wears a dark pink shirt and she’s looking thoughtfully up and to the left. Her portrait gives a hint of what she’ll look like when she grows up. Her face and neck are highlighted, as if the sun is shining on her. Unlike the rowdy boys beside her, the girl’s lips are closed. She’s calm, and peaceful.

The lower center of the mural is dominated by a boy about her age in a black T-shirt, grimacing at us with teeth bared, making a face – as if a funny noise is escaping through his teeth. The boy has darker skin, full red lips, brown eyes and brown hair that swoops to the left and sticks up in a spiky ridge. His portrait vibrates with energy.

Over his right shoulder, is a younger boy with a white-blonde crewcut, blue eyes and a bright blue T-shirt, looking straight at us. His mouth is open in a joyous scream.

On the right is a boy who looks like he just learned to walk, holding his left arm out for balance. He’s the only child seen below his shoulders, his portrait painted to the middle of his chest – revealing a black T-shirt with a white, tired-looking skull.

The boy has light brown skin, unruly brown hair and brown eyes. His mouth in a happy almost-grin, looking curiously at something to the right of the mural. Just beneath his outstretched arm, in the white border surrounding his image, is a blue handprint.

Above him, on the right side of the mural, is the logo of a band, The Clash, in choppy blue paint. The capital C and the L are obscured by a small dark window set back in the wall.

It’s one of three identical windows, their frames painted blue to blend in with the mural. To the right of the girl is another window, between her and the boys. And a third is to her left, blending into a pattern of black dots on blue.

That window on the left, and the girl’s face, partly cover the logo of the band Black Flag, tilted to the right. Because the window and the girl cover up some letters – only the L-A of Black and the F-L-A of Flag are visible, separated by three thick black vertical lines, also tilted to the right.

Over the girl’s right shoulder is the logo for the movie Evil Dead, in red. The word, Dead, is partly covered by the girl, and the spiked hair of the older boy in the center.

Black dots crowd around the children’s heads. In the center are bigger dots, diminishing in size as they approach the roof, like they’re fading away.

Across the bottom of the mural are light blue crayon-like images made by the children depicted in the painting.

On the left, two stick figures are smiling. Between the girl and the older boy, is a bird with long legs and three toes. Toward the center are childlike bees, a dog with five legs and a curving nose, two cats, a sun, and an alien with long antennae.

Below the children, on the left and right, are angled squares of blue and black, like tilted checkerboards. On the right, three yellow squares break up the blue and black pattern.

The tiles on the right cross the Vitale Brothers logo, painted like a cartoon shout in angled capital letters. The V-I-T and the left half of the A are covered by the hand of the boy on the right, reaching out to steady himself.

The Vitale Brothers are well-known St. Petersburg artists, very involved in the local arts community. This mural merges all their inspirations into one snapshot: music, movies, art and family.

Title: The Cool Kids

Address: 2063 Central Ave

Building: Evil don Tattoos.

Notes: As of 2020, this mural has been replaced with a new Vitale Bros mural.

Installation Date: 2015

Abys2024

Cristi López2024

Emmanuel Jarus2024

Fintan Magee2024

Frankie Gonzalez2024

George F Baker III2024

Kris Markovich & Johnny Vitale2024

NeSpoon2024

Quinn Cale2024

Stevie Shao2024

Up & Over2024

Ya La'Ford2024

Zulu Painter2024

Naomi Haverland2024

Dwayne Shepherd & Brian McAllister2024

Artist Jones2023

Rhys Meatyard2023

Greater Public Studio2023

Andrea Wan2023

The Happy Mural Project2023

Kelly Quinn2023

Bunnie Reiss2023

HOXXOH2023

Chris Dyer2023

Max Sansing2023

Dave Bonzai2023

Fabstraq2023

Michael Vasquez2023

Chenlin Cai / 蔡陈林2023

Loretta Lizzio2023

Sarah Sheppard2023

Bryan Beyung & James Lee Chiahan2023

Hannah Eddy2023

James Bullough2022

MadC2022

Ben Johnston2022

Imagine2022

Marina Capdevila2022

123Klan2022

Reginald O'Neal 2022

Van Der Luc2022

Jeff Williams2022

Dream Weaver2022

Sydney Prusso2022

Ashley Cantero2022

Egypt Hagan2022

Tasko2022

Baghead2022

Nneka Jones2022

Amy Ilic-Volpe2022

Jason Harvin2022

Vitale Bros2022

Chad Mize2022

The Happy Mural Project2022

Greg Mike2021

Mwanel Pierre-Louis2021

Jenipher Chandley2021

Case Maclaim2021

Jared Wright2021

Bakpak Durden2021

Nicole Salgar2021

Ricky Watts2021

Gleo2021

Woes Martin2021

Jason Harvin2021

Miss Crit2021

Michael Fatutoa2021

Emily Ding2021

Reid Jenkins2021

Aurailieus Artist2021

Jujmo2021

Leo Gomez2021

Ya La'Ford2021

iBOMS2021

Chad Mize 2021

Brain Storm2020

Brian Butler2020

Lili Yuan2020

Happy Mural Project2020

BASK2020

Tatiana Suarez2020

Elle LeBlanc2020

Mason Schwacke2020

Alex Yanes2020

Kenny Coil and Marc Berenguer2020

Nneka Jones and Bianca Burrows2020

IBOMS2020

Cecilia Lueza2019

George Rose2019

Morning Breath2019

Vitale Brothers2019

Cory Robinson-CLEAN Campaign2019

SHOK-12019

Taylor White2019

Reda3sb2019

Princess Smith2019

Brian McAllister, Gibbs High Mural Club and Boys & Girls Club Members2019

JR-Inside Out2019

Paola Delfin2019

Jimmy Breen and Anthony Freese2019

Drew Merritt2019

Low Bros2019

Jay Hoff2019

Taj Tenfold2019

Leo Gomez2019

Palehorse2019

Blaine Fontana and Plastic Birdie2019

David Charlton2019

Todd Frain and Creative Clay2019

Haider Ali2018

Ya La Ford2018

Gibbs Rounsavall2018

Angela Faustina2018

Bekky Beukes2018

LOOK The Weird2018

Belin2018

Melanie Posner2018

Illsol2018

J and S Signs2018

Sarah Page2018

Nomad Clan2018

Tasko2018

Cecilia Lueza2018

Matt Kress2018

Michael Vahl2018

Noirs One2018

DAAS2018

Justin Wagher2018

ZuluPainter2018

Matthew Hoffman2018

Hueman2017

Joram Roukes2017

Jose Mertz2017

Stephen Palladino2017

Yok and Shero2017

Herbert Scott Davis2017

Jujmo2017

Lauren YS2017

Mikael B2017

ZuluPainter and Thirst2017

Axel Void and L.E.O.2017

Suarez Art2017

Cryptik2017

Daniel "R5" Barojas2017

Sam Yong2017

Ali Vasquez and Todd Frain2016

Angela Delaplane2016

Apexer2016

Arlin Graff2016

Pep Rally Inc.-The CLEAN Campaign2016

Daniel Mrgan2016

Pixel Pancho2016

Michael Reeder2016

Alex Pardee2016

Cecilia Lueza2016

Jade2016

Pantonio2016

Nosego2016

ZuluPainter2016

Dasic Fernandez2016

Caratoes2016

Mark Gmehling2016

Ya La Ford2016

Ink Werkz Crew2016

Andrew Spear2015

Chad Mize, James Oleson and Pinellas County Center for the Arts2015

Erik Jones2015

Hitnes2015

Hoxxoh2015

Michael Vasquez2015

Shark Toof2015

Morning Breath2015

Ricky Watts2015

Evoca2015

Carrie Jadus2015

BASK2015

Greg Mike2015

Tes One and Palehorse2015

123Klan2015

Ya La Ford2015

Carrie Jadus2015

Vitale Brothers2015

Support SHINE®

If you’re interested in supporting St. Pete’s most vibrant event, sponsorship at all levels is still available. Please contact Jenee Priebe at [email protected] or visit our SHINE Sponsorship page