Becoming a Mural

It's been a while since I've posted any murals lately and it's rare that I get to see one being made, so here are a few posts of the new addition to Houston Street, near the Bowery.



There's a great site documenting previous murals on this wall at 12oz Prophet.com.


The Brazilian group painting is called Os Gemeos - which means 'the twins' in Portuguese. More of their work here.


Before the Keith Haring mural was on this wall, I remember the old one that said Soho Kitchen in cursive font. I can't find a pic of it online, but am pretty sure I have a copy of it printed somewhere. I'll scan it and post, as an addendum to this site.


Have a good weekend!

Tradescantia

Below, two shots of Tradescantia virginiana (or a hybrid) in Giverny, France. It's also in bloom right now in New York City.



Tradescantia is named for John Tradescant the Elder, a botanist from the early 17th Century; virginiana refers to the fact that this is a New World plant. As for the common name, I think I've mentioned before that when a common name ends with -wort, it is a clue that the plant has some homeopathic uses. Spiderwort, obviously enough, was used to cure spider bites (though I'm not sure it really works).



Tradescantia is in the Commeliniaceae family, and is related to the edible plant Commelina communis (or day-flower) . It's also related to a bedding plant called purple heart (Tradescantia pallida) and the popular indoor plant, Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina).