Local muralist Mickael Broth’s work is easy to spot for all the right reasons, and his latest RVA Mural graces the cover of our 10-year-anniversary issue.
Local muralist Mickael Broth’s work is easy to spot for all the right reasons, and his latest RVA Mural graces the cover of our 10-year-anniversary issue.
Broth’s made a huge impact in the Richmond community with his colorful and whimsical imagery. You can see it along the sides of 821 Café, in Sticky Rices’ signage, and as the massive Rust Brue Wizard from the RVA Street Art Festival 2013 at the old bus depot.
Also, he’s the hands behind the murals out front and behind Mellow Mushroom in Carytown as well as the wall art inside the restaurant which consists of over 100 hand-cut painted wooden pieces.
Considering his impressive resume, and the relationship he’s had with RVA Mag, we reached out to Broth to do something for our 10 year anniversary issue cover and he was pumped to oblige.
The mural is located on the side of the Highpoint Gallery on Broad St.
Here’s the video of the mural in the making:
The Nightowl: Just the Four of Us from The Nightowl on Vimeo.
Broth did the mural during a snowstorm earlier this year, an idea he got from some old friends.
“I lived with Will and Dave from Day by Day and they were shooting their first videos like 10 years ago. I remember some graffiti footage they got during a snowstorm, it was so badass,” said Broth of his time spent with the RVA born comedy duo Day by Day. “I was kind of ignoring the realities of how disgusting it was going to be out painting for hours in the snow.”
The mural is called “Just the Four of Us” referring to Broth, his wife and their two dogs. Broth being the washed up wizard, his wife, the beautiful witchy-witch. One of the mural-dogs, the one with the red eyes, is a mix of his dog Chance and Day by Day’s Mr. Pickles which airs on Adult Swim.
There are also references to Richmond: a depiction of the pipeline, a popular hangout and camping spot on the river, and some of his favorite thoughts and experiences he’s had over the last decade.
Broth has some shared history with RVA Magazine. He did the cover art for the 2007 vol. 4 issue 2 magazine, the RVA Magazine 2008 Year in Review cover art, and RVA Magazine’s 2011 Photo Book.
He has been featured in over 25 exhibitions and has done 7 commissions. He also helped bring to life ‘Born Ugly’ magazine, a skate zine which had 10 issues between 2009 and 2011. He’s done several other murals and projects in different cities as well. He has also participated in the Richmond Mural Project the past two years.
The combination of his acclaimed murals in Richmond and his work over the years with RVA Magazine, he was a great fit to do the cover for the 10 year issue.
“I was honored to be asked,” said Broth. “It was unexpected but I was stoked.”
Cheers to 10 years and people like Broth who make RVA Magazine, and our city, what it is.
You can pick up the latest RVA Mag print edition at these awesome locations while they last.
