15 inspiring murals bound to brighten up your day

(Visit St. Pete Clearwater)

(Visit St. Pete Clearwater)

St. Petersburg/Clearwater in Florida is home to over 500 murals, many of which feature bright and bold colours, carrying messages of love and positivity. This colourful tribute to the Beatles particularly caught our eye and we couldn’t help but smile when we saw it.

This incredibly powerful image was recently painted on a wall in Melbourne, Australia. The message of the mural is clear. Thank you to frontline health workers.

During the coronavirus outbreak, health workers from all across the world have been hailed as heroes and have inspired hope as well as art.

The mural depicts a mask-wearing doctor as an angel, with the entire world resting on his hands. The piece of art not only shows the heroic and selfless work health workers are carrying out every day, but also reminds us of the huge amount of responsibility resting on doctors’ and nurses’ shoulders around the world.

London-based street artist Lionel Stanhope has also been using his talent to thank the UK’s health workers. His depiction of NHS staff as heroes combines the well-known NHS logo with the famous Superman emblem.

One of these huge murals has been painted near Waterloo Station and another brightens up a street in Brockley in south-east London.

British-based street artist Banksy is among the many people who are adjusting to life working from home.

This clever decoration of a bathroom gets funnier the more you look at it.

By street artists Ella and Pitr in Valparaíso, Chile (Shutterstock)

These murals have been around a lot longer than the COVID-19 outbreak, and act as a bright spark during these testing times.

It’s almost impossible not to smile back at La Mamie de Valparaíso, a friendly-faced grandma painted by Ella And Pitr, who is keeping a watchful eye over her beloved city.

Berlin-based street artist Eme Freethinker has been painting murals all over the city, but a fair few topical ones have been popping up lately. One in particular features Gollum fighting over ‘precious’ toilet roll with a popular Ice Age character.

‘Little Children on a Bicycle’ in Penang, Malaysia by Ernest Zacharevic (Shutterstock)

This charming mural in George Town, Malaysia is one of the world’s most recognisable pieces of street art.

The drawing on the faded wall, of the gleeful smiles on children’s faces, brings instant joy. No wonder it is one of the most popular sites in the country.

Street artist Emma Blake has been brightening both walls and moods in Dublin, with her coronavirus-inspired murals.

With pieces featuring lyrics from Don’t Stand So Close To Me by The Police, playfully reminding people of the importance of social distancing, and of course tributes to NHS workers, her art is certainly sparking joy and hope around Ireland’s capital.

Ricardo Cavolo’s design featured in Montréal’s Mural Festival (Davi Tohinnou)

Montréal has emerged as a street art capital. Saint-Laurent Boulevard, one of Montréal’s busiest street, is literally an outdoor gallery, with lots of great work adorning Mount-Royal Avenue, Rosemont and the South West Borough, too.

Artist Ricardo Cavolo’s 2017 mural, The Sun Keeper, still manages to brighten our day. It was a highlight of the city’s Mural Festival, too.

World-renowned street artist Eduardo Kobra has recently used his rainbow-spectrum style to create this gorgeous artwork, showing five face-masked children from different parts of the world.

Eduardo reminds us that we are all united in the fight against COVID-19, and reminds us to have faith and stay hopeful.

It may be temporary, but this work of art in the Swiss Alps is undeniably spectacular.

The artist behind it, Saype, has won awards for his vast, biodegradable grass frescoes.

His most recent piece of work is called ‘Beyond Crisis’ and covers over 3,000 sq km. It is best viewed from above, from where you can make out the figure of a giant girl, looking into the distance and holding a chain of linked people in both of her enormous hands.

This inspirational design is meant to be a symbol of solidarity and humanity.